Lunch with my Dad

Last month, my dad and I had lunch. He was in newport news, virginia to meet the conductor of the Virginia Symphony. From the marriott hotel he was staying at, we drive to the ocean front while talking about the usual; politics and his orchestra. We get to the ocean front, and to my surprise there are people fishing on the pier, which extends several hundred feet out into the ocean. My dad can’t resist striking up a conversation with some of the fishermen, who’ve managed to catch some trout and pufferfish. I ask them if the pufferfish are poisonous. Evidently, pufferfish are “the chicken of the sea.” We get back in my truck and drive back down the expressway, until we settle on outback steakhouse for lunch.

We get seated at a booth and the cute waitress brings us some water. My dad asks her if the fish is fresh; of course it’s not. I take a good look at my dad; he looks more old and frail than how I remembered him. He orders some chicken tacos with a salad; I have the grilled salmon and vegetables. Its pretty good. We laugh at the “chocolate thunder from down under” dessert, which he of course asks the waitress where they got this name for the dessert. Dad has to catch his flight back to georgia, and after a quick selfie, we leave.

And here are some random pictures from the 2016 Virginia state fair, in the middle of nowhere town called Dolusville or Dolustown. You may be asking yourself, why the heck did I go to the state fair? Answer: women. Conclusion: awful date.