Guess those past two days were just teasers. Today we plunged back into winter -- driving rain, howling gales, plunging temperatures. Everything except snow.
Since I couldn't varnish, I figured I'd go downtown and check the mail, do some shopping, maybe go to a movie. It was still warm when I started out and hadn't begun to rain yet, so I dressed lightly. Almost didn't take a jacket, thinking I'd get too hot. Fortunately, at the last minute, I stuck a light windbreaker in my backpack. Also took my umbrella. Was perfectly comfortable waiting at the bus stop in a short-sleeved top, but by the time the bus approached downtown Norfolk, it was starting to feel chilly, so I put my jacket on. Lucky I did, because when I got off the bus, I was nearly blown away and half drowned. It was all I could do to keep my umbrella up, and I got soaked in spite of it. When I got to the Post Office, there was a big box for me -- about a cubic foot. Trying to carry it AND the umbrella was well-nigh out of the question. I knew it contained the plastic dishes I'd ordered from West Marine, and they couldn't possibly take up that much room, so I opened the box, which was mostly filled with crumpled newspaper, put the dishes in my pack, and threw away the box and newspaper. That made life much simpler.
Roy wanted me to get him some stuff at Boat/US, so I took the bus out Virginia Beach Blvd. I thought Boat/US was this side of the Military Circle Shopping Center, so I kept peering through the foggy window looking for it. Saw E & B Discount Marine Supply but not Boat/US. All of a sudden, we were at Military Circle, so I figured I'd missed it and would have to walk back. I'd dried out on the bus, but as soon as I got off, I was wet and cold again. Went into the mall, bought something at Radio Shack, and ate lunch at Wendy's. Fortunately, before setting out for Boat/US, I looked up its address in a phone book. Ho ho, it was the other side of Military Circle, about six or seven blocks. I could have spent another 55 cents and taken the bus, but heck, what's six blocks? So I plunged back out into the cold wind and driving rain. The six blocks stretched into something like two miles, so I arrived at Boat/US looking like a drowned rat. A cold drowned rat.
Bought the stuff Roy wanted and a can of varnish. Then I started back towards Janaf Plaza, which is across the street from Military Circle. I wanted to see a movie that started at 2:10, so I walked fast, fast, fast. That served the double purpose of keeping me from freezing. My light little windbreaker is neither warm nor waterproof. Was very happy when I arrived at the theater at 2:09. Guess what -- the movie I wanted to see was no longer showing. The only other picture I would have considered going to had started at 1:50. The rest were junk, so I caught a bus back to the yard.
Roy was very glad to see me when I came straggling up. He had been wondering if I'd taken any kind of a jacket and an umbrella. The rain had stopped by then and the wind had died down, but it was still plenty cold. I dried off, put on snugly clothes, and drank some hot soup. Roy bundled up warm and rode his bike to a store. Boy, did it feel good to be warm and dry again!
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