Ellie and Doc Caruthers pose at the motel office in the 1950s. Members of the Sizer family from Southwest Virginia gather outside their rooms for a midday snack at Doc's Motor Court. Four generations of the family visit the motel annually to enjoy the beach setting and the small-town atmosphere. From left (foreground) are 3-year-olds Hunter McGrady and Zane Staggs. In background is Linda Sizer with grandson Zach, 6; Stacy and Russ Hitchcock; and Rick Sizer. Visit the Photo Place

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THE LONG SLEEP Doc's Motor Court, unchanged for nearly 60 years, is a throwback to a simpler era. Folks check in for the nostalgia. Story by FRANK DELANO Photos by ROBERT A. MARTIN THE FREE LANCE-STAR E

Doc's Motor Court in Colonial Beach, unchanged for nearly 60 years, is a throwback to a simpler era. Folks check in for the nostalgia. By Frank Delano

Date published: 8/26/2006

leanor Mae Crary Caruthers, the 79-year-old manager of a 14-room motor court in Colonial Beach, usually arrives at work by 7 a.m. from her house next door.

Her summer morning ritual is decades old. She turns off the old neon sign that has glowed all night on Irving Avenue and the yellow night light on the porch of the office. She removes the "No Vacancy" sign from the screen door. She picks up The Free Lance-Star in the driveway between the motel's two buildings.

She sits down in a wooden chair in front of Room No. 8 nearest the street. No. 8 is now used for storage. The chair has two broken slats in its seat. She leans the chair back against the wall, puts her feet on the rungs and opens the paper.

The front desk of Doc's Motor Court is open and ready for business.

Joggers and walkers on the street greet her with a "Good morning, Ellie." A neighbor pulls his golf cart into the driveway for a chat. A weekend resident comes by a few minutes later to show off his new bicycle. Lawrence "Pee Wee" Atwell, another man-about-town, rides his old bike up to her command post and tells her his big news: His regular bike has a flat tire.

The first guests to check out that morning were the last to arrive the night before. From California, the couple is looking for a new home in the Northern Neck. The man hands Ellie the room key.

"It's just crazy out there," says the Californian. "Nobody wants to know who you are. All they want is your money. I like it here. It looks like a nice, slow, comfortable life you've got here."

"Hey, Mom, how you doing?" says another guest. He hands her a dollar bill for a bag of ice and walks across to the office to get it from a freezer. "See you Labor Day," he says a few minutes later, when he hands her his key.

"We're not satisfied. We want our money back," jokes another customer.

"You haven't given me any money yet, you crackpot," Ellie jokes back.

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Date published: 8/26/2006