Again we had a bunch of errands and appointments so it just seemed easier to stay in the Norfolk/Portsmouth area where we would be centrally located and it would be easy to get around. Since the Tidewater Yacht Marina has a pool and is convenient to public transportation this was the ideal spot for us to hang out for a while. 
On Sunday we settled in to watch the Indy 500 race. While I love watching the race and texting my niece as each of her favorite drivers is eliminated, my very favorite part of the race is actually the pre-race festivities. No matter how many times I have seen the race, either in person or on TV, I still get goose-bumps when Jim Nabors sings Back Home Again in Indiana, the balloons are released, the jets fly over and those famous words are spoken: “Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!” 
The days were hot and humid so we did spend lots of time at the pool in between our errands. With hot and humid weather also came storms which left us with a most beautiful rainbow. We also went for long walks in the evenings to further explore the Portsmouth Old Towne area. For a round trip fare of $3, we took the ferry over to Norfolk to find the mall and explore downtown Norfolk. 
We rented a car and headed to the eastern shore of Virginia. Our goal was to visit two local wineries and Chincoteague Island near the Maryland state line. As I mentioned in an earlier blog story, the eastern shore of Virginia was accessible only by ferry or private boats prior to the 1960s. Therefore the area is refreshingly free of interstate highways and mall complexes but full of charming rural fishing villages. The price one pays for the easy access to the eastern shore is a whopping $17 round trip toll. We dug deep in our pockets to pay the toll and headed across the many miles of the bridge and tunnel system to reach the eastern shore.
Our first stop was the Chatham Winery. Owner, Jon Wehner, met us and told us the story of his vineyard as we tasted his wine. Located on Church Creek the Federal-period brick house, Chatham, was built in 1818 by Major Scarborough Pitts and named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and friend of the American Revolution. Owned and operated by the Wehner family the vineyard is located on the grounds of the historic Chatham Farm which has been a working farm for four centuries. The wine was good, the stories interesting and as we left, we both commented on how we wish we lived in the area to be able to take advantage of the great events held on the winery grounds. Our next stop was the Bloxom Winery. Also very nice with all wine made from the grapes grown onsite. The owner told us of his relocation from New York City to Virginia to establish his vineyard.
Look what else I found…they are sporting their new spring dos. Needless to say, I made Captain Mark stop the car so I could take this picture.
Chincoteague Island is a small community that is supported by the fishing industry. This was the perfect place for Friday evening dinner. I, of course, had She Crab soup and Crab Imperial. For lack of a better way to describe the dish, I would call it a cross between a crab quiche and a crab soufflé. Whatever, it was excellent.
Captain Mark on the other hand was his usual fried chicken self…in fact, look what we saw in the parking lot of the restaurant...
Before:
After:
Directly across from the Tidewater Marina is the loading dock for international cruise ships. It was really cool and interesting to watch as these huge ships would spin around in the Elizabeth River to head back out to sea. Captain Mark, along with all the other captains on our dock, said that they could maneuver the ship that easily also if only they had a stern thruster!
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