We’re
spending time at my brother’s in Virginia, and then heading for the cabin in
Maine. Part of the fun of these summer family get-togethers is that we do a
variety of things. So allow me to fill you in on some of the more interesting
and novel outings we have experienced thus far.
There
has cropped up in recent years a wonderful tradition here in Great Falls,
Virginia where my brother lives. It started with a handful of “gearheads” deciding
they liked getting together to talk about their cars. In the downtown shopping
center of Great Falls they began to meet in the parking lot outside of a local
eatery early on Saturday mornings to drink coffee, while standing around talking
and admiring at each other’s cars. Over the past half-dozen years or so this
handful of guys (and gals) and their cars has grown into a car show all its
own. The parking lot is now full of cars of every imaginable make and design,
mostly from a previous era. Lots of folks come down just to check out the
scene. I have written about this in prior articles, but last Saturday was
especially cool.
My
brother and I arrived about 6:40AM to an already packed gathering of car
aficionados and their commensurate selection of choice cars. We went inside
Katie’s for a cup of coffee where we met up with John’s son, Josh. We then struck
up a conversation with one of the car owners who is a mainstay each Saturday.
Bob Shawn is 92 years old and is one of the last of a rare breed of
individuals. He is a three-war veteran having served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam
as a fighter pilot, starting out with the old Army Air Corps, changed in 1947
to the U.S. Air Force. Each Saturday Bob fires up his old Willeys Army Jeep
which he has restored, complete with a mounted .50 caliber machinegun and all,
and drives it to Katie’s. He’s small in stature, but oh my, is he full of
stories. We sat and chatted with him for well over an hour. One of his stories
from WWII was the time he was shot down – by the French! He was chasing a
German Messerschmitt in his P51 Mustang while at the same time the French
forces on the ground were taking aim on the same plane. Instead, the French
gunners shot Bob’s plane out of the air. He crash-landed and spent the next
four days drinking brandy with the same French soldiers who shot him down. Since
he hadn’t reported back to his command, it was assumed that he was dead, so his
wall locker was emptied and his bunk was vacated. There are many more stories
from Bob, but it will have to wait for another time. He did say that his
brother was also shot down over Belgium, but was picked up by the underground
and spent the remainder of the war blowing up German bridges.
On
Sunday evening I took Isaura to the Wolf Trap which is an open outdoor stage
not far from downtown Washington, D.C. We purchased tickets to attend the final
performance of Riverdance in North
America. These Irish dancers have been touring the United States for the past
sixteen years, performing some 5,500 times. The program was exceptional!
Besides the famous Irish straight-bodied perpendicular tap dancing routines
usually performed in various precision formations, there were other performers
of differing tap dancing styles. One was the stunningly spectacular dancing of
the Spanish Flamenco dancer. Now, I was previously stationed in Spain, so I was
familiar with this style of dance. But this lady was exceptional! The other
dance style was that of two African-American guys who performed street tap with
flips and splits, providing a wonderful contrast. When all three forms of dance
were going on at the same time it was something to behold.
On
Monday Isaura and I drove to Charlottesville, Virginia where we enjoyed a quick
lunch at Chick-fil-A, a favorite Southern Fried Chicken restaurant chain in the
South (there are some in northern California, but none close to where we live).
We then began the 105 mile drive up the Skyline Drive of the Blue Ridge Mountains
in western Virginia. The fog decided to roll in about the same time, which
restricted our view. But the drive was beautiful despite the fog, which, in
actuality, enhanced the experience. This is located in the Shenandoah National
Park system. On the drive back to Great Falls last night, Isaura and I stopped
for dinner at the Cracker Barrel. Yum! Sure wish they had some of these
restaurants in California!
Next
stop: Maine and fresh lobster!
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