Cold water is COLD!
August 25, 2008, 10:24 PM
It’s Day 2 of vacation! And let me just say that the cold water in the ocean is as cold as longcat is long. I went swimming in the ocean today. And it was interesting how the temperatures turned out. I believe the majority of the water around here was quite cold. But as the waves crashed, the heat off of the beach would warm the water up, and then it would roll back in, it made a warm layer in the water. It was quite a weird feeling. But on a warm day, the cold water in the ocean was quite refreshing.
I also took Duckie out in the ocean today, and I had a great time. Duckie is a great in-the-water camera, and I had fun taking up-close photos of the waves. Check it out…
Big Mavica would certainly never have gotten this close to the ocean!
Note the one wave about to break in the foreground, and the other wave breaking in the background.
I am about to be clobbered by a wave…
Catch the wave?
Splash!
The wave breaks a bit out from the shore.
The ocean is momentarily calm…
Now, I’m really getting hit.
Someone else gets a faceful of wave. Glad I’m not the only one…
Yes, a fun time was had by all.
I also got a chance to wander around Virginia Beach a bit, and see some non-touristy areas. I found Lynnhaven Mall, and got a chance to kind of mosey around a bit. Some shopping malls have charm in their designs, or have certain stores that are unique and special. So what’s the verdict on Lynnhaven? Thbbbbbbt. Nothing. No charm. Just a generic McShopping Mall that I’m not particularly inclined to visit again, because there’s nothing there that I can’t live without or have good reason to want to revisit. Kind of like River Ridge in Lynchburg. Bo-ring. Both malls have nothing exciting architecturally or business-wise.
After I got back from Lynnhaven, I went back out to the ocean, where I ended up having two wonderful conversations with Virginia Beach locals. One was with a woman named Amber, who works for an architectural firm as an interior designer. I got to learn quite a bit about the ins and outs of interior design, and about how former clients, as soon as they take over the space, begin to screw it up. Then after Amber and I parted company, I struck up a conversation with two girls who were skateboarders. That conversation was more of a lifestyles-type conversation, as we discussed traffic in our respective areas (DC with its more northern-style driving, and Hampton Roads having slow drivers), our work, and so on. I learned about Delilah, a radio show about love, while I described the politically-oriented talk shows by Randi Rhodes, Rush Limbaugh, etc. Amazingly, those two had never heard of Rush Limbaugh! I can understand not having heard of Randi Rhodes, but having never heard of Limbaugh? Wow. Still, it was a fun conversation.
And finally, I got to do one of the things I told all my coworkers I would do while at the beach. I went to an oxygen bar. Check it out:
What you do is they give you a nasal cannula to receive the oxygen, and you breathe in this flavored oxygen. The flavors on my particular device were called “Nirvana”, “Jasmine”, “Sex”, and “Energy”. Nirvana was a flavor I can’t describe very well, Jasmine smelled like jasmine, Sex smelled like melon, and Energy had a peppermint smell.
I will say this: it smelled nice. However, I didn’t experience any of the effects that they describe from recreational oxygen use. Still, it was an interesting experience.
And meanwhile, the DNC is on TV. Michelle Obama gave a wonderful speech tonight. Meanwhile, I hope my friend Isis stays safe out there in Denver while she’s photographing protesters outside the DNC…
Web site: Beach Street USA, Virginia Beach's oceanfront entertainment
Song: "Delicious Cheeseburgers"
Quote: So there you go...
Categories: Travel, Virginia Beach