Hello, 2009!

2009 is here! Here's wishing you and yours a Happy and Prosperous New Year! This display was taken at this year's Holiday Lights at the Beach.

Holiday Lights at the Beach

Every year right around Thanksgiving, the Virginia Beach boardwalk is turned into a beautifully lit Christmas show for the Holiday Lights at the Beach. For the past couple of years, it has been sponsored by McDonald's; I hadn't been since it was sponsored by Chick-Fil-A, but was looking forward to going this year, and wasn't disappointed! Being that the holiday lights are at the beach, they tend to have a nautical feel to them, and are always exciting to see. The cost of admission is $10 per vehicle (you get to drive along the boardwalk to view the lights), and with your admission you get a music CD with holiday music on to listen to while you view the lights. Somehow they have figured out how to time the music on the CD with the scenes on the boardwalk so the tunes are right in line with what you see. If you haven't been yet, be sure to go -- they are having them until January 1st. You can find out more information at the BeachStreetUSA site.

I was especially happy this year because when I went to pay, the attendant informed me that the person in front of me had paid for my admission and just passed along a "Happy Holidays" message! That was great! I don't know who the person was; all I noticed was that they were driving a burgundy colored truck and appeared to be Virginia Tech fans -- so if you're the "Holiday Light Santa" who paid my way, thank you for the early Christmas present!

Flowery Past

With the weather turning cold (and recently rainy) in the area, I thought I'd post a photo of some yellow flowers I took this summer (during definitely warmer times) to brighten the mood.