Prom

This is my son Sam.

This is Emmeline.
They went to the prom together.

Emmeline, an exchange student from Belgium,
lives with Anna Hudgins, who lives
just across the creek from me. 

This is Emily Brown.
And that's Queens Creek in the background.

The girls

The guys

The group

These two get my vote as cutest couple.
Of course, I am very, very biased.  

Not all the photos were serious.

There was lots of Snap-Gramming and Insta-Chatting
(or whatever it is these young whippersnappers do these days)

I love this bunch. All of them.

During one of these group photos, one of the parents--hoping to rein in the 
attention of so many teenagers--said, "Go Hokies!" I then said, "Go Hoos!"  
Emmeline, unable to identify with the college references said, "Go Belgium!"
I thought it was pretty darn funny.

There was one obligatory photo with the elderly
old-looking mother, whose only wish for the night was that
everyone arrive home safe and sound. Thankfully, they did.

In the background is Sam's grandparents' house.  

Cutest couple ever.  (Did I say that already?)

I am most grateful to Tim, Frances and Peggy Hudgins for hosting the pre-prom photo shoot on their perfectly situated Queens Creek property--so conveniently located that my friend Thomas and I could arrive by canoe.

I'm also grateful to the powers of the universe that allowed these youngsters to have a night of fun without anything awful happening.

Finally, I am in awe of--and perhaps even a bit envious of--all the life and living these beautiful teens have in front of them.

The world is their oyster.

Piankatank River

Here are a few glimpses of the Piankatank River

as seen from the end of Godfrey Bay Road near Hallieford.

It's a small beach, but it's open to the public.

It isn't hard to figure out where it begins and ends though.  

The signs are bold and brazen.

The message is abundantly clear.

Another thing that's abundantly clear--to me, anyway--is how grateful I am for this, a long weekend courtesy of Monday's federal holiday.

Daughter now has the sickness Son recently recovered from. Thank goodness she has no basketball until next week.  I'm lethargic not feeling great, but that's not unusual for this time of year.  Hopefully there is a 40-degree, sunny day just waiting to spring forth somewhere in the near future, so I can get out and do some jogging, which always makes things better. I'd really love a 60-degree day but when 20 is the new normal, 40 starts to sound pretty darn good.

This sentence post has exceeded the allotted number of numbers and therefore must come to a swift end.

I hope your weekend is warm and wonderful.

Old

Thursday I was the substitute deliverer for the Cobbs Creek route of the county's Meals on Wheels. The route actually started in Hallieford, where these first three shots were taken. It's been forever since I've driven down to Hallieford even though I see it every day of my life by water. (It's right across the creek from me.)

Since I am a rarely-called-upon substitute driver and since I usually get a different route every time I am called, I do not get to know the people I'm delivering food to.  So when my first customer told me she wasn't feeling so hot after my salutatory "How are you?" I didn't know if that was normal or cause for concern.  After talking with her for a while and asking lots of questions, I became convinced it was normal, but even so I told her I'd carry her to the doctor if she needed to go.  She took my cell phone number but never called. Not So Hot is unfortunately her norm.

Another part of the route took me down Morgan's Branch Road.

I'd never been down here before, ever, although I've passed the road a million times.

Waaaay down the road was this school bus graveyard.

I love old vehicles...

And several old houses.

...just as much as I love old houses.

I thought this one was full of character.

Some of the people I spoke with on my route were characters too.

They're elderly and disabled or sick but still full of spark 

and eager for some conversation and a little attention.
Just a little bit of human contact is all they need.

I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to volunteer for Mathews Meals on Wheels, even if it's only a few times a year as a substitute driver. If you're local and have a couple of hours a month I encourage you to sign up with the Mathews Active Lifestyle Center.  For more info call them at (804) 725-7850.

In other news, I'm hoping to make it over to Urbanna for the Oyster Festival at some point this weekend.

Hope your weekend is a great one.