Last but not Least!

Sunrise at Goat Island in the Dismal Swamp

It may be called the Dismal Swamp but we often have some beautiful days in there, and this was the start of one of the pretty ones.  We had to go through a second lock which took a bit of time seeing so many snowbirds were returning north.You can see how crowded it can get.

The water is filling in at the South Mills Lock.

This is actually the first lock we went through.
You can see by looking at the sides of the lock that we rise about eight feet.  The next day people were getting anxious to get out of the lock because they were trying to make a bridge that was about 55min. away.  They zoomed out almost causing an accident but missed the bridge opening by minutes and then had to motor around for an hour until the next opening.

Al trying to stay warm!

After having a beautiful day in the Dismal Swamp the day before, this day was drizzly and cold!  I think it was the most layers we had on the entire trip and that was on May 4th.  We went into Hampton Piers to dock the boat and our friends, Dave and Toni Mershon whisked us away to their house in Williamsburg where it was nice and warm. 

We had a grand time visiting and sightseeing.  We went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  It was a bit chilly that day but the flowers and scenery were gorgeous.  If you have not picked up on it yet, the three things I love to photograph are sunrises, sunsets and flowers.

The contrast of colors are amazing.

The azaleas were massive.

Glass and metal fish sculptures in a pond.

 There was a glass sculpture exhibit throughout the massive gardens entitled "Reflections of Nature."
The fish are only one of numerous designs.
Although it was quite chilly we were glad we went

The serene Japanese Garden

The next day we visited Jamestown and refreshed our history lessons from many years ago. 

It still amazes me how our forefathers fought back then and that anyone came back alive.  The following day we  went to the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary which is an art museum. We got some to see some amazing wooden block prints and lithographs as well.   After lunching in Williamsburg they drove us back to our boat.  It worked out perfectly, because the days we visited with them, we would not have gone out in the bay due to strong northerly winds.  We left the next day and you can see how brilliant and calm the waters were leaving the Hampton area.  It was the same in the bay.  We anchored at Reedville and it rained most of the evening and night.  However, we awoke to blue skies and sunshine and are headed to the Solomon Islands.  We will be back at our marina this weekend so this is the last blog for the season.  I hope you enjoyed reading our adventures as much as we loved experiencing them.

Leaving Hampton under blue skies.

PS.  One last thing I wanted to put into our blog for cruisers who might have known our friend Pat Thorpe from Sun Cat.  I have started a fundraiser for a memorial bench which will be placed at Warderick Wells and excess funds will be given to Exuma Land and Sea Park in memory of Pat.  If you are interested in donating, the site is: http://www.gofundme.com/patsperch