Friendly Weekend and Week

We made the three hour drive again this past weekend north to Fairfax Virginia again to see son Adam and fiancee Melissa.  We packed lunches and ate along the way after getting on the road a little after 9:00 AM.

It was a bright and beautiful day and the traffic wasn't too bad along I-95.  It was busy, but then I-95 is usually always busy! We filled up in Fredericksburg about 1/2 there and stopped in to see old friends Jeff and Tiffany in Fairfax Station.

We had a nice visit with them and got to see some upgrades they had made on their finished basement / den area.  Tiffany picked some nice colors, did a lot of painting and moved some things around which turned out really well.

Next we went over to the Chantilly RV show that was last Fri/Sat/Sun.  We wandered around a little bit and didn't stay too long.  This year's event was held in one Expo Center building.  10 years ago (or more) when we first started going to these) the show was help in two Dulles Expo Center buildings

but one of them is now a WalMart.  So there were not as many displays and RVs as we have seen in the past.

After a short stop there, we went Adam and Melissa's place and started to work on some projects.

Quite a while back, I got an email from a reader in Maryland who indicated they too were looking at the RV full time lifestyle.  He (Dave) and wife Pattie were looking to hit the road in the summer time after selling their home and getting things in order.

Over the past few weeks we have continued to correspond and they indicated they were going to be at the Chantilly RV show this past weekend.  I left Adam and Pam to work on his place while I met them for lunch in Chantilly.

It was great to meet them and to hear their story and think again what it what it was like to be in the preparation mode.  It really is an exciting time with lots to do and plan for.  They couldn't be nicer folks and we have a lot in common.  Including a 2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus.  They got theirs last fall and have it in their driveway until they hit the road.

Dave just started an RV blog which can be found here: Keepingupwiththejonesrv.blogspot.com
Stop by and say 'hi' - I am sure they'd appreciate it!

We spent all day Saturday and Sunday working on Adam and Melissa's place and built a workbench and pulled down some wallpaper and painted.  And built some shelves in the closet and hung some blinds.  It was productive and we love doing that kind of stuff.

We drove back down to Virginia Beach and got started before noon.  We again stopped in Fredericksburg for gas and then went over to Burger King for lunch.  To our surprise Roger and Phylis were finishing up.  We first knew them 20+ years ago in Fairfax.  There kids and ours were about the same age.

Roger and Phylis relocated to Fredericksburg about 8 years ago.  He is now retired and she is a school teacher and doing some great things with a kids after-school program.

It was great to run into them.

We got back to the Roadrunner and all was well so we were glad about that after being gone for a few days.

Later in the week, we ran some errands and ended up in Costco around lunch time.  We went with the 'lot of food for $4.00' menu and got a slice of pizza, hot dog and a coke.  While eating there the older lady next to us made a comment and we didn't think much about it.

After we finished, I said something to her and we got to talking.  She was the sweetest lady!  Her name was Mary Lou (for Mary Louise) and she is 80 years old.  She grew up in Virginia Beach and is a life long resident.  She was there at Costco because 'it is good for her to get out and have some social contact'.  ? What?  She said her husband drops her off there and she sits in the Costco food court area and watches people and talks to some and gets some 'social contact'.

She told us about her Portuguese and Irish background and how the family ended up in Virginia Beach.  She doesn't get out much since she fell and broke her hip.  She now uses a can and forces herself to do this and meet people.

It was a highlight of my day!  Pam and talked with her for about 20 minutes and then picked up a few things.  We circled back by the food court to see if Mary Lou was still there, but she had left by the time we got back.  I think every time we are in Costco, we'll be looking to see if Mary Lou is there.

And then yesterday Pam and I went to our favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach:  Nick's Raw Bar and Grill

It is owned by a friend of Jon's boss and has been around over 30 years.  They have good food, a friendly atmosphere and good prices.  I think I've been to it 5 times already in the 6 weeks we've been here.  And I'm sure we'll be eating again there soon.  On Friday Pam and I met Jon for lunch and met one of the waitresses - Chookie "like Cookie with an 'h'".  She's probably been there 25 years and was telling us about the ceiling tile.

When a customer wants to paint one up, they can have a blank one and then when they bring it back they replace a blank white one with the painted one.  A unique local touch!
And it was nice meeting another friend - Chookie.

In fact, where would we be without our friends?  Our old friends and meeting new ones?  I love it when I meet new people and see old friends.  And the last week has been one of those!

That's all for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!~ Thanks for joining us!