Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Take Two

Although Nathan and I have been to this lighthouse already, we were thrilled to visit again with Barb and John because it was so smoky during our last visit.  I'm so glad we did because the view was fabulous from the top.

 

I have already shared much information about this historic lighthouse in my last post, but just one reminder that there are 248 steps to get to the top.  

 

It takes some time to get there!

The climb is worth it though because the view is amazing!

 

This time we were able to visit the museum and we even caught the movie about when the lighthouse was moved from its former location to the current one.  The movie was much more interesting than I thought it would be.  If you visit, I highly recommend it.  It is incredible to hear and see all that was involved in moving this beautiful piece of the OBX's history.

 

We had a great time here, and saw that each time we come back, we will learn more things about this interesting place.

Waterspouts on Pamlico Sound

One nice thing about staying put in areas for a longer period of time, is that we learn things from the people there that we wouldn't know otherwise.  For example, when I got to work today someone asked me if I saw the waterspouts out there.  I had no idea what a waterspout was.  They said go and look out the window and look up at the sky.  Once I saw it, I had no idea how I missed it on my way to work.  I called Nathan and sent him out to take some pictures of them.

Waterspouts are tornadoes that are over the water instead of land.  And they are something else to watch.

 

You learn something new every day!

Austin's Virginia Adventures

Austin has been staying with Nathan's side of the family, and has been involved in all kinds of new things.  Out of all of the siblings, he is the most interested in being around family and knowing the family history.  I wonder if it isn't because he was still quite young when we moved to a place where we had no family around.  Whatever the reason, he loves it when he can spend time with family.  From the oldest to the youngest, like little Ray.

 

He has been visiting family places and learning the histories there.  He has been learning about the Civil War and the history in that area.  He has been working hard for a farmer and making lots of money.  Most of what he is doing sounds awesome to me.  

At the heart of it, he is still a city boy though.  So he doesn't know that "leaves of three, let it be".  

Poor guy.  Even though I'm not good at nurturing sick people, I still wish he were with us so I could baby him while he is feeling so miserable.  I am glad that he is with people who do love him and will take care of him.  

Living the life in two different states!

Project 365~August 9

Pirate Ship

Relay For Life

This weekend was the second annual Relay For Life here.  Ruth spent countless hours pouring herself into this cause and it paid off.  She had a lot of help from the other workers, and together they made it a huge success.

It was touching to have a part in this.  There are very few people that haven't been touched by cancer so it's a wonderful thing to do something to help.

Project 365~August 4

Groovy Sign

Project 365~August 2

Digging For Treasure

Project 365~July 30

What's Growing On Here?

Project 365~July 29

Before the Crowds

Shrimpfest at Camp Hatteras

Last month we had a Crabfest here, this month was a Shrimpfest.  Jack was the cook again and it was fabulous food again!

Project 365~July 25

Beach Buddies

Project 365~July 23

Pastel Pallette

Project 365~July 22

Fishing Pier

Oregon Inlet

While driving home from our trip, we enjoyed the scenery.  I started to get emotional as we got closer to OBX.  As soon as we hit the first bridge, I yelled out, "We're home". 

I got really excited when we hit the Oregon Inlet, because I knew we were really close to home.  I think the inlet is so beautiful.  Something about the contrast of the blue water with the green and tan grass is just peaceful to me.

It has an interesting history too.  From Wikipedia:

Oregon Inlet is an inlet along North Carolina's Outer Banks. It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island, which are connected by a 2.5 mile bridge that spans the inlet. As one of the few access points to the ocean along this stretch of coast, Oregon Inlet is a major departure point for charter fishing trips, with a nearby harbor serving as the base for many large boats that travel miles out towards the Gulf Stream almost every day. The area is also home to a U.S. Coast Guard station.

Oregon Inlet was formed when a hurricane lashed the Outer Banks in 1846, separating Bodie Island from Pea Island. One ship that rode out that storm in Pamlico Sound was named the Oregon. After the storm the crew members of this ship were the first to tell those on the mainland about the inlet's formation. Hence, it has been known as Oregon Inlet ever since.
Akin to many other inlets along the Outer Banks, Oregon Inlet moves southward due to drifting sands during tides and storms. It has moved south over two miles since 1846, averaging around 66 feet per year.

 It's just beautiful, isn't it?

Living the life in North Carolina!

Random Things in Raleigh

After our wonderful trip to see our granddaughter, we flew back in to Raleigh.  Nathan had a meeting, so we had to spend the night there and stay in a hotel until he was done with his meeting.  We stopped at a few stores before heading home, so Nathan could buy some things he needed.  I was driving and noticed something odd at a stop light.  Really odd.

An abandoned lawnmower, just sitting in the middle of the intersection.

We laughed so hard.  You know there is a good story behind that!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Our little trip took us to one of the most beautiful sites we've ever laid eyes on: our granddaughter.  My mom will probably tell you that the picture above looks like my baby pictures.  That's not why I think she is beautiful though. She just is!

Makes you want to sniff her newborn baby head, doesn't it?  How is it that even baby slobber is cute?

I'm a little smitten with her.  Ah, who am I kidding...I'm completely head over heels in love with her!!!!!

She is so smart and funny already.  She makes a different face every ten seconds which cracks us up. 

Papa thinks she is the greatest thing too!

My best birthday ever was when I had Aric (happy Birthday number one son) but this ranked right up there.  She's a keeper to be sure!

Living the life as Mimi!

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane

For my birthday, Nathan planned a little trip for us.  Since it is definitely high season here at the park, I didn't plan to go any place until the end of the season.  Thank to him, the manager and the girls who covered my shifts-we were able to go now.

Normally when we fly, we both read books.  This time we both had smartphones to entertain us.  Which means Nathan did this:

While I did this:

A Special Announcement

Our oldest daughter, Ashleigh, had a baby girl on June 30th.  She is too far away from us for me to be there in person, but I got to join in through the power of text messages and it was neat to be included in that way.  We are completely smitten with little Aseanti Olivia, who we nicknamed the Princess or Sweet Cheeks.  We think she is just perfect, but we might be a bit biased. 

Happy Fourth of July

 One thing I love about being here is that there are so many fun things going on all the time.  It is almost like it's a holiday every single weekend.  Of course, this weekend there was a huge crowd as in every single campsite was taken.  And people were in the patriotic mood and here for family fun.  So it did seem even more special than normal. 

 I managed to get zero pictures this weekend.  Luckily my friend Judy Lilly took a bunch and graciously let me use them.   Thank you, Judy!

Beach Houses

When I was a girl, the one and only vacation I remember our family going on was to Galveston Island.  One of the things we kids loved there were the houses on stilts.  I still love them.  It is one of the things that makes island living seem so quaint to me.

Beach houses tend to have three things in common as far as I can tell.  They are on "stilts".  They have great porches.  They are built to have views of the ocean. I think they are beautiful.

  I have had some kind of creedy crud, or my allergies are really in high gear and it's been that way for over a week now.  I feel pretty miserable.  It was kind of nice today though because it gave me an excuse to sit and catch up on editing pictures and blogging some!