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!

Over the past several days, the computer models have had trouble building a consensus on what the storm would do. Once Danny organized itself enough to become a tropical storm, the forecast models have had a better starting point…and a better idea of where this thing is headed!

I had a look at some of the newer model runs before I went out the door Wednesday night, and consensus now continues to build; Danny is likely to move just off the coast of North Carolina, then scoot north-northeastward past Cape Cod and into the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Here’s the 11:00 PM forecast map from the National Hurricane Center:

(Bigger, better picture of above here)

If all goes as this map indicates, the effects from Danny should be relatively minor. High surf and rip currents are very, very likely from this scenario. It is somewhat likely that we could see some tropical storm force winds of about 40-45 mph. In the less likely, but entirely possible category…we could see some spotty heavy rain (~2″) mainly near the coast. Tidal flooding is very likely, but it should be relatively minor.

Timing the movement of Danny may be problematic, but it does appear that a timeframe from the predawn hours through the afternoon on Saturday seems most probable.

The above scenario is completely dependent on Danny “behaving” itself…and completely following the above Hurricane Center track and timing. Of course, that track is subject to change. So any deviation to the west or east makes for an entirely different ball game.

The National Hurricane Center map from above is largely based on forecast models from the NHC, the National Weather Service, academia, and other countries, etc. Each model has its own biases and peculiarities that must be taken into account. Here’s a bunch of forecast models and their tracks:

(Bigger, better picture of above map available here)

You will note that the vast majority of these are pretty much right down the line…and out to sea. The one “outlier” here is the UKMet (blue line over OBX), but this model run was from 12:00 GMT (8am, Weds.) and is the oldest model run on the chart. All of the newer model runs continue to push Danny past the North Carolina coast and out to sea.

Once again, nothing is “written in stone” on Danny quite yet; the forecast track could still be significantly off. But the models have now continued to trend eastward and out to sea for Danny. That’s a hopeful sign…and one that we all hope will continue!

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?