We took the kids to Bay Days in Downtown Hampton this weekend. It was a beautiful windy and hot day and there were lots of people strolling through our usually quiet downtown. We tried to make a bee-line to the children's area, as we were making a
perfunctory visit this year. Chloe had been sick all week and when she awoke with a slight appetite and a request to go to Bay Days, we packed up and went. Bill was having an allergy attack and I was very sore from a pilates class on Saturday...but we went anyway. Because that is what we do. On our way to the children's area we passed a Right to Life booth and loaded up on stickers, pins, and buttons and signed a petition to prevent human cloning. Then we pushed ahead. We passed the Daily Press Go-green display and I shared with them my commitment to stop drinking bottled water. The woman manning the Go-Green booth was drinking a chilled bottle of water and asked why I was not going to be drinking it anymore. We were in a hurry so I smile and tell her that water is good for you anyway you can get it. She hands me a newspaper flyer (which will go right into the recycle bin) telling me how to go green. The G0-Green booth people think I am a wacko. Next we pass the Democrats booth and ask them about their candidate. When it is clear that we are not going to be voting for the candidate (he sees our right to life buttons tacked all over the stroller) the guy mumbles something and a woman from the next booth walks up to us and askes us to sign a petition to protect Gays, Lesbians, and Transgendered individuals in the workplace. From what? Bill asks for the name of a legitimate case where someone was fired because of their sexual orientation and the woman hesitates and says it happens all the time. Bill wants the name of a specific case and she says the words lesbian and gay a few more times, wherein I shyly steer the strollers out of earshot, and she refers us to their website. It gets me thinking. Are Catholics protected in the workplace? Then I think that the last thing we need is more legislation and we continue to make our bee-line to the children's area where there was a fantastic puppet show and lolipops. We watched for about 15 minutes and then attempted another bee-line back to the car. We avoid the political corridor and hit the food area. We are all really hungry but not willing to pay $15 for a crab burger and $5 for a slurpee. We finally get to the car and make a bee-line to BK. We did it. We made our annual pilgrimage. We can cross it off the list. One thing, though. We forgot the camera and we wonder: Did we really go if there are no photos to prove it? I argue we did based on all the flyers, goodie bags, pins, and buttons that are now strewn across the floor of the van. Next stop: The annual Fall Festival in Newport News during the first weekend in October.
There is a welcome chill in the night air and the sun is slow to rise. It is a time for sniffles and sneezes and cozy afternoon naps. I will be cooking beef stews, chicken and dumplings, and lots and lots of veggie soup and dragging my heavy legs and feet to the gym to ward off my desire for hibernation. Time to pull out the jackets and socks and lace up shoes. Time to toss the flip flops, so worn out from the sand at Bethany Beach, the tar, brick, and concrete of Busch Gardens and the grassy yards of friendly visits to family and neighbors. 
Goodbye, Summer 2007
