By Ella Bronaugh

Intern

After weathering a strange, unseasonable nor’easter of a storm over the weekend, Suffolk residents have benefited from an unusual few summer days of mild temperatures, light breezes and robin’s-egg skies.

Whereas late July and early August normally bring Hampton Roads plenty of oppressive heat and cloying humidity, these past few days have, quite literally, been a breath of fresh air.

With the unusual weather in mind — and nearly demanding we find an excuse to get out of the office for a couple of hours — we set out to see what sorts of unusual things folks in Suffolk are up to this summer.

Following are a few of their answers:

Vaughn Ellis, 37

Portsmouth

“I went to the Dominican Republic with my girlfriend. We saw people cooking tarantulas, which was very unusual. We also went to a water park there and saw the ocean. I would go back there if I had the chance.”

Casey Stone, 38

Suffolk

“I’m a pastor here in Suffolk. I took seven teens to a camp in Brevard, N.C. — The Wilds, which is a Christian camp. It was fantastic! A lot of teens made some life-changing decisions there.”

Tera Miley, 44

Hampton

“This summer, I’ve been loving my job. I’ve really been having lots of fun and embracing this area. I do not live here currently and am hoping to move down here to truly be a part of the Suffolk scene.”

Anna Ruffin, 60

Suffolk

“I went to Hyde Park in New York. We visited Franklin D. Roosevelt’s mansion, toured the library, saw the memorial where he was buried, and did the same with Vanderbilt. My sister and I also took a picture with the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt.”

Maggie Farris, 26

Suffolk

“I’ve been working all summer. I work at the ADS Management Group at the Automotive F&I Company. I love it there; it’s awesome. I’m one of the agents there. I’m the regional sales director.”

Frank Morgan, 43

Chesapeake

“Me and my daughter went on a daddy-daughter trip to Massanutten in Rockingham County. They have an indoor water park there, so we went to do that, and we rode the ski lift to see the views of the valley.”

Terence Claud, 52

Suffolk

“I went fishing in the ocean at Virginia Beach. I caught lots of different types of fish. I went by myself, which was very relaxing. I gave the fish away, because the saltwater fish were too much for me; I prefer freshwater.”