Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 8

The week passed full of fun and frivolity, seeing the Chesapeake area and helping the kids with running around and household things. It is our last day here, tomorrow we catch Amtrak and head for a few days in D.C. It's a breezy but beautiful day and we head out to a local park for an impromptu bbq with other sailor buddies and letting Juno have some time at the dog area. Later Zack comes by with his new friend Megan and party time in the man cave begins, Sockmonkey and I even indulge with a little rose box wine. Dave and I get ourselves packed up and say good night to the kids, the train will be leaving at the crack of dawn Sunday a.m. I'm suprised that I'm not feeling too sad, I think because during the Truman deployment last year cried out all the tears I had but mainly being able to watch Gannimal house in action makes me feel good to leave knowing how well they are all taking care of each other. And I will finally get a good night's sleep, LOL! I'm just too old to do couch surfing. Too be continued...

Friday, November 25, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 7

Day 7? Day 7 right? Is the travellog dragging on or is it just me. Friday morning we were awoken with the alarm system of Gannimal house loudly announcing "Front Door Open!" It was sailor Dan getting home from his overnight duty shift at the Truman. There weren't really any set plans for the day so Sockmonkey and I finished up reading the book about Pocahontas that we had found earlier that week at the 2nd hand store. She was a real American and it gave me a whole other way to look at the Chesapeake Bay area we were traveling around. I might try to follow up on more of her history when we get home. Dan woke up later in the morning after a little nap to refresh from his long day the night before and discussed taking us to the NEX and touring around the Naval Base. Got to the NEX and bought lunch at A & W, chili dogs, then went shopping. Sockmonkey had never seen so many military personnel in one place and it was all we could do to keep him from trying to get his picture taken with everyone of them, pretty sure his heart was bursting with proudness to be among genuine heroes. After shopping drove through the base, it was my first time to see where the ship had come home from Dan's deployment since the others had been there in December as his welcome home committee. Out of the base on a Friday afternoon right into commute traffic. The sluggish highway screwed up our moving into position to take the off-ramp we were needing and as I lamented under my breath, Dan remarked that if we just stayed in the traffic heading east we would come out at Virginia Beach. Sockmonkey and I would finally make it to the Atlantic shore and the bonus was sticking our toes in the dampened sand right at sunset. Just to let you know, being a west coaster it is kind of an odd sensation to be looking at the beautiful water of the ocean with the sun going down at your back. We would be heading to Golden Corral for all you can eat dinner which I was really looking forward to. Sockmonkey on the other hand wanted to make sandcastles, even the prospect of a chocolate fountain could hardly pull him away. Give him a beach and a sunset, just a silly old romantic. To be continued...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 6

Another lazy day for Sockmonkey and the household, except for Sailor Dan who left early and would not be home til Friday due to his guard duty for the night. With everything starting to be in order at the house talk turned to decorating for the Gannimals favorite holiday, Halloween. Costumes arrived in the mail and were showed off. Time for the Nissen Versa to make tracks to the local Walmart for accessories and decorations for the party that would be happening soon. Made our way around Chesapeake to take Juno for her ear cleaning and nail grooming at local Pet Smart, got Starbucks then found a Goodwill store. Lately I've allowed my hair to fade from bottle brown to it's natural color, white. Had it brought to my attention by a clerk while shopping at Goodwill that it was senior citizen discount day, 55 and over. Told her had another month for that and also would be back in California by then but thanks anyway! While inside the store heard loud noises coming from outside and looked through the picture windows to see a downpour of rain that was like a sheet of water that lasted for an hour. Tiff had warned us that's how the weather was in Virginia, sun one minute, pouring rain the next. Got to have a Gann dinner delicasy, Tator Tot Casserole, yumm! Sailor Dan was so jealous when he found out he missed that for dinner. To be continued...

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 5

One thing I forgot to mention in last posting was that when Sailor Dan came home from work on Tuesday he had very sad news about one of his shipmates, she had been in a domestic dispute with her boyfriend and she ended up dying from her injuries. So terrible, also ironic as before we went east I had just finished a 40 hour training with my local YWCA on how to be a domestic violence volunteer. Such an unnecessary loss. RIP sweet sailor. Anyhow back to my travel-log. Wednesday Sailor Dan went off to dry dock to do more scrapping and sweeping on the Truman. Sockmonkey and all the household wrangled up the loads of laundry and headed off to the laundromat. It was going to take awhile so we wandered down the street to a second hand store. Sockmonkey had the idea that we might find something interesting to bring back and sell at August Moon. Dave really got excited over some antique salt and pepper shakers, tiny and cute and a bargain at $1.50. We also found some neat metal plaques that were wine themed and advertising Sonoma and Napa which went great with the other wine pictures and plaques Tiff is decorating her kitchen with. By this day almost starting to feel like locals with all the driving around we did in the Nissan Versa, what a great little car. Although Sockmonkey still didn't feel quite brave enough to wander out on his own without someone from Gannimal house to direct us. Laundry finished, almost dinner time by now so home to have another great evening with everyone. To be continued...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 4

Tuesday, Sailor Dan had to go back to work as an ABH (currently stands for Advanced Broom Handler!)on the Truman in drydock where it's going thru a complete refurbish in order to deploy in 2013. Sockmonkey and the gang slept in awhile then it was housekeeping and furniture re-arranging at Gannimal house. There had been a new (well sort of) sectional couch brought in on Saturday just hours before Dave and I arrived. Eric was nice enough to pick it up in his truck and the sailors brought it in and kind of just dropped it in the living room without much sense of feng shui. Tiff had a great idea of restaging the old piano and couch to give more leg room while t.v. watching. So with Sockmonkey in charge we cleaned and pushed furniture around. Before we knew it, time to pick up Sailor Dan after work. He was pretty impressed by how great it all looked. We were all bushed so got dinner going, put our feet up and called it a day. Sockmonkey really thought we did a good job too. Too be continued...

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sockmonkey visits Gannimal house day 3

Day three arrived clear and balmy (or at least I think that's how it was.) It was Columbus Day so sailor son had the day off which was great so we could do some touristing out in the Historic Triangle which is Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. The drive out there was beautiful, not quite the autumnal foliage but still pretty. Got to Williamsburg which does Colonial re-inactment over lots of acreage but once we got into the visitors center and were told it would cost $40 per person decided that was pretty pricy so got into the Nissen Versa and headed to Jamestown. The entrance there was only $15.00 so thought that was a great bargin, paid and went in to wander through a wonderfully impressive museum and then got to take a walk to the James River where there were replicas of ships that had originally brought the colonist from England. Those ships were small! Very nice view of the river and got a real feel of what it might have been like. Sockmonkey didn't want to go on board with the rest of the fam, claustraphobic you know so he hung out on the dock to wait. Super fun day and very educational. Sockmonkey was very impressed by  the story of Pocahontas, she pretty much saved those Colonist. We might have to watch that Disney movie about her again. After the tour of Jamestown headed back to Gannimal house for a bbq dinner. A good time was had by all. To be continued...

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Sockmonkey travels to Gannimal house day two

After our long day flying to Norfolk, the next day we decided it was a good day to just hang about Gannimal house. Tiffany, Crystal and I went to the local smoothie shop for hangover smoothies for the kids who had overindulged on their Saturday night. The weather was nice for hanging out in the back patio and getting to know two of Dan's sailor buddies, Eric and Zack. Oh and can't forget little guy, new sailor in the pack who's name I kept forgetting and it turned out to be Dan! haha! We took the Nissen Versa rental car out for a couple of errands and pretty much called it a lazy Sunday. Sockmonkey liked the couch in the garage where all the guys like to be and of course upstairs is the mancave but it was kind of stinky from too much beer and smoking the night before. So we sat in the sun and breathed in the fresh Chesapeake air, just happy to be spending time with the Pacific Posse. To be continued...

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Sockmonkey Travels to Gannimal House

It's all my sister's fault, she started taking her sockmonkey on trips and posting pics etc. So when we were going on our trip to VA and D.C. she and Chadd were going on vacation to New Mexico, it became a battle of the traveling sockmonkeys. It was a long first day on the way back east beginning in S. F. at 10 a.m. At a stop in Orange County California the text on my phone was letting me know that Brie had no way into the house since her purse was in someone's car, was any door or window open that she could break in. Ally to the rescue since she has a key. Next stop, Chicago where we waited awhile for the connecting flight to Norfolk. By then I knew I was glad I had gotten anxiety pills from the doctor, took one after boarding and promptly fell asleep waking up at 10 p.m. eastern daylight time in Norfolk. Sockmonkey napped most of the trip too. To be continued...