What a weekend it was! The highlight of course was visiting our son Colin at his new apartment in VA beach. Now talk about a good sport, Colin had spent the week in Chicago on a business trip and graciously agreed to host us for the Neptunefest in VA Beach. We arrived before his plane to Norfolk did, and so we went to the main strip in town where all the action is, and stopped in a local raw bar for a beer and a snack. The music was rap and heavy metal, the decor was dark surf city and the clientele was young. I ordered a pint of Longboard draft and got a small plastic cup instead (I don't think they served pints or had any glasses). After spotting the "employees must wash hands" sign over an empty paper towel rack, we decided against the raw bar or any snacks for that matter, but we were in time for the Neptune parade. As we sipped our beer and watched 50 or so fire trucks and ambulances ride by, I wondered when the Neptune or mermaid floats would arrive, but they never did. It was a very disappointing parade, but.. no matter, we grabbed a slice of pizza and headed to Colin's apartment. We found the complex but did not take in account that it would be dark and you just couldn't see the numbers. Undaunted, I got out of the car and walked around hunting for his apartment while trying not to appear suspicious. Now I know why they refer to these luxury apartments as a complex... they are. Luckily Colin arrived and lead the way, and then ordered Chinese takeout for his two weary guests. The next day we went to the beach to watch Colin surf, and how exciting it was to see him catch a wave! It started raining, but within my prediction of 10 minutes tops, the sun came out and Gerry and I were frolicking in the surf. We had a full day at the beach and got back to the apartment for the WVU game (Colin's alma mater). I did the usual Mom cleaning routine, mostly because I find football boring as his apartment was pretty darned clean. At dinnertime, we hailed a cab and went to the Neptune festival. There were people of all ages and the wealthy were drinking and partying right along side of the not so wealthy. It was a truly diverse crowd and live bands kept pace with the frenzy of the crowd. A giant Neptune, in all his glory was looking down at the partying crowd, and so I knew this night would not disappoint. After a great seafood dinner and many cocktails, we wandered over to the band area, got some beer, and Gerry and Colin listened and laughed as I danced myself silly. The night went by so fast and we had such fun, even waiting for a cab to come by and take us home was a riot, even though it was 3 hours past our usual bedtime. The next morning I was a little crunchy, but Gerry got up and made breakfast and we headed home while Colin headed back to the beach to surf. What a great son we have that made us feel as friends and not old folks. We are so proud of him!
