THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 26, 1995 TAG: 9511230203
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Friday, Nov. 17
4 p.m. - The Vaughan farm on Vaughan Road.
Two visiting 8-year-old girls are thrilled with the sights and sounds ``out in the country.''
There's mooing, oinking, clucking and barking coming from the wide variety of animals that live there.
When Donna Vaughan, who lives on the family farm, learns the name of one of the girls, she turns to her and says, ``Abby, I want you to meet Abby.'' As she talks, she coaxes a huge potbelly pig out of a dog house.
Abby (the little girl) giggles and squeals, ``Oooh, I don't look anything like that.''
- David B. Hollingsworth
Monday, Nov. 20
Noon - 24th Street Park.
Two workers surrounded by what looks like miles of extension cords and colored lights are busy putting the finishing touches on the Boardwalk holiday light display.
``So you're going to go home tonight and trim your own tree, right?'' a passerby quips to one of the men.
``Hey, I'm never touching this stuff again,'' he replies vehemently. ``I'm going to hire someone to do mine.''
- Jo-Ann Clegg
4:30 p.m. - A strip shopping center on Independence Boulevard.
A man walks out of a drugstore, taking an item from his package and studying it carefully. He steps off the curb and heads toward the parking lot. He stops and looks around in confusion, fumbling with his keys.
Another man, about the same age, walks toward the store. He smiles and, without an exchange of words, analyzes the situation correctly.
``You'll find it,'' he says. ``It happens to me all the time.''
Sure enough, after a brief search, the car turns up where it was parked.
- Gary Edwards
Tuesday, Nov. 21
7:30 a.m. - Galilee Episcopal Church.
It's the morning of the Optimist Club's annual Youth Appreciation Week awards breakfast. The mayor has made a few remarks and read her proclamation by the time club president Clifford Tyson introduces the morning's speaker, head of Cape Henry Collegiate school, Daniel Richardson.
``In the interest of fair and open disclosure, especially in these days of investigative reporting, I need to make something clear,'' Richardson said. ``Both the mayor and Mr. Tyson have given me a doctorate I don't have.''
Pausing briefly for emphasis, he adds, ``I've been thinking of sending away for one, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.''
The audience of club members, top students, their counselors and parents laugh appreciatively before paying serious attention to Richardson's speech on the state of education in today's schools.
- Jo-Ann Clegg
8:20 a.m. - Route 44.
A garbage truck rumbling down the highway has a message about its contents printed on the side - ``inedible.''
- Melinda Forbes
12:35 p.m. - Bouy's Restaurant on Virginia Beach Blvd.
As two men seat themselves in a booth, a waitress is close behind them. She apologizes for the table not being cleaned.
One of the men speaks up. ``The food here is so good, we'll just finish what was left.''
- David B. Hollingsworth
2 p.m. - The Pines apartments off Lynnhaven Parkway.
A single mother of three can hardly contain her joy as she helps a stranger unload two dozen bags of groceries including a turkey, a ham, all the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and more.
Her 1-year-old boy is excited, too, as he runs behind his mom in stocking feet peeking into the bags as she carries them.
They eagerly show the stranger into the apartment, which is sparsely furnished with a chair, which had a blanket thrown over it, a television and a dinette set.
The woman and her family have been ``adopted'' by a local business for Thanksgiving through the city's Holiday Project program. She shares her Thanksgiving plans: She'll finish her overnight shift at a local convenience store at 7 a.m. Thursday. She'll come home and start working on the turkey. Then she'll try to get some sleep while her 13-year-old and 9-year-old girls look after her little boy. Later, after dinner and getting the kids in bed, she'll return to work at 11 p.m., leaving her 13-year-old in charge.
``Please tell everyone how much we appreciate this,'' she says. ``Especially for my kids.''
- Debbie Messina
3 p.m. At the same Pines apartment.
The stranger returns with more food that was forgotten on the first trip, and it's clear the gifts are appreciated.
A bag of chocolate chip cookies is open on the kitchen counter. The 1-year-old is toddling around with one in his hand. The 13-year-old who has just gotten home from school grabs a handful and collapses in front of the TV.
``My daughter is so excited about having turkey for Thanksgiving,'' the mother says, again begging the stranger to pass along her gratitude.''
- Debbie Messina
2:30 p.m. - Stoplight at Virginia Beach Boulevard and Constitution Drive.
A Volvo wagon bears the personalized license: Opry Ski.
A nearby motorist rolls down his window and jokingly asks about the driver's connection with country music and skiing.
``No, we used to ski,'' the driver says.
``Oh,'' says the other motorist. ``Apres-ski.''
- Gary Edwards ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Just a jog in the park
Members of the Ocean Lakes High School indoor track team take
advantage of Monday's sunny fall weather to work out at Red Wing
Park in preparation for the winter season. The Dolphins, who have
young boys and girls teams, open at Kempsville Dec. 9.
by CNB