This Willet is out for a stroll.
As much as we enjoy the mountains, we missed the ocean. So, we decided to take a weekend trip to Virginia Beach. We drove up Friday night, and stayed at a nice hotel about 10 miles from the ocean. On Saturday we got breakfast at Doc Taylor’s. After breakfast, we headed over to the boardwalk. We began our walk in the middle of the boardwalk, and heading away from the Neptune Statue.
These Sanderlings hunt in packs... like Raptors. Tiny Raptors.
We saw a variety of little birds playing in the waves (I think they were called Sanderlings), as well as a brown pelican take off from the sand. We eventually made it to the end of the path, and in the process passed a variety of people dressed up (it was Halloween, after all) and resting after some type of race. The Christmas lights were beginning to be put up, but they weren’t finished or lit yet. There were also quite a few waves, and people were surfing or jet skiing. One guy with a jet ski was doing flips off the waves. We also found sculptures of sea turtles.
We stopped for lunch at the Raven Restaurant. The scallops and crab cake sandwich were very good, and the thick cut Raven fries were excellent. After lunch, we resumed our trek down the boardwalk and through the sand.
That night we got dinner at Fire and Vine. Words cannot describe this meal. It’s a splurge, and worth every penny. From the lobster gnocchi to the steak, pan fried fish with potato apple hash, creme brule and cheesecake, the meal was delicious.
Neptune was not pleased about the weather.
The next morning we went to Rockafeller’s Restaurant for brunch. The food was excellent (especially the shrimp and cheesy grits special). After breakfast we found parking, and walked over to the beach. It was a bit colder today, and windy, and rainy. We parked near the middle of the boardwalk, and quickly headed over to the Neptune statue. Louisa got distracted by some giant smiley face sculptures, but Tony eventually bribed her away with promises of Starbucks. We wound up going twice today; hey, it was cold, and Starbucks was warm. 
This hill was garbage.
After playing in the water, we drove over and went up Mt. Trashmore. Just because it’s there. We ended the day with lunch at Rockafeller’s, did some cormorant watching, and then drove back to Blacksburg.