Is That "The Good Old Song" or "Auld Lang Syne" Playing?

Hampton   

With it being both Sunday and New Year's Eve, reflection was the word of the morning. It has been quite an eventful week spanning from Christmas Eve to Hampton. What a treat it was to not awaken to an alarm. At this point of our journey I'll gladly trade watching the sunrise for a few extra minutes of sleep. By the time I went outside to clean up our dock lines, the sun was high in the bluebird sky and beautiful reflections on the Hampton River surrounded us. Crossroads is all by her lonesome along the fuel dock. The Bell Tower of Hampton University's Memorial Chapel is an impressive structure off our stern. It was constructed in 1886 and stands 150 feet high, with 12 bells, and a clock on all four sides. Grand houses still decorated for the holidays share the waterfront with working yards, commercial docks, and marinas.

We had an early lunch then went exploring. A two mile walk would take us around the basin "to town." Along the way we were treated to several amazing displays of red. An extremely large holly tree was covered in berries. A pyracantha hung over a fence and showcased both its berries and thorns. Several camellias were in full bloom, but a red bush presented the largest and prettiest flowers. We arrived at the Virginia Air and Space Center, the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center, shortly after it opened. 

The history of air travel is represented from the Wright Brothers to the exploration of Mars and beyond. Hampton is the birthplace of America's space program. The first NASA astronauts trained and lived in Hampton. The center is the only place in the world to display all four styles of NASA space capsules.

The flight simulator caught Barry's attention and in a weak moment he convince me to "fly" along with him. One quick picture is all I could capture before he put me in a barrel roll and I was calling, "Game Over." Other interactive exhibits included a Flight Lab where we made paper airplanes. We each constructed planes and my tried-and-true third grade design topped the more highly engineered plane Barry created. Yet another flight simulator did not end well for me. I was more than happy to finish our tour with an IMAX film on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Prominently featured both inside and outside the Center were memorials to the three female African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the space race. Their story was the subject of Hidden Figures, a critically acclaimed 2016 motion picture. 

The afternoon was quickly passing, so we started the walk back to Crossroads to arrive before dusk. Along the way a colorful roadside mural and a clock tower at the library caught our eye. The intricate details of the clock were in pretty good shape, but the mechanism was not functional. I fixed dinner and was able to watch the UVA women's basketball game. The Hoos won the first half, but not the game. As the alma mater played after the final horn sounded, the tune served a dual purpose as it is used by both UVA's The Good Old Song and Auld Lang Syne. Tonight, as fireworks are heard in the distance, both sets of lyrics are appropriate, evoking feelings of nostalgia and memories of good times spent with friends. Thanks to all for a great 2023. Happy New Year!