i stopped by the beach in ocean view with intent to walk along the beach & maybe take some pix.. ran into this random old guy who was in a very talkative mood... over the course of a couple hrs ... giving me the history of ocean view, norfolk, the trolley system that used to be in place there, explosions/detonations of ordinance in the norfolk region during ww2 & german nationals who infiltrated during ww2, and how the merchant marines played a part in the commerce coming into the hampton roads area - including the process of how the ships navigated and maneuvered into port, what the various markings meant, and talked about his travels all over the world - including his hospital stays in karachi, bombay, south africa, etc. then, he had his say about the homeless and drug/crime problem in Norfolk (unsurprisingly, he didnt have much good to say about any of that) - which came into the topic because he was on about how the homeless peeps hang out around the beach during the warm season bc the cops dont bother them as much. he said he felt sorry expecially for the homeless women and children and there were times he felt like he could help if he took one home now and then and gave them shelter but he was afraid they'd steal him blind or slit his throat so he never would ;) he is hilarious! old peeps are cool like that sometimes. I thought he might be old enough to remember the battle of the Mirimac and Monitor, which was just offshore of this location back during the civil war exactly 148 years ago to the day of our talk ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uss_monitor ). The Monitor was the first US Naval ironclad warship, and the Battle of Hampton roads was of primary importance to the future of naval warfare as it relates to the US military... but, even though he and I talked for a couple hours, he never mentioned it... this is completely candid .. he didnt know I was "filming" him :) I wish I had access to more proper filming equipment instead of my simple point and shoot camera, this guy would have made for a very nice documentary style interview about the (oral) history of the area by a native resident. There arent many native residents of the Ocean View area anymore, most are imports/transplants. Even tho he was in the merchant marines and travelled the world, he has retained his native dialect and accent quite nicely. I really enjoyed my visit with him. I never did get his name. that, makes it absolutely random, and completely perfect :)) I know he'll never see this. Infact, hes in his 80s, has had 2 heart attacks in the past month (4 in the past year total).. so who knows if I will ever see him again... but I'd like to say: Thank you random old guy, for a delightfully pleasant mid-day visit on the boardwalk at Ocean View in Norfolk. :) I will remember him everytime I drive past Ocean View on my way to and from Virginia Beach

• published: 09 Mar 2010
• views: 11456