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Description
In this solo episode of Tidewater Talk, I slow the pace and lean into a favorite segment: Strange and Odd of Tidewater. After a quick community moment about a Great Pyrenees rescue in New Kent County using an infrared drone, we take a long look at the ghost fleet of the James River—the haunting line of World War-era concrete ships you can spot near Kiptopeke. I share how a shoreline double-take turned into a kayak trip among these surreal hulks, now reclaimed by birds, fish, and even trees, and why their quiet presence feels so distinctly Tidewater. We also check the wintery forecast for Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore and celebrate our one-year anniversary, plus a local Galentine’s/Valentine’s mini Highland cow photoshoot at Hunt Club Farm. Send your sightings and stories—what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on or near the water around here?—to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Stay strange, neighbors.
Weather: 39° in Virginia Beach; 34° near Kiptopeke. Rain shifting to a wintry mix and likely snow overnight tomorrow; highs in the 30s through Thursday, clearing into Friday.
Question of the Week
- What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on or near the water around here?
Description
In this solo episode of Tidewater Talk, I open with a grateful nod to our Hampton Roads neighbors and share a dramatic local rescue on Virginia’s Eastern Shore: Fire and EMS launched an inflatable raft to save a dog that fell through the ice near Chincoteague Creek, bringing the pup to safety with only minor injuries and no harm to first responders.
We then linger in Strange and Odd with the haunting close of Blackbeard’s story in our waters, from his fearsome reputation and Maynard’s audacious trap at Ocracoke Inlet to the grim display of Blackbeard’s severed head at what became Blackbeard’s Point in Hampton. It’s a reminder that legends end, but their echoes shape the place we call home. I wrap with a quick weather rundown: a deep freeze across Tidewater for the next week, highs near freezing, lows in the low 20s, and a snow event likely beginning Friday night through the weekend. Neighbors, send your strange sightings and chilly place picks to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and stay strange.
Question of the Week
- What Tidewater place gives you chills?
Description
In this week’s Tidewater Talk, we open with a brisk winter check-in and a spirited debate over corn nuts and okra before diving into what’s happening around Coastal Virginia. We cover a major local story: the owner of Ace Auto Sales LLC in Chesapeake was sentenced to six years in federal prison for a multi-year, $2 million auto-loan fraud scheme that affected roughly two dozen financial institutions. We also chat about a York High School classroom trailer fire and reminisce about the woes of learning in “portables.”
Our Strange & Odd of Tidewater segment spotlights the Great Dismal Swamp, once a brutal yet vital refuge where Indigenous peoples and later freedom-seeking enslaved people built hidden communities and lived free despite extreme conditions. We pair that with a local history moment on General Ambrose Burnside’s 1863 “Mud March,” a reminder that weather can decide outcomes, timely, given this weekend’s forecast calling for significant winter weather and the potential for heavy snow and some ice impacts around the region. We share current temps and a heads-up on accumulation probabilities, encourage neighbors to prepare, and invite listener feedback: What’s a local place you refuse to go to—and why? We also highlight Yelp’s top eateries in the 757 and point you to Virginia Beach Restaurant Week with a full participant list in the show notes. Send your tips, odd sightings, and answers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we’ll see you next Tuesday, neighbors.
Question of the Week
- What local place do you refuse to go, and why?
Strange and Odd of Tidewater
Tidewater Tips
Fun Links
- www.wavy.com/news/local-news/chesapeake-car-salesman-receives-prison-term-for-2m-fraud-scheme/
- www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/york-county/fire-damages-storage-trailer-near-york-high-school/291-9208cced-65d8-4033-8033-16d7072507ea
- www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deep-swamps-archaeologists-fugitive-slaves-kept-freedom-180960122/?no-ist
- www.dineinvb.com/restaurant-week/
>This week on Tidewater Talk, we are sharing a rewind of one of our most meaningful conversations. We revisit our interview with Sparrow from Ainsley’s Angels of America, a nonprofit dedicated to inclusion, dignity, and joy for people with disabilities and their families. This conversation explores what real inclusion looks like, how adaptive racing builds community, and why partnership matters more than charity. This episode is deeply personal. Ainsley’s Angels changed the trajectory of our family’s life, and Sparrow does a powerful job explaining not just what they do, but why it matters, for riders, runners, families, and the broader community.
If you missed this episode the first time, we are glad you are here for it now. And if you have heard it before, it is well worth another listen. Learn more about Ainsley’s Angels of America
As always, if you have a local story, an odd sighting, or someone doing good work we should highlight, send it to