THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412090271
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Thursday, Dec. 1
8:30 a.m. - 22nd Street at Arctic Avenue.
Drink Coca-Cola declare the red letters on the white van.
The driver, waiting for the light to turn green, is indeed enjoying the ``pause that refreshes.''
He's gulping a quart of lowfat milk.
- Melinda Forbes
1:15 p.m. - Virginia Wesleyan College.
Sign of the times.
Two young ladies walk to class together and talk about last night's Lyle Lovett concert. One couldn't afford to see the country-ish rock star strum his guitar, so she asks her pal for the scoop.
``So how was it?'' the unfortunate one asks. ``Was the crowd into it?''
``It was great, real mellow,'' the other says. ``I kept waiting for someone to start a mosh pit, but it didn't happen.''
- Holly Wester
Saturday, Dec. 3
2:30 p.m. - Taylor's DO-IT Center on Laskin Road.
A man dragging his new Christmas tree in one hand and his young daughter in the other, is overheard saying, ``I can't believe we are buying a Christmas tree wearing shorts.''
- David B. Hollingsworth
Sunday, Dec. 4
4 p.m. - Lynnhaven Mall.
In the packed parking lot, two shopping strangers define the holiday spirit.
``I think they're waiting for that space,'' one woman says to another, who is stuffing packages in the trunk of her red Mitsubishi.
``Well, I'm not leaving,'' the woman responds, slamming her trunk.
``They're probably going to be mad,'' the Good Samaritan says, pointing at the car, packed with family.
``Oh, well,'' the other woman answers, heading back into the mall. ``They'll get over it.''
- Holly Wester
4:30 p.m. - Atlantic Avenue.
Two teenagers on Rollerblades are in a hurry. They fly across the parking lot at the Association for Research and Enlightenment and make athletic leaps across the grass border. They skate across the sidewalk and jump over the curb to the feeder road.
``It must be fun skating in that big parking lot,'' says a passerby.
``It is,'' says one with a grin, ``except when the guard tells us to leave!''
- Mary Reid Barrow
Monday, Dec. 5
8:30 a.m. - Corner of Bay Colony and East Bayshore drives.
A sudden and driving rain obscures the views of morning motorists, forcing them to slow their vehicles, turn on their headlights and windshield wipers as they approach the intersection.
A man and a woman, clad in shorts, Polo shirts and walking shoes, suddenly appear in the headlight beams.
They are marching staunchly northward on East Bayshore through the downpour, arms swinging rhythmically.
Oblivious of oncoming traffic, they seem determined to complete their morning exertions no matter what obstacles Mother Nature throws in their path.
- Bill Reed
Tuesday, Dec. 6
9:45 a.m. - Independence Boulevard.
A bumper sticker on a passing car offers other motorists a thoughtful warning:
``CAUTION: NEVER DRIVE FASTER
THAN YOUR ANGELS CAN FLY.''
- Kevin Armstrong
2:30 p.m. - Virginian Steak House on First Colonial Road.
The lunch crowd has thinned out as owner Gus Kalivas steps out from the back to talk to head waitress Shirley Hewitt, who turns off the vacuum cleaner.
Earlier, Hewitt had been cleaning Kalivas' office and found a bag behind the file cabinet. The bag contained $900 and a deposit slip with a May 1994 date.
Kalivas smiles broadly, shakes his head and thanks her.
``Well, I guess I got my Christmas gift,'' he says.
- Gary Edwards
Wednesday, Dec. 7
10:15 a.m. - An office on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
During a conversation about May-December relationships, ayoung lady teases a much older co-worker about his age.
``You're old as dirt, man,'' she says, laughing at the thin-haired man across from her.
The older gentleman retaliates. ``Someday, you'll be old, too,'' he says. ``You won't remember your phone number and you'll have to sing `Happy Birthday' to yourself to remember your name.''
- Holly Wester ILLUSTRATION: The great tree hunt begins upfront
ABOVE: Christopher Mein chases his younger brother, Stephen, through
the rows of Christmas trees while the Virginia Beach family searches
for the perfect tree last week at a lot off Virginia Beach
Boulevard.
LEFT: Carol Preston of Virginia Beach checks to see if this tree is
too large to fit in her living room.
Photos by KIRSTEN SORTON
by CNB