THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210266
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
Two women have walked all the way through home No. 13 at the Homearama - called Flexible Living - and are about to enter the last room of the house. A greeter smiles and says to them, ``Hello, welcome to the in-law suite.''
The first woman, about to enter the room, peers carefully in and with a pained expression on her face asks softly, ``Ooooh, they're not here, are they?''
- Krys Stefansky FRIDAY, OCT. 14 1:30 p.m. - Interstate 64.
Bumper sticker on a red Ford Aerostar van. ``Ignore the dog. Beware of the children!''
- Pam Starr 6:15 p.m. - Parking lot of Captain's Quarters.
The day's rain is a welcome sight for an out-of-towner staying at the Oceanfront hotel. With a roll of paper towels in hand, the young lady heads toward her wet, white Plymouth Horizon with Illinois tags.
She rips off a handful of paper towels and begins wiping the thick layers of road dirt from her car, creating her own personal car wash.
- Holly Wester SATURDAY, OCT. 15 8:50 a.m. - Newtown Road Farmer Jack's.
In front of the new grocery store are three photographers waiting for the supermarket's grand opening ribbon cutting.
As they look at supermarket executives and local notables, one photographer turns to another and says, ``Look, adults dressed in animal costumes, a councilman with a pair of scissors and an aging Shrine band marching in the parking lot. This looks more like Mayberry than Virginia Beach.''
- David B. Hollingsworth 10:15 a.m. - Newtown Road Farmer Jack's.
A man standing in a line that stretches from the front to the back of the new store speaks to another bystander.
``How how about this, Virginia Beach can land a grocery store but not a race track.''
- David B. Hollingsworth 6 p.m. - Pembroke Mall.
A smattering of young kids and their parents are watching a puppet play put on by several members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
The performance includes Freddie the Firetruck, a robot who carries on a running dialogue with the performers and the kids.
A catchy ``Stop, Drop and Roll'' tune helps reinforce the fire-safety message, and rubber mats are laid out to give the energetic youngsters a chance to practice what they're learning.
At one point in the play, a fireman begins to put on his full firefighter gear to show the children this protective clothing.
Just as he gets his combination pants/boots on, his beeper sounds - and the kids get a real-life lesson in firefighting.
The fireman throws on his coat and helmet and rushes out of the mall with a couple of colleagues.
Duty calls, but the show goes on.
- Mark Kozak SUNDAY, OCT. 16 4:50 p.m. - Blockbuster Video on Laskin Road.
A middle-aged lady in a Nissan Maxima pulls into the fire lane in front of the store to return her videocassettes. A convenient mailbox lookalike on the curb awaits her arrival.
But since the passenger side window is next to the box, the lady is sure to face a struggle.
Instead of getting out of the car and walking to the box or turning around to make things easier, she does it the hard way. After fighting to break free from her automatic seat belt, she rolls down her electric-powered window and stretches across the emergency brake and passenger seat to drop her two videos in the slot.
- Holly Wester 5:05 p.m. - Oceana Boulevard.
The license plate on a white Ford gives a tailgater something to think about. It reads: RU2 CLOS.
- Holly Wester MONDAY, OCT. 17 7:40 a.m. - South Birdneck Road.
The bright yellow school bus rumbles away from Hughes Avenue, leaving one sad-eyed young fellow still at the corner.
He waited there at the bus stop with the others, but when the kids piled on, they left him behind.
Now the brown and black puppy sits alone, ears drooping as he watches the bus disappear in the distance.
- Melinda Forbes 11:14 a.m. - Hall Chrysler-Plymouth on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
A mother waits in the show room while her mini-van is getting fixed. She reads a magazine, taking a break from her young son who is in the restroom. The boy opens the restroom door and starts talking to his mom from across the show room. Half way through his speech, he stops, raises his voice and says, ``I love you, Mom.''
His mother looks up from her magazine and replies, ``I love you, too.''
- Kirsten Sorton ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Casting to the wind
Jeff Kendle of Virginia Beach is framed by the supports of the
Lesner Bridge as he casts for speckled trout in the Lynnhaven Inlet
on Thursday morning. As it turned out, Kendle said he really was
only casting for the fun of it, as the fish were not biting.
by CNB