THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411240204
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 145 lines
Thursday, Nov. 17
4:45 p.m. - 44 East.
A bright canary yellow sports car reminds drivers of a childhood friend. Appropriately, the license plate reads: BIG BRD.
- Holly Wester
Friday, Nov. 18
11 a.m. - General Booth Boulevard.
A turtle is having a problem in the Coastal River Room at the Virginia Marine Science Museum. He's underwater, appears to be clinging with one leg to a submerged tree root, and is floating at a peculiar angle.
A woman visitor points him out to a museum volunteer, who rushes off to get a museum employee.
The worker hurries in, kneels down beside the artificial pond and begins to unscrew the turtle, root and all, from the rest of the tree.
He lifts the oddly mated, dripping twosome out of the water. It turns out that the tree root is really a water intake tube, a cleverly disguised PVC pipe with holes, and the turtle has somehow gotten his toes caught in it.
The employee carries the little shellback away to get help in a back room.
- Krys Stefansky
12:30 p.m. - Rudee Inlet.
In Rudees Restaurant a woman is explaining to her two lunch companions why she doesn't like the local newspaper.
``I just can't stand it. They're always telling you what to think and making a big deal about something. Like the pig, that big Vietnamese pot-bellied pig over in, where was it? Norfolk? It was overfed or something. That pig was all over the paper. Twice. They wrote about it twice. It was even on Jay Leno. I don't know why they write about something like that. I just can't stand that paper.''
Over their lunch, she and her tablemates talk for the next 15 minutes about the pig.
- Krys Stefansky
Saturday, Nov. 19
3:30 p.m. - Atlantic Garden Center.
The garden center is filled with poinsettias - red, salmon, pink and white. The blooms are beautiful, stretching for almost the full length of the greenhouse.
But where are the chrysanthemums or other seasonal Thanksgiving flowers, asks a customer.
``They just don't give us time to celebrate Thanksgiving any more,'' says an employee, speaking of the world in general.
``On the other hand,'' she says, ``poinsettias only bloom this time of year so why not take advantage of them while they're here!''
``That's a positive way of looking at it,'' the customer says.
She picks up an arm load of salmon poinsettias and heads for the check-out counter.
- Mary Reid Barrow
5:50 p.m. - Olive Garden restaurant, Lynnhaven Parkway.
A couple is waiting in the lobby to be seated when a young mother walks in with her two young sons. One of the boys is about 3 and the other is a toddler. She gives her name to the greeter and sits next to the couple, tiredness apparent on her face.
The toddler immediately jumps out of her arms and trots over to the couple, grabbing the woman's leg and smiling broadly. The woman picks him up and sets him on her lap.
``What a big boy you are!'' she says as he giggles. ``Aren't you sweet!''
The mother smiles and the two women engage in a lively discussion about Alex, the toddler, and his friendliness. The woman puts Alex down occasionally but he keeps coming back to her. Another couple enters the restaurant and joins the woman. But they do not like seeing Alex on a stranger's lap.
``Come to Uncle Joe!'' the man says to Alex. The woman puts Alex down and he walks over to his uncle.
``I have baby radar - they love me,'' the woman says with a laugh. ``He's such a friendly baby.''
``Yeah, I know, but he's a little too friendly,'' the man replies, holding onto Alex.
The couple's name is called and they leave with a goodbye to the mother and a wave to Alex.
- Pam Starr
Sunday, Nov. 20
12:20 p.m. - Dam Neck Road.
A proud golfer drives a navy blue Jeep Cherokee down the highway. His license plate reads: HOLN1 2X.
- Holly Wester
6:30 p.m. - Surf and Sand movies.
A lot of people - children and adults - have turned out Sunday afternoon to see the movie ``Santa Clause.''
There's scene after scene with elves, a wondrous North Pole toy workshop, reindeer, a spiffy sleigh, Santa, snow and homes all decorated for the holidays.
At the end, Santa and the reindeer go flying away through the night sky. The credits start to roll and adults jump up to rush out of the theater, when from the back comes the soft sound of a pair of childish hands clapping.
- Melinda Forbes
Monday, Nov. 21
11:23 a.m. - An office on Independence Boulevard.
A young lady walks into a room where two of her co-workers are seated. One is reading a newspaper while the other plays with a toy car.
``Is that what they pay you for?,'' asks the smiling young lady.
One of the gentlemen responds, ``Yeah, that's about what I'm getting paid.''
- Holly Wester
Tuesday, Nov. 22
10 a.m. - Toll booth Independence Boulevard.
The tolls will be eliminated next year, but a couple of state troopers are manning the dime machine this day.
Meanwhile, two motorists are stopped before the toll, searching their cars frantically for money, lifting trunk carpet and shaking out tennis racket covers. Another motorist drives up to one, hands her a dime and is thanked profusely.
- Lorraine Eaton
Wednesday, Nov. 23
12:30 p.m. - Virginia Beach SPCA.
The folks here are not in a festive holiday mood. The staff has received 97 unwanted or homeless animals, including mother cats with litters of kittens, since Saturday.
The number is way above average for this time of year, says education director Susan Wagner. She assumes people are turning in their animals simply to avoid dealing with them before they go on vacation.
``There's a new holiday tradition this year,'' Wagner says, ``getting rid of your pets before Thanksgiving.''
- Mary Reid Barrow ILLUSTRATION: Drumming up an autograph
Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Bayside High School student Gary Shatraw came to play the drums with
the Honor Guard at the Pembroke Elementary School assembly Nov. 23.
He left with Dr. Jeff Wisoff's autograph. Wisoff, an astronaut who
attended Norfolk Academy, spoke to the assembly about his recent
mission aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. Wisoff was visiting the
school to return a T-shirt he took into space on an October mission.
The T-shirt had been given to him by the school and he returned it
with crew members' signatures.
by CNB