A Full-time Life

IN GRATITUDE ...

FOR OUR WORLD.  This week we are deeply grateful for having not much news to report!  (And grateful too to the hosts for continuing with the second generation of this meme.  Click and visit!) 

 
August 2011, Fern Ridge Shores, Oregon

Things remain calm and peaceful here at the Lake.  We had a week of "hot" weather.  (Hot for this part of Oregon, where hot means a high of 90, usually mid-80s and cooler in the mornings.)    The mantra that we hear from everyone is "Why would anyone want to live anywhere else?" 

We are not smug about our good fortune.  Just grateful.  Grateful for being here and being able to spend time with family and friends and grateful for the calm. 

And we know that peace and calm are not guaranteed.  A year ago this month we were in North Carolina camping on the beach near Rodanthe.  It was incredibly beautiful and I am sure people who live there were also saying "Why would anyone live anywhere else?"  

 August 2010, Cape Hatteras North Carolina

The  pictures of this beach and the nearby towns and roads that we see on the news today do not look at all like this.   Our hopes are for a full recovery of this beautiful area and all others affected by Hurricane Irene and its aftermath.

 

A COUNTRY GRAVEYARD

RANDOM ROADTRIP REMEMBERING FOR RUBY TUESDAY OVER AT MARY'S WORK OF THE POET. 

 

 

Traveling along Southern backroads on our summer roadtrip, we passed many small churches with an adjoining graveyard.  We hadn't seen this in the Northwest or on our travels before this time.  In Charleston South Carolina, we had learned on a tour that this is called a graveyard rather than a cemetery.  It's only a cemetery, our guide said, if there's no church adjoining. 

These churches were along country residential streets.  We passed two or three while driving in and around Charleston.  And in most of the other small towns we drove through all the way through the South.  The one in these pictures was somewhere in North Carolina. 

These churches seemed to us like they were from a time in the past -- a time when many generations of a family lived in the same area and attended the same church. 

 I don't know if that's still true today, but somehow I hope so.

Mt AIRY (MAYBERRY) NC

  

By the time we got got tired of driving the Blue Ridge Parkway the other day, we had backtracked out of Virginia and again into North Carolina.  We decided to spend the night in the little town of Mt Airy before heading back to Virginia, where we planned to do a lot more exploring.    

We quickly realized that, as the birthplace and childhood home of TV icon Andy Griffith, Mt Airy has essentially turned itself into "Mayberry."  

We learned that the idea for the show was Griffith's and he based it on Mt Airy, his birthplace and childhood home.   As everybody who has ever turned on their television no doubt knows, Andy was sheriff of Mayberry on TV.  (There was an actual Mayberry just before our exit off the Parkway -- nothing much left of it now except a store).

TVLand, the home of the oldies,  has erected this statue to honor one of its all-time most popular programs.  

These words at the base of the statue probably explain why it is still a popular show.   "A simpler life - A sweeter place - a lesson - a laugh - a father and a son." 

Sweet thoughts  -- and these days, it does seem as if many people long to return to a simpler time.

  In Mt Airy's "Old Town" there are businesses renamed after places in the show. 

The town's website even is called "Visit Mayberry."  Quite a few tourists come to Mt Airy on purpose because they are (still) such big fans of the show. 

There is even an annual gathering for fans.   The town was preparing for the 50th Anniversary party this Fall; a huge deal apparently!   

We don't exactly understand people who are so obsessed with an old TV Show, but I guess it is a harmless enough pastime. 

At least these people have a plan for their travels --  More than we have! 

 The town, by the way, is still small, but not small enough that one nice guy and a bumbling deputy could take care of all its law-enforcement.  (And, by the way, why was he sheriff of just a town?  Aren't sheriffs usually in charge of law enforcement for a County?) 

Probably all those people coming here for the annual reunion know the answers!  Obviously, we didn't watch the show often enough.

Andy's simple childhood home is now a bed and breakfast inn owned by the Hampton Hotel chain and no doubt booked well into the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We expected to see beautiful scenery and get our fix on historical places on this trip. 

Mayberry wasn't the kind of history we were expecting -- but it did make an interesting overnight stop. 

 

 

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WRIGHT MEMORIAL

(We're in Virginia now, but still wrapping up our visit to the Outer Banks -- there was so much to see there!)

We  drove about 40 miles to visit the Wright Brothers National Historical Memorial while we were staying on the Outer Banks.   It's on the next island over from where we were staying (accessible by bridge).  This is definitely a not-to-be-missed spot. 

This memorial commmorating the first flight is on this dune (now stablilized by grass).  Here, on a sandy area outside of the town of Kitty Hawk, Orville and Wilbur learned to fly by taking thousands of flights in their glider as they thought and worked toward their first actual flight. This is how they made themselves pilots  -- before they ever attempted their power flight.

A granite boulder marks the spot where the first flight left the ground in 1903 and where it landed.  The flight was only 12 seconds long and a length less than that of a present-day airliner.  Not a long flight but it changed history. 

It all happened here on the Outer Banks because the brothers, who lived in Dayton Ohio, needed the perfect spot to develop their machine. They researched places where there was a hill as well as flat land, some wind, and not too many people to get in their way.  They settled on Kitty Hawk.  This hill and the flat land where the first flight took place was a few miles out of town on what was then just sandy fields -- it was called Kill Devil Hills.    

Now, a town called Kill Devil Hills has grown up and so the site of the first flight is actually there instead of neighboring Kitty Hawk.  Both towns, of course, are full of Wright-related streets, tourist stops, and shops.  Kitty Hawk Kite shops are prominent and there were quite a few kids of all ages flying kites in the fields near the first flight.  It would have been fun to have had a small boy with us!

The Ranger presentation was excellent with great details about the Wright brothers lives and work before and after the flight.  There is a full-scale replica of the plane (the real one is in the Smithsonian), and replicas of the hangar, workshops, and the camp where the Wrights lived whenever they were here. (They would go back and forth between Dayton and Kitty Hawk.)  

One piece of real history in the Visitor Center is a small piece of the original plane's wing, which Neil Armstrong took to the Moon and back.  A perfect circle of history!

(Google image)

 

 

GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

THIS POST IS LINKED TO SKYWATCH FRIDAY and YARD ART THURSDAY

 

(This sign was "yard art" back in Sea Level NC.)

We did have a few problems with mosquitos while we were in North Carolina, so when we left there Monday we did what any sane and normal travelers would do and headed off to the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.

 

Which was nowhere near as dismal as it sounds  -- and the only mosquito bites we have after visiting it are the ones left over from North Carolina.

In fact, to us it looked more like the (not-so) Dismal Woods than a Swamp.

 
Wildlife that live in the Swamp include birds, bears and, according to some BIGFOOT!  So perhaps it's not surprising that it is woodsy.  The only creatures we saw were flying ones!  Birds and lots of butterflies -- no mosquitos, no pterodactyls! 

 

BIG SURFER IN A SMALL POND?

 FOLLOW THE LINKS AT WATERY WEDNESDAY -- get virtually wet! 

This little boy was having a great time boarding in a puddle.  While totally ignoring the slightly larger pond a few yards to the East. Sometimes it's just easier to deal with the familiar!

There had been a humongous rainstorm the night before and there were big puddles on the beach and on the roadside for several days.     Here's another way to play on the water:  Kite Boarding.

 

This is a view of Pamlico Sound.  Our RV Park was located on both sides of Hwy 12, with views of the ocean on one side and the Sound on the other. 

 

CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE

Bits of red in both pictures so this post is linked to RUBY TUESDAY  over at Work of the Poet.   (Click the links)

We left the Outer Banks this morning (Monday) and are are now in Virginia.  We'll share some more of this beautiful area though -- it's too lovely to leave just yet!

We visited Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, located between Rodathe, where wen were staying and Oracoke, where we got off the ferry to the Outer Banks.  At nearly 199 feet, this is the tallest lighthouse in the Country. It was built in 1870 to help ships navigate the shoals off Cape Hatteras, one of the most dangerous sites on the Atlantic Coast.  The shoals are a complex of underwater sand bars that constantly move and shift.  Hundreds of shipwrecks in this area have given it the reputation of the "graveyard of the Atlantic."

   

Due to ongoing beach erosion  the Lighthouse was moved -- in its entirety and in one piece -- to a safer location in 1999.  The move of 2,900 feet was a major feat of engineering.  Spectators crowded the beach as the move took place over many weeks.  It must have been wonderful to see! 

You can climb to the top of the Lighthouse.   It's a strenuous climb, equal to a 12-story building, with no air-conditioning.  (We passed.)  You can also visit the beach where it originally stood -- the site is marked. (We did do that.)

The rescue squads that worked in the dangerous environment of the Outer Banks eventually led to the formation of the United States Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard is still a very important presence here (as it is wherever there is water and shipping).  Here is the Coast Guard Station at the Oregon Inlet, on the other end of Hatteras Island.  They do good work!  Our oldest son is a Coast Guard Veteran.

THE OREGON CONNECTION - NORTH CAROLINA'S OUTER BANKS

We continue our visit to North Carolina's Outer Banks.   THIS POST IS LINKED TO MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY -- the yellow ducky picture is the second picture in the post.

 

As former long-time Oregonians, we wondered about the name of this Inlet.  We passed it as we were sightseeing driving North along Highway 12 (the road along the Outer Banks). 

The bridge goes to Bodie Island -- the next one from where we're staying.  

We have picked up about 87 pounds of literature as we visited the different points of interest here, but found nothing about where the name came from. 

 So we headed to the encyclopedia we carry with us (the Internet) and here is what our friend Wiki says about why it is named that:

" 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 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."

In an Oregon frame of mind, we just had to drive up North a few more miles to visit the little village called Duck ---

---  Because for all those years in Oregon, we lived near Eugene, home of the Oregon Ducks, mascot for the University of Oregon.

North Carolina's Duck is a touristy village -- but touristy in a nice way.  (Local shops, at least some local merchandise, fun stuff to look at.  Not too crowded.  And with lovely water views.)

We shopped around a little bit before driving back to our temporary home in Rodanthe.    

It was fun to visit these reminders of our home State. 

We are doing quite a bit of driving to see everything we want to see here on the Outer Banks. So we're glad we're driving the B Van which is more economical!  

The scenery is beautiful and that makes the driving easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHADOWS ON THE BEACH, RODANTHE

   Linked to SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY over at Hey Harriet ---    and --   WEEKEND REFLECTIONS  on James' website.  Thanks to both for hosting.  AND EVERYDAY LIFE whose theme this week is Reflections. 

Some fellow beach-combers at beautiful Rodanthe Beach.  We are doing some sight-seeing and some hanging out doing nothing.  This is a perfect place for both -- or either.

EARTH, SEA AND SKY

THIS POST IS LINKED TO  SKYWATCH FRIDAY -- go take a look at all the lovely links.   And for Gemma's WEEKEND NATURE

The beach near where we're staying at Rodanthe, North Carolina -- on Hatteras Island.  That's oatgrass in the foreground.

FERRY TO THE OUTER BANKS

THIS POST IS LINKED TO WATERY WEDNESDAY  which is celebrating its 100th anniversary!  Go there to see what it's like to get wet in every corner of the world! 

We boarded the Ferry at Cedar Island landing, just a few miles from where we stayed at Sea Level.  It was pouring rain when we got there for our 12:30 crossing and continued as we drove onboard.  This Ferry reminded us of the old Seattle-Island ferries that we'd ridden on a few times when we lived in the Pacific Northwest.  The rain sort of added to that nostaligia.

This was a two and three-quarter hour ride.  There were inside seats upstairs, but no restaurant or lounge --  only a few vending machines.  The windows were too high above the chairs to see much and there wasn't much to see anyway.  We had forgotten to bring water or books from the van, so we went back down (you were free to wander up and down at will) and then decided that we might as well stay in the van.  We napped and read for about an hour and a half. 

Then we realized (with joy) that the weather had definitely improved, so we wandered up to the top deck where we stood outside and watched as we approached land.  This was Ocracoke Island and the Village of Ocracoke.  

We had some lovely views as the ferry neared land and then pulled into the Landing.    

Ocracoke Island is 16 miles long and all of it, except the village, is a part of the Cape Hatteras National Seaside Park.

When we disembarked, we drove right through the charming little village, seeing the same views from land that we had seen from the Ferry. 

After passing through the village we drove the rest of the sixteen mile island, along high dunes -- we could very seldom see the water, but there were pullouts for people wanting to use the beaches.  At the end of this Island, we drove on to  another small, free ferry and that brought us to Hatteras island.  There is a whole string of little villages along this Island and we are staying in the last one, Rodanthe. 

It's beautiful here and we plan to stay through the weekend.

CRYSTAL COAST, NORTH CAROLINA

THIS POST IS LINKED TO THAT'S MY WORLD.  Go there to see beautiful pictures from beautiful places. 

(definitely NOT Myrtle Beach)

The first place we stayed after we left Charleston (and family) was Myrtle Beach.  We hated Myrtle Beach.  To be honest, I was pretty much going to be in a bad mood about wherever we stayed because (see previous post).  But we'd have hated Myrtle Beach anyway -- definitely not our scene.  Too crowded, too tawdry, too busy, too noisy, too many baby-poo-yellow souvenir/junk shops.  Too many miniature golf courses.  Yikes!  We've had people ask us if we've been there because they'd enjoyed it -- and so we wanted to check it out.  Now we know.  We stayed at the State Park, which wasn't terrible, but the town itself had so little to offer that I never even took out the camera. 

Myrtle Beach is almost on the State Line, and when we left we drove to a little fishing village called Sea Level on North Carolina's Crystal Coast.  It's kind of rundown and kind of isolated and kind of quiet -- and we loved it!   Everybody else can have Myrtle Beach -- we'll take the Crystal Coast anytime. 

 

 

Once again, I realize how much I love traveling and how happy I  am to be on the road again. 

  

Sunday night we drove a few miles back the way we came to the slightly larger town of Beaufort. 

 We had dinner at a nice restaurant overlooking the water, with the Outer Banks in the distance.   

There is just something special about outdoor dining.

The best part was looking out at the islands knowing that we'd be taking the ferry out to them the next day. 

  

BACK IN THE MOUNTAINS AGAIN

 

Back at Charleston's Magnolia Plantation, we learned that the family moved every summer to their second mansion in North Carolina.   They made this annual journey to escape mosquitoes and heat.  We didn't have either one of those while we were in Charleston (and besides, we have AC now). 

But it was time to head on down the road and so when we left our park at Charleston we too headed North. We pulled our summer mansion behind us though!

 

 

We stayed overnight at JayMar Travel Park in Hendersonville, near Asheville.   It had just opened for the season.  Most of the people here spend their winters in Florida and, just like the plantation family, they stay here to escape the summer heat. 

It was a treat to see the Smokies on the horizon.  I always forget how much I miss mountains.  (In the West, we'd call these hills, but after spending the Winter in low country, they qualify as Mountains!) 

When we went for an evening walk around the park, our legs noticed immediately that we'd been in flat country for a few months.  Ouch -- unused muscles.

(We stayed in the beautiful Asheville area during Thanksgiving week on a previous trip.  Here is a link:  2004 road trip)

A TRIP SOUTH -- Fall, 2004

We took a long journey to new territory in the Fall of 2004.   After summer visits with our family in the Northwest and Colorado, and some time in South Dakota (now our home state) we drove through parts of the middle of the United States – Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. 

Then we spent quite a while in Louisville, Kentucky.  (We actually stayed in a KOA across the Ohio River in Clarksville Indiana – it’s just a drive across the bridge).  I'm standing on the high school campus where my mom's family home used to be.

My mother was born and raised in Louisville and her family had lived there for generations, but she came out to the Northwest before she met and married my dad.    Mom took us to visit when I was three or four (when my dad was overseas in the service) but I hadn't been since.   There were lots of Kentucky stories when I was growing up though.  So Louisville had a kind of mythical status in our family.    It was enjoyable and kind of sad all at the same time to see places we’d only ever heard about. 

Generations ago, the property where the Louisville Zoo is now belonged to some of my ancestors.  This memorial is there.  It's not everybody who has family buried at a zoo.

We also stayed for a while at Bardstown.  Kentucky, of course, is famous for its bourbon and I think it’s illegal to go to the state without sampling.  It was really quite interesting to learn the process of how it is made.  It’s the water from Kentucky’s creeks running over the limestone rock that makes it so good! These are barrels of whiskey aging at Maker's Mark Distillery.  The open vat is whiskey mash before it goes into the barrels.  I guess no germs can survive in the alcohol.

We toured Mammoth Caves National Park.  Caves are very difficult places to take pictures.

Then we spent a while in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina.  We saw the tourist stuff at Pigeon Forge (Dollywood!) and the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville (the grandest home we’d ever seen at that point, before we went to England). 

We drove and hiked in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain National Park. 

When we started on this leg of the journey, we didn’t have advance reservations anywhere and we had no concrete plans except to see the Louisville area.     Everything else we did was just a matter of enjoying whatever we happened upon.  But it was already getting cold in Louisville in October and we got a sprinkling of snow in Asheville, so we needed to move South before Winter really set in.    

Bill did some research on winter weather and RV parks and we decided to head to the Gulf Coast.  Tired of being on the road, we settled down for the winter at an RV Park called Plantation Harbor.  It's in the village of Elberta – between Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida.    We really lucked out by landing there, because  we met some wonderful people and had some great times.     The Park is on Wolf Creek, which drains into the Gulf.  Our good neighbor in the park had a boat and often invited Bill to hitch a ride; fishing was great. We did a lot of exploring in the area too, since everything about the South was new to us. These two pictures are on the walking area by the Creek in back of the RV resort.

The Lower Alabama area is very friendly to its winter visitors.  Scenery is beautiful and there is a lot of good local food.  We almost lived on shrimp and other seafood and learned to like grits and collards (sort-of).  There was a good artisanal cheese-maker right outside of our little town and a nice farmer’s market.    (We bought just-picked farm strawberries  -- in February.)   Restaurant food was good and inexpensive.    Local groups had dinners and other events that welcomed the winter visitors.  We even joined the Friends of the Library in Foley (the neighboring town) and Bill took a photo software class at Faulkner State University In Foley.

We really enjoyed this whole trip and we had a great time on the Third Coast, which is what the locals call this area of the Gulf.  Traveling clear across the country from Northwest to Southeast was a great learning experience.