We really enjoy visiting local schools.
I had the chance to stop by Dutrow Elementary in Newport News this week as part of the school’s Reading Month activities.

I read “The Perfect Thanksgiving” and as well as the story behind “The Gingerbread Girl” to nearly 100 kindergartners.

Here’s a snippet of video from the day.
Enjoy!

If you have to cross the Berkley Bridge on a regular basis, no doubt you’ve gotten stuck, sometimes for many minutes, waiting for a ship to sail under.
Starting today, you may still be stuck, but at least you’ll be prepared for the wait.

VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) has a set schedule now, so that drivers will know ahead of time when they’ll have to put the car in park along I-264.

You see, the Berkley Bridge used to be an on-demand bridge, meaning anytime a sailing vessel came through, the bridge would go up and vehicle traffic would come to a stop.

Now, VDOT is testing a system where the opposite would be true. VDOT calls it “a result of a temporary deviation from the federal regulation governing bridge lifts across the downtown Norfolk harbor. The temporary deviation, issued by the Fifth United States Coast Guard District, allows VDOT to open the Berkley Bridge during scheduled times rather than on-demand.”

So here are the times and new rules: The I-264 Berkley Bridge will open on signal at 9 a.m., 11a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning the week of Monday, Oct. 19. The bridge will not open during these scheduled times when vessels have not signaled and are not waiting for passage. The bridge will continue to remain closed during commute periods, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, except during federal holidays.

There is a catch and here it is: the bridge can open upon request during the restricted hours for a vessel with a draft of at least 18 feet if at least six hours of notification has been given.

The scheduled lifts will go through next March (2010).

Let us know what you think!

We’re just a few days away from the official start of Fall.
Over the weekend, I got the chance to emcee the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at Town Point Park.

It was a celebration welcoming a bountiful autumn harvest.

What a wonderful event that just wrapped up its fourth year! We had great weather, hundreds of visitors, and a spot inside the newly renovated Town Point Park

The Jow Ga Kung Fu Chinese Association of Virginia Beach brought in some good luck with a Chinese lion dance.

The ladies of the Tidewater Chinese School Performing Arts Club entertained us with a lovely ribbon dance.

And I got the chance to stand next to the Moon Goddess.

Until next year–
Hope your year is a lucky one!

We love having visitors to our studio in Portsmouth.

Some wonderful folks from The Village at Woods Edge in Franklin stopped by yesterday.

I think they enjoyed themselves.  It was kinda quiet when they got inside.  It isn’t always so calm!  You may remember, it was pouring down rain, flooding everywhere (or so it seemed) in the a.m.  Our visitors got in right between the morning and Midday shows.  Everyone here was recuperating from that busy morning!

Thanks for coming in!

My son completed his first day of first grade yesterday–in the middle of one of the dreariest days I can remember.

For Hampton Roads’ drivers, it didn’t start out well.

Lots of accidents along the highways, some high water along the roadways, the threat of hydroplaning and spinning out.  What a way to start the school year.

I heard of people wading through big, big puddles to get into class, parents sitting in too many minutes of traffic to get their child to school, very soggy waits at the bus stop. 

My husband brought a big umbrella and waited at the bus stop with our boy.  I borrowed a neighbor’s umbrella and waited at the bus stop in the afternoon to pick him up.  Uneventful, which is good.  He had a fine day and I hope he is looking forward to day #2.

What are your stories of the first day of school?  Good, bad, funny?  Share them with us!

I’m in school mode.

So are administrators, other parents, and, well, students.

Ahead of the big start to public schools in the area, I just wanted to pass along some reminders.

Buses will be on the roads early in the mornings, then return for mid-afternoon.

So, here’s the rundown of what to expect, locality by locality.

In Virginia Beach, you can expect buses to be on the road in the a.m. between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  They head back out between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Some busy spots at the Beach include Virginia Beach Boulevard, especially in front of Princess Anne High School as well as Princess Anne Road around Landstown High School.

In Chesapeake, buses are out between 6:55 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  In the afternoon, look for them between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Hot spots in Chesapeake include Battlefield Boulevard where you’ll find students getting dropped off at Hickory High School and Hickory Middle School.  Also, watch out for heavy traffic along Great Bridge Boulevard near Oscar Smith High School.

In Suffolk, heads up.  Buses will be out between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  They’re back out between 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Watch out for buses and along Bennett’s Pasture Road.  That’s where you’ll find John Yeates Middle School.  Also, Nansemond Parkway is a pretty busy corridor.  Nansemond River High School and Nansemond Parkway Elementary students are on that road.

In Norfolk, buses will be out between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  In the afternoon, look for them between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Plenty of busy spots in Norfolk.  Along Sewells Point Road, watch out for new walkers.  Because of a realignment, more children in this area may be walking to school.  They could be headed to Norview Middle or High School.  Watch out for heavy traffic by buses along Campostella Road.  Students from that area could be headed to Lake Taylor High or Lake Taylor Middle on Kempsville Road.

Portsmouth school buses will be out in force between 6:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.  In the afternoons, you’ll see them between 1:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.  You’ll find busy traffic along Amherst Lane as students head into Wilson High School.  Watch out for busy traffic as well along High St. as students make their way into I.C. Norcom High School.

Hampton Schools are in the middle of a big transition, going from city buses to school buses.  You’ll find the big yellow buses on the road in Hampton between 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  Then again between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The North Hampton area could be pretty congested.  Watch out for heavy traffic along Big Bethel Road around Bethel High School.

In Newport News, the buses will be out between 5:45 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  Look for them again in the afternoon between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.  The busiest areas of school traffic are along Warwick Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue.  They connect students on one end of town to magnet, TAG, and regional-type schools on the opposite end of town.

Then, also be careful Downtown.  Below Mercury Boulevard, the areas of Warwick Boulevard, Hungtington Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, and Roanoke Avenue.  Lots of bus stops here.

These are just places drivers might encounter slow traffic in those peak school travel times.

The experts can’t stress enough, though, how important it is to be careful everywhere, especially in your own neighborhood.  The kids are excited to be back at school, they are reuniting with friends they haven’t seen for months.  They likely won’t be watching as closely as they should.

Be safe and we hope you have a great start to the school year!

Enjoy the last few days of summer vacation.

School has started for some, school is about to start for everyone else.  We are in anticipation mode at our house.  My oldest is about to start first grade!  Where does the time go?

Back to school also  means you’ll have a little extra company on the roads as you head out in the mornings.

Those bright yellow school buses, pretty much parked during the summer, are getting revved up once again.

So it’s a good time to remind folks of the rules that are always in effect when kids get back into the classroom.  They do have to get there safely.

First, stop when the buses do.  It’s the law.  Your wait begins once that stop arm goes up–all the way until that stop arm drops back down.  We all dislike getting behind a stopped bus, but it’s the law.  Plus, these kids need the time to get back on the sidewalk!

A reminder that the speed limit is 25 miles per hour near schools.  Those slow zones are marked off by street signs.

We all need to be more aware, especially at home.  That’s because in talking with school officials, they tell me the majority of accidents involving buses don’t happen on the highways.  They happen in the neighborhoods.  They are caused by people who aren’t paying attention and who hit stopped buses.  It’s a busy time of year, but not that busy.

Cheers to you all.  Wishing you a successful start to another great year of school!

Summer may be just about done.

But it’s not over yet!!!!

Camping is growing in popularity.  Could be the down economy.  Could be that families just want a simple way to spend time together.

In any case, campsites are hopping these days.

On Fox 43 News at 7, we did a series of reports on camping–the gear you need, the places you go, how to stay safe.  We even checked in with the Boy Scouts on the best way to be prepared to “rough it.”

Check it out!

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Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Stormy weather, terrible traffic.

They seem to go hand in hand, don’t they?

During the commercial break, Don Roberts shared a tale I’m sure many of you can relate to.  Trying to make his way to his home on the Peninsula, he did his best to avoid the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.  Of course, he was trying to get home during the height of the storm.  He thought snaking his way through Downtown Norfolk to get to his final destination was the best bet.  It took him two hours to get home!  He had lots of company on the road, and likely, lots of other frustrated drivers.

The storm passed fairly quickly yesterday, but I’m sure the congestion left behind lasted for hours!

Do you have any highway headaches to share?

As you hit the highway with music blaring and a 64-ounce drink at your side, just remember, that rest stop you used to visit likely will be dark.  You’ll have to do your business elsewhere.

That’s because VDOT has closed 18 rest areas around Virginia.  Those budget cuts at work again.

Here’s a portion of the official news release.  And, get ready, travelers.  There are more closures to come.

The 18 rest areas slated to close include:

• I-81 North Rural Retreat
• I-81 South Smyth
• I-81 North Radford
• I-81 South Troutville
• I-81 North Mt. Sidney
• I-81 South Mt. Sidney
• I-81 South New Market
• I-95 North Ladysmith
• I-95 South Ladysmith
• I-95 North Dale City (cars)
• I-95 South Dale City (cars)
• I-66 East Manassas
• I-64 East Goochland
• I-64 West Goochland
• I-85 North Dinwiddie
• I-85 South Dinwiddie
• I-85 North Alberta
• I-85 South Alberta

VDOT will operate the I-66 West Manassas Welcome Center through the summer travel season, since it was the only welcome center impacted by these closures. VDOT will close the I-66 Welcome Center on Sept. 16, following the busy summer travel season.

A map of the affected rest areas is available at http://www.virginiadot.org/news/resources/Statewide/19_SRAWC_Closures.pdf. To learn more detail about VDOT’s service reductions, visit http://www.virginiadot.org/newsroom/default.asp#blueprint

With children in tow, I remember stopping at that rest stop along I-64 in Goochland many times.  What a great resource for weary parents and restless kids.  I get it.  The closures are a sign of these difficult times.  I just have to remember now to give the kids lots and lots of juice *after* the trip is over.  Safe travels!