Shenandoah & Scotland The Brave

As the final songs from the closing ceremony, the entire assembled bands played and marched off stage to Shenandoah and Scotland The Brave! WOW! After the buildup of Ravel's Bolero and a rousing section of patriotic songs, including "You Raise Me Up" dedicated to the soldiers and families, the entire ensemble played their own exit. Fantastic! See for yourself...



We are coming to next year's Tattoo for sure!

Bagpipes!

What else can you say about Bagpipes?

Better than the Navy band?

The Navy Band was supposed to be the star of the show, but the Marine Corps band handily outperformed them. It is bad enough to be outgunned by the marines in a Navy town, but what about being show up by the Belgian Bicycle brigade! These guys played their instruments while riding on their bicycles doing tricks! The music you hear is what was actually being played AS THEY RODE! Pretty fun to watch!

The US Navy Fleet Forces Band

The individual bands each plays a few tunes, mostly while marching. It is so thrilling and impressive to see and hear the music, the precision, the spirit and enthusiasm!

It has begun!

The Tattoo is not a military event, but it is dedicated to the military. This year's dedication is the families of our warriors. The celebrated country this year is France and there is a large contingent of French bands to play.

Almost time...

Well, the place is a whole lot more crowded than this afternoon! We have our tickets so there's no hurry.

Back Stage

Before the show, this is where everyone gathers... all 950+ of them! We were told that people just strip and dress right in front of everyone... Apparently there's a show off-stage as well.

The Head Drum Major

Hey, this is the man in charge of the whole thing! Pretty nifty guy and wonderful uniform! 30 years with the Army Band and now he sells real estate in Arlington Virginia. He has been doing this Tatoo now for several years. He created his own uniform and when he is out on the floor, he wears a giant bear-skin hat like the guards at Buckingham palace.

The Behind the Scenes Tour

Now we are getting ready to see the Tatoo practice sessions behind the scenes! This is the Scope arena which was named thus because from the air, it looks like a kaleidoscope (not because it it sponsored by mouthwash). DeAnna has been wielding her camera a lot.

More pictures to follow!

USS ENTERPRISE!

Three aircraft carriers are docked here today: The Harry Truman, the George HW Bush and the Enterprise. Here is hull number 65, the Enterprise! Unusual to have so many supercarriers in dock at the same time, but fun to see the Enterprise.

Very cool stuff.... Our tour guide continues to give us unbelievable facts about these ships. It makes you proud to be an American (song is playing in the background).

So THAT'S Where they went!

The Hawaii Superferries are moored here in Norfolk! After leaving Hawaii (a very poor decision for the state, not just the Superferry company), the ferries ended up in the gulf coast shuttling supplies to Haiti after their earthquake because they are so fast. Our tourguide commented that many people are impressed with the design and specifications for the Superferries because of their speed, stability and comfort.

Now the company that built them is bankrupt and the boats are inactive... so sad, but nice to see the very same ships we used to see all the time in Hawaii!

Ready for the harbor tour!

The Wisconsin is docked here and we will see her later in our trip. More photos when we get on our tour boat...

The Lecture

We are now waiting for a talk on the history of the area before embarking on our your of the harbor. Everyone is friendly and excited to see the sites! We will see the Tattoo tonight.

The term "Tattoo" goes back to when the British were fighting the Dutch. At night after battles, the men would go into town to drink. Drummers from the garrison were sent out into the towns at 9:30pm each evening to inform the soldiers that it was time to return to barracks. The process was known as doe den tap toe (old-Dutch for "turn off the tap"), an instruction to innkeepers to stop serving beer and send the soldiers home for the night. The drummers continued to play until the curfew at 10:00pm.

The procession back to camp at the end of the day is said to be the origination for what we now call "Taps" which is played as flags are lowered at bases all around the world.

More later...

The Tour Group

We are getting used to the tour group. It is a group of retirees and we are the youngest folks here. Everyone is  very pleasant, but we are struggling to adjust to the pace... m-u-c-h  s l o w e r.....

We are finding time to chat, to visit, to appreciate things. When did we get out of THAT habit?  We were about 10 minutes late (talking to my mom) and that put is in the back of the buffet line and we ended up at a table by ourselves... good company, but we've heard each others stories before.

So we are finding the evening relaxing and I am really enjoying talking to DeAnna... actually talking, not just sound bites.

Oops, they are getting ready to do introductions...

Top floor view

We have made it to Norfolk and we have checked in to our hotel. You can barely see part of the naval shipyards on the horizon. We will go to dinner and do a meet-n-greet to prep for events tomorrow!

Until then, we are enjoying the view!

The Virginia Fleet And Tattoo

For the next 4 days, DeAnna and I will be traveling to Norfolk, Virginia to tour the US Atlantic fleet and see the annual Virginia International Tattoo! We will join a program tour and see the sites. I plan to take lots of pictures and make blog entries, so check back from time to time!

Now for the 4 hour drive to get there...

Cherry Blossom Time

It's been a beautiful Spring here in the DC area. DeAnna and I went out to lunch and walked to the tidal basin on Friday to see the peak of the cherry blossoms. Though the area was insanely crowded, it was also incredibly pretty. Here is a panoramic shot of the tidal basin (you'll have to click on it and scan back and forth to see the whole thing).

We've been spending some time with my parents. Since their return from Florida, mom has been getting stronger every day. For her birthday, we joined them for cupcakes and dinner. Even after struggling with breathing problems, mom blew out all the candles! (we were secretly wondering if the oxygen might cause them to flame up, but nothing happened) This last week, she prepared dinner for us and made one of her famous chocolate cakes! They were gone on their cruise during my birthday and mom wanted to make sure I got my cake! You can see the pink flamingo candles on the cake as well.







We toured the spring tree blooming season with mom & dad yesterday. They know all the hot spots for pretty collections of trees and flowers!

Other than that, I have been preparing for a busy April. I will be returning to Hawaii next week for a conference and then going to Chicago the week following for training. Then we go to Norfolk for a few days of vacation and then I finally go to Oklahoma to see Owen! Lots of work and Jazzercise these days...