Did She Say "Drive-In?"

Yes, you read correctly--There is a drive in movie theatre within 30 minutes of my home. The Fork Union Drive-In is open during the fair weather seasons and shows 2 movies per night each weekend.

It is not paved like some other drive-ins which are no longer in business. Instead you park on terraced lawn and many of the movie goers watch the movie outside their vehicles. It is quaint and family friendly and very much like an outdoor picnic with a couple of movies thrown in.

During the intermission between movies, kids get out in the field in front of the screen and play ball or chase each other around. There are folks in lawn chairs in the beds of their trucks and kids piled up on mattresses in the backs of station wagons. When Ivy was little and we used to take him, he usually fell asleep before the second movie finished.

My sister and I usually start watching outside and then get in the car later after dew falls and it gets chilly. Last night there were some unexpected mechanical problems with her car and we could not use the car's electrical system to hear the movie through the radio. So we sat near the traditional drive-in speakers on poles and covered up with quilts and fleece throws.

Luckily she has a manual transmission and she was able to roll start the car and get us home safely. The dad next to us helped push the car to get it started rolling. Even more luckily, we had parked right at the end of one of the rows near the top of the hill. We could not have been in better position for roll starting the car if we had planned it.

And yes, we both have roadside assistance with the cell phones, but didn't want to call them unless necessary.

This evening is an outdoor music concert in Scottsville. Stacey and I are meeting one of her friends for a picnic supper. We should have a good time. I am driving and then tomorrow I will take her to work after she has a chance to talk to her mechanic about her car. I am crossing my fingers that it is nothing serious!