THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9409300183
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
Thursday, Sept. 22
5:42 p.m. - Level Green Boulevard.
The fierce, blustery wind sends most people running for cover. But, one young girl is undaunted by the weather.
She stands on a small green telephone box holding a spool of kite thread. Attached to the end of the string is a blue plastic grocery bag, catching the breeze. It is the next best thing to a kite and flies just as well.
- Jill Mossman
Friday, Sept. 23
2 p.m. - Aboard the Discovery.
It's a gorgeous day. The sky is clear. The sun is shining. The temperature is hovering in the upper-70s.
Aboard the Discovery, the salty breeze swirls around the 90 or so people sipping iced tea and studying shoreline landscaping as part of a BayScapes workshop. They nod in approval or shake their heads in disapproval as they size up good and bad examples of pollution prevention landscape techniques.
Many aboard are Virginia Beach Garden Club members, who co-sponsored the trip with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
As the refined group passes the seawall along Long Creek below Great Neck Road, a voice rings out from among the fisherman perched on the shore.
``How come y'all have your clothes on?'' the voice bellows.
A few eyebrows raise. A couple jaws lower.
``He thinks we're a party boat,'' acknowledges Valerie S. Jessen, president of the Red Mill Farms Garden Club.
- Debbie Messina
9:35 p.m. - A convenience store on South Lynnhaven Road.
A short young lady with curly brown hair stands at the front counter of the empty store, staring at the array of air fresheners hanging on the wall.
``What does that one smell like?'' she asks the dark-haired man at the register, pointing at a green tree freshener.
``That's pine scent,'' he answers sarcastically.
``What about that one?'' she inquires again, this time pointing at a rainbow-colored hot air balloon.
``It says it smells like fresh air,'' he responds.
``Well what does that smell like?'' she asks again, in her heavy Northern accent.
``Like fresh air, lady, I don't know,'' he says in an irritated voice. ``Fresh air.''
``Well, excuse me,'' she says, surprised by the worker's attitude. ``I'm from New York. I don't know what that smells like!''
- Holly Wester
Saturday, Sept. 24
12:38 a.m. - 7-Eleven on Indian River Road.
A tall red-haired young lady wanders around the store, searching for something to cure her late night hunger pains.
After grabbing a Rice Krispie-like treat, the girl stands looking and looking in front of the drink case.
Finally, she appears to spot what she wants and pulls a chocolately Yoo-Hoo beverage from the back of the frig. Excited to get the last one, she trots over to the counter and sets the bottle down.
The lady behind the counter makes a disgusted face and says, ``How can you drink that?''
``What do you mean?'' the customer asks.
``It looks like dirty water,'' the clerk responds. ``Like dirty toilet water or something. Ewwwwww.''
After a few seconds of silence, the young lady pays the clerk and heads for the door. Then she turns around and says, ``Thanks a whole lot for ruining my Yoo-Hoo experience!''
- Holly Wester
Tuesday, Sept. 27
9:50 a.m. - Traffic light at Laskin and First Colonial roads.
There he is, in the passenger seat of a white van waiting in a left turning lane - King Neptune XXI himself.
Jeweled crown in his lap, stroking his graying beard, the monarch of the deep is lost in reverie at the busy intersection, waiting for his driver to make a left turn onto First Colonial Road.
No one - no one - in the surrounding cars has noticed that royalty is in their midst.
With even a slight turn of their heads, car occupants would spy an introspective man of middle age in white dinner jacket and bow tie, seated in a van filled with giddy Neptune princesses.
Instead, the light changes and the line of vehicles streams left onto First Colonial Road and disperses.
- Bill Reed
8 p.m. - Thunderbird Cafe on the Boardwalk.
A table with about 10 diners, who appear to be co-workers, are celebrating something. There's a lot of eating, drinking and laughing going on.
After their meal, there's a pause and one of the participants hands a huge partially wrapped box to the blond woman at the head of the table.
She opens it and the first things she comes to are several small wrapped gifts - a bottle of Joy dishwashing detergent, a can of Comet cleanser, a package of sponges.
A diner at a nearby table is watching the show. ``What is it a bridal shower?'' she asks. ``Are you getting married?''
One of the other partygoers answers. ``No. It's a going away party.'' ``Yeah,'' laughs the guest of honor. ``They know I'm a slob.''
- Melinda Forbes
Wednesday, Sept. 28
12:30 p.m. - Pembroke area sandwich shop.
Two women are sitting in a booth eating lunch. One comments on the other's sandwich - a bagel, cream cheese and Nova salmon concoction.
``I'm one of three people in this country who doesn't like salmon,'' she says. ``I've tried to eat it, I just don't like the taste.''
``Don't worry,'' says the bagel eater. ``I'm the only Southerner who doesn't like iced tea.''
- Melinda Forbes ILLUSTRATION: Can spring be far behind?
Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
This plump groundhog, or woodchuck, checks out a visitor from its
cage at the Animal Control Bureau. Picked up in the 5600 block of
Quarter Path Gate in the Wesleyan Chase subdivision last Sunday, the
animal is obviously tame and likes to have its belly rubbed. The
burrowing animals don't live in Virginia Beach but are found in
Suffolk and Chesapeake. Animal control Supervisor E.C. Ruffin says
it's illegal to keep a groundhog as a pet in Virginia, and he hopes
to find it a home at a zoo or nature center.
by CNB