Kibitka Escape: Williamsburg, VA area, Part 3

27 August 2013

We headed to Virginia Beach on Tuesday, a significant drive to get our windshield repaired before the crack could spread. Why go so far? We found this place called Jody’s Windshield Repair on the internet, and Jody’s specialty is repairing significant cracks (up to five feet long!) in lieu of doing replacements. We ended up having so much fun at Jody’s that a mundane task became a good time!

Jody and her husband Dale repair windshields out of their home. Imagine pulling into a stranger’s driveway. Good-natured Dale greets you and invites you to pull into his carpeted garage, complete with bar stools and big-screen TV. Dale got right down to business on our “coke bottle” crack, and soon Jody appeared as well. She whipped out her I-pad and launched into showing us various websites on oddball topics of interest to her, followed by photos of complex windshield repairs she had accomplished.

On the driveway sat Jody’s golfcart, not used for golf, but for cruising the neighborhood. The golf cart was decorated with colored circular stickers, and somehow I was reminded of the Dating Game décor. While Jody regaled Great Husband with more I-pad stuff, Dale told me about their little dog, named Lucki. Lucki was found on their doorstep during a difficult emotional time for Jody, and having Lucki join the family was able to bring Jody out of her depression.

Soon Jody jumped up and said, “Look at this!” She hopped into the golf cart and Lucki jumped into her lap. They headed off down the street. When they came back Lucki was driving the cart! And we got all this entertainment plus a windshield repair for only $75.

Jody and Lucki

In the afternoon we went to the Nauticus (maritime museum) and Battleship Wisconsin, and took a 2-3 hour harbor cruise (Victory Rover Naval Base Cruises) on the Elizabeth River. Out here, rivers are not like rivers back home. Our rivers flow one direction, narrow and fast. Our here, they are miles wide and flow indistinguishably from one body of water into another. I’ll let Great Husband give you his impressions of this afternoon:

“There was far more to see at Nauticus than time allowed. Exhibits covered a wide range from ocean creatures to navy warships to merchant shipping. Some of the most interesting exhibits deal with container ships, appropriate since Hampton Roads is a major port for these ships. The highlight was the self-guided tour of the Battleship Wisconsin. Many spaces below decks are open, and the ship has been nicely restored, complete with teak deck. Our river cruise took us past Historic Portsmouth and the U.S. Navy base. We were fortunate to see the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, which was in port at the time.”