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June was a pretty quiet month after the exertions of May. The weather started hinting at summer (in fact hinting very broadly with 90 degree plus temps) and a young Aussie girl's heart turned to getting herself more permanently settled in this, her new home. This applied to both job and home with the result that by the end of the month I was beginning to feel more like a Virgin...ian ;-) The down side is that there's not much to report! I also spent a lot of time shaping my website into the monstrosity it is now.
One of the benefits of all my web surfing when creating my online presence was discovering that there was in fact a local netball team! Moving to the US I thought that I may have played my last game but lo and behold I surfed right onto the Tidewater Stars Netball Club website one Sunday afternoon. I contacted the Coach, Crystal, and asked for a game, only to discover that the team was due to play its first EVER game the following Saturday. We played...and lost...but it was great to be part of the genesis of the game in Virginia.
The
team is a truly international one with folks from several Caribbean nations,
Kenya, Zimbabwe and of course the token Aussie. We have played a few more games
since then again with no success however everyone is keen and committed to
improving our skills. Hopefully next time we play our arch nemesis, The
DC/Maryland Steppers we will be a little more competitive.
I have an online photo album about our merry misadventures so that you can familiarise yourself with the team.
My other grand adventure for June was to take the sailing lessons I had
promised myself after my trip up the Chesapeake
in April. The base has a small Marina and offers dinghy sailing lessons
throughout the summer. It was a lot of 
fun learning the ropes...or is that
sheets? ;-) It was pretty tough work though as coordination has never been a
strong point therefore the prospect of calling "Hard Alee" turning the
boat upwind, tightening the main sheet, continuing the turn past the upwind
position, dodging the mast, moving to the other side of the boat, re-trimming
the mainsail and steering a new course was challenging to say the least! Many
bruises and cranial lumps later I did manage to master the art of the
tack...more or less. Many thanks to the very patient and tolerant instructor
Stewart who until he met me believed that all Aussie's could sail as soon as
they walked.
Hanging
out at the Marina also meant that I got to meet a few crusty old sea dogs,
including Captain Ben who works at NASA and has kindly made me a standing offer
to crew aboard his 38 footer in Wednesday evening
races. Ben is also very patient and keen to teach so I have been learning a lot
from him and having an absolute ball. The harbour is beautiful and the sight of
the other class of racers with spinnakers aloft is quite something to see
against a backdrop of up to three gi-normous aircraft carriers. Of course we
usually end up spending more time at the Hampton
Yacht Club than sailing but its loads of fun.
For the latest on sailing in the Chesapeake, check out Spin Sheet magazine.
To
continue a nautical theme, mid June saw the arrival in Norfolk of a whole bunch
of tall ships which were in the midst of a stately progress up the east coast. I
went down to Norfolk Waterside area after netball practice one evening and was
one of many hundreds gaping in awe at these mighty vessels of yesteryear. There
were also many associated festivals and activities - but it seems that there's
any excuse for a party around Hampton Roads.
At one of the dockside vendors I had a close encounter of the seafood kind
that was unusual to say the least. I had been wanting to try the world
famous Chesapeake soft shell crabs ever since reading about them in James A.
Mitchener's book 'Chesapeake'. I ordered a sandwich and 
prepared myself for the
delicacy. The first bite was wonderful - smooth texture, delicious flavour. Now
I knew why they were so popular. I moved in on the second bite, full of
anticipation...and got a foul tasting mouth full of yellow mucky crab innards.
Eeee-yuck.
There followed the less than glamorous spectacle of me surreptiously spitting
the repulsive mush into a napkin, whilst trying hard to appear to be enjoying
the native dish. I have eaten many things in my time and usually gone back for
more but soft shell crabs? Once is MORE than enough! Although upon reflection
perhaps I did not try it under the best of circumstances. Maybe if prepared
correctly I'll give it another go.
For more of my pictures on Op Sail 2000 (minus soft shell crab remains) check out my online photo album.
If you want to know more about soft shell crabs check out the Blue Crab Archives. And you can even order them online.
My only tiny piece of travelling this month was a trip to western Virginia to visit my Xena pal Caitlin in Charlottesville. Charlottesville is a couple of hours or so away, nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western Virginia. It is a lovely drive even though Caitlin says its as boring as hell. I drove up after my first netball game and Caitlin took great delight at watching me unfold my weary body from the car. Now she's starting to believe that I really AM old enough to be here mother!
I
arrived shortly before dusk and was delighted to see hundreds of fire flies
enjoying the mild summer evening. They are the the most amazing things and my
host managed to catch one for me to show me how they work. Later that evening we
had our own private Xenafest accompanied by pizza and pina coladas - a strange
combination but it seemed to work! Later she introduced to another American
treasure - the Ice Cream Sandwich. Is there NO end to the delicacies this
country has to offer?
Charlottesville is best known for being the home of Thomas Jefferson. His extraordinary self-designed house Monticello sits high atop a hill overlooking the mountains to the west and the valleys and plains of central Virginia to the east. By the way that's Monti-'ch'ello like the instrument not 'cell-o'. Say the latter and the locals will run you out of town. Caitlin has visited the home every year since she could talk and so she made a most excellent private tour guide. It really is a fascinating place with lots of really neat inventions and the coolest study I have EVER seen. Jefferson was also an experimental gardener growing a wide variety of crops which have been replanted in their original manner. Also of interest were the remnants of the slave quarters and workshops.
After some delicious down-home southern cookin' at a several hundred year old Tavern we made our way to another of Jefferson's architectural and academic achievements, the University of Virginia (UVA). Tom founded this very prestigious public university, developed its code of honour and designed it himself. The hub of the Uni is The Lawn, a huge expanse surrounded his idyllic Academical Village - student and professor accommodation, lecture halls - and topped by a rotunda. Apparently to get chosen to live in these rooms is a highly sought after honour even though they are tiny and serviced by outside amenities. Its a real status thing. I was especially interested to discover that Jefferson's design included three types of classical columns - Ionic, Doric and Corinthian. This was to provide students with an appreciation of classic architecture.
All in all it was a fabulous day even though we did both nearly expire with heat stroke! The worst part is that I had to drive back home that evening. Thanks Caitlin - you're a great host.
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