July 31, 2014 Civil War overload...

Thursday July 31, 2014  

 There are some big rodents here.  My humans are keeping me tied up.  Look at them on this tree.  I must climb... darn!  My humans should set me free so I can guard them!  I love the action here.  Why can't I be free?

 We got a decent night's sleep.  It isn't cold, nor is hit hot.  My walk took me around some of the beautiful farms and properties.  It really is very pretty here.  It is hard to imagine that it is so stained with blood.  Rudy wants the squirrels... baaadddd!

 Our mission today was to tour some of the battlefield exhibits.  There was a speaker at spot #2 at 10am.  It would be really nice if ALL of the streets had signs on them where you can see them whether you are travelling east or west, or north and south.   Spouse insisted on going to the national cemetery, but I told him it was the wrong way.  As we labor to find our position, Spouse finally comments that we should have gone this way all along... Duh...  Thus we were a bit late but we still were able to join in.  Several rangers offer talks about the strategy, the difficulties, or whatever their topic may be.

 

 After a couple of rounds, we stopped for lunch and a grocery store break.  Hunter and I stayed behind while Spouse and Parker went for more.  Youths...  Parker doesn't understand why Hunter isn't more interested and Hunter can't understand why Parker is so obsessed!  I sure hope that one day, they will embrace their differences, but that comes only with experience.

 The boys love their Uncle Rudy.  They are constantly handling him, and he lets them.  I would not say Rudy is happy about it but he sure is tolerant of them.  He has even let a purr or two slip out.

 The boys learned that the fresh lunchmeat we just bought is really good for catching crawdads in the creek...

 

Now, I need to know if this is a guy thing...  My spouse comes in, turns on the TV, then goes outside to read.  Is it just something a guy needs to do?  Turn on a TV whether they are anywhere around it or not?  Is it some type of internal rush they get when they see that the TV responds to their commands on the remote control?  Does it get worse with age?  Help me here...

July 30, 2014 Are we there yet?

Wednesday July 30, 2014

I heard my maternal human talking about my window.  Tonite, I will prove that I can snuggle close to  my human without looking out the window.  I know I can do it.  Purrrrzzzz

Didn't get to sleep till almost 1 am last night.  Rudy came and snuggled which I loved.  But at the same time, he was so snuggly and he was gaining weight as he slept and I could not disturb him so I was frozen in place.  It was actually chilly and I moved a light blanket over us.  Rudy even relocated under the covers so I could be frozen in place with him closer to me.  Oh well, at least Spouse wasn't snoring much!

With it being getaway day, we wanted to get on the road so we got the boys up about 7:30.  This was not an easy feat!  Too bad, so sad.  By the time everyone was showered and Hannah was ready, it was almost 9:30.  And Spouse wanted to stop at a Cracker Barrel.  Ugh...  My diet has sucked.  I can list a few of the things that I really don't want:  anything fried, potatoes, pasta, bread.  Oh wait, those are all carbs... I have even had to eat some meat, which I really am not fond of but when options are limited, you gotta go with them.  And apple fritters... I don't care if they are fresh and warm.  I am DONE with them!  But tonite?  Nice fish and a salad.  My arteries will get a break.

 We set the GPS for the campground in Gettysburg.  From College Park (in DC) we head west on 495, then north on I270.  Then Samaaaantha, the GPS witch,  wants us to go up I70 to wherever then back over for about 85 miles.  What?  If we go north on state route 15, it's only about 40 miles.  So risking the wrath of Samaaaaantha, we went my way.  I was soooo right.  Once we got close, we let her bring us to the campground, but my paper map proved to be the better way.  At least Samaaaantha didn't lose her cookies like she did last night.

 The Gettysburg area is quite beautiful.  The rolling hills are used for agriculture.  Corn stalks way taller than me are ready for harvesting.  The battle fields have been preserved since the minute the battles ended.  The battles occurred on July 1-3, 1863, and the Confederacy came very close to winning.    But the Union ultimately prevailed.  Roughly 11,000 dead, 4 times that wounded.

We are at the Gettysburg Campground.  As it turns out, this was the same place we stayed when we took our boat trip in 2007.  It is a beautiful woodsy campground with a creek running alongside.  For us, we are in an end site right near the creek.  Each site has a fire pit, so it is a good hybrid of RV'ing and camping.  On the way up, Parker kept asking about the battle at Gettysburg and this, and that.  We told him he would get those answers when we got there.  And he kept asking...  I guess it is his version of 'Are we there yet?'

Spouse gave me a break by taking the boys to the battlefield while I hung with Hannah and Rudy.  It is a welcome respite, I must admit.  Since I have already 'been here and done that', I have no urge to do it again.  We are doing it for the boys since we think they will like it.  I think it is more of a guy thing anyway.  They are into war, weapons and all that kind of stuff.  I will go along tomorrow.

 For tonite?  A nice dinner and a fire in the fire pit.  Fire flies danced around us, the first the boys had ever seen. 

Oh these funny RV Parks...

Rudy enjoying his window while cheating on his maternal human

July 29, 2014 Angels/Baltimore: The Re-do

Tuesday July 29, 2014    

 

I like to look outside the bedroom window.  I crawl up and snuggle with my maternal human while I look out the window because it is good PR, but I confess, the window is my attraction.  Lots of birdies there.

 

So glad you can tune in for the current episode of 'As the Spouse Snores'.

 

The morning is quite cool and a little breezy.  This morning is to be a lazy event since we will not leave for the ballgame till about 3.  I lay in bed because Rudy is snuggling as he looks out the window.   I finally move him so I can get up.

 

After my walk and a shower, I figured it would be a good time for laundry.  At 10, I rouse the boys, who would probably sleep another 6 hours if we let them.  I get their laundry and Parker and I head to the clubhouse laundry room.  I could not believe that Parker stayed the whole time and actually helped!  What kind of 16 year old male does that?

 

 Spouse, the enterprising soul that he is, sells his metro pass for $5.  It still had $5.65 on it but even he has his limits of how cheap he can be.  Hard to imagine, huh?

 

We clean and get things in order since it will be a late night.  We then head off to Camden Yards.  Spouse had saved the location of the parking lot at Camden, but the GPS could not find it.  I hate that thing at times.  He found the ballpark on the GPS so we used that to get us there.  We were expecting lots of traffic, but we didn't get it.  Consequently, we arrived about an hour before the gates opened.  We killed time talking to other fans.

 

Camden Yards is a beautiful ballpark right near the Baltimore inner harbor, and right next to the Baltimore Ravens football stadium.  They share parking lots.  Seeing the Angels in Baltimore is a true treat.  The food?  Well, let's just say that as a vegetable whore, the food was extremely limited.  Compared to other parks I have attended, Camden Yards had the least variety of food, and what they had was...  pretty much fried.  The boys love it, Spouse loved it, I managed through it.

 

 

It was amazing to see how many people were wearing Mike Trout jerseys.  There were far more fans lined up on the Angels side of the field trying to get autographs than there were on the Baltimore side.  Make no mistake, the Baltimore fans are rabid, but the appreciation of Mike Trout's talent was evident.  I asked a group of 'Trouters' if they were Angel fans or just fans of Trout.  They said Trout, since he grew up next to them.  'He's a good boy'. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the boys were unable to get autographs but I got a great picture of the fish himself! 

 

Our seats were great, between home plate and third base on the Angels' side.  So many of my friends liken baseball to watching grass dry, but I have been a fan ever since I was a kid.  It has been a while since I have been to a game and it was exciting to be back 'home'.  The lead changed hands several times and the game went into extra innings.  Ultimately, the Orioles won on a walk off home run by Manny Machado in the 12th inning. 

 

On that note, we left the park, walked to our car (which was about a quarter mile away), and got out onto the street with incredible ease and hopped back on to I95.

 

The GPS was set for home and it has done well getting us back home, but we noticed it was stuck on 21 miles to go for a while.  Spouse messed with it and it recalculated to 8 miles.  Good thing we knew our way from this point as the GPS witch (her real name is Samantha, and that is a witch from the old TV series Bewitched.  Our GPS witch is just a little schizophrenic), anyhow, the witch wigged out!  At one point she said 'minus thirty forty six feet to go'.  Huh?  It is close to midnight, maybe she is turning into a pumpkin?  Is she tired?  Has she been drugging?  What will tomorrow hold for the schizo queen?  Tune in and find out...

 

Best news of the day... It was announced that Vin Scully would return for another season with the Dodgers. YES!

The boys enjoying their morning

July 28, 2014 Ooops!

Monday July 28, 2014    

 Not sure of these two newcomers.  I will check them out in the dark of the night.

 Last night, both boys were down for the count by 8:30.  I thought I might get some reading done, but I was only an hour behind the boys.  We have been doing a lot of walking in DC.  Spouse is doing better with his walking.  Now, if he could only hear.

Then, my biggest fear of having the boys here was realized.  Spouse was snoring and I had no place to go.  I hope my pillow does not become a weapon...

Today, the plan is to head up to Baltimore and explore the waterfront, then go to the ballgame, Angels vs. Baltimore.  We mobilize the forces and head to Camden Yards to buy tix.  I walk up to the window and start the process.  What do you mean they are not playing tonite!  I checked the MLB website 3, 4 or 5 times to verify the dates when we made these plans months ago.  Oh, didn't you check the teams' websites?  They are playing tomorrow...  Oy, alas we are staying one extra day here!  We bought tix for tomorrow's game.  We checked out the ballpark and it is absolutely beautiful.  I have been to quite a few parks, but I think this has to rate as the most beautiful.  I will reassess once we get to our seats.

Next, on to the waterfront.  We are very close, but our mission is to find the aquarium where I am to meet up with my friend Nancy.  Surely, the GPS witch will help us... NOT!  We did the old fashioned thing... we asked someone!  Then the real challenge game... getting into the itty bitty parking structure with our biggy wiggy truck.  We had to wind our way up the first level.  The structure is narrow, narrow, NARROW.  I think we all closed our eyes (including Spouse).  Once we got through the winding, we had to search for a spot in the very low lot for 6 levels.  Our antenna only hit once so I am sure we had a couple of inches.

 We ultimately parked ($24 for 3 hours... ouch!).  The waterfront is a happening scene with dozens of restaurants, the aquarium, and various boating possibilities.  Boats are available for boarding (for a fee of course).  But these are specialty boats: a Coast Guard boat, a submarine and even a Civil War sailing ship.  Rent a paddle boat, cruise in a water taxi, or just walk the area and enjoy the view.

 

When Nancy arrived, Hunter went off to explore.  The rest of us went to eat.  I needed something with crabs in it.  We ate, we visited.  Nancy and I worked together a lifetime ago.  I actually hired her when I worked at Blue Cross.  This was about 30 years ago.  Now her kids are grown with kids of their own.  It was great to catch up.  And I must announce...  I officially did my first two phone texts today.  Spouse had an apoplectic attack. 

 

 

 

 I wanted to visit longer but Spouse was stressing about hitting rush hour traffic so we said our goodbyes and moved on.   Kind of...  Spouse can't find his credit card.  He is looking here, then there.  He is scrutinizing everything in his wallet.  He retraces his steps to the restaurant...  rush hour traffic is growing...  the restaurant does not have it... he looks.  Aha!  It is in his wallet!  Can you imagine what is in that wallet?  Ok, so we hit some rush hour traffic.  It's not like we had a date or anything.

July 27, 2014 History Lessons

Sunday July 27, 2014

I will snuggle close to my maternal human, where I know I am safe.  Purrrrrr....

 I learned something this morning.  If we need an hour to get ready to leave, allow an hour and a half...

Some of you have asked about Parker and Hunter.  Parker is 16 (he will be 17 in a few weeks).  He is about 6 feet tall, buff and knock dead gorgeous.  I don't think he realizes that yet, but he will.  Spouse and I notice girls checking him out.   Hunter is 12 and cute beyond words.  He has an impish personality.  They are both good kids, BUT... they are still kids...  Don't forget your phone... use your napkin, not the chair...

We wanted to go to the Fords Theater this morning.  Here is where John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln.  Since this is another museum with a timed entry, we needed to be there somewhat on the early side to get tix.  We missed the first show, but got the second.  In addition to the actual theater,  they have the museum here with the actual gun that made the fatal shot, the pillow on which Lincoln's head rested and all sorts of paraphernalia related to Lincoln.  In the theater, the ranger explains the events and specific locations and details.  What most people do not know is that John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor.  The ranger likened him to George Clooney or Channing Tatum and that is why he was allowed in the theater without question.  After the shooting, Lincoln was taken across the street to the Peterson boarding house to die in peace.  In those days, there were not trauma centers nor was there rapid police response, so he was carried across the street by 6 men, where he died 9 hours later.   Lincoln's son also saw the assassination of Garfield and McKinley.  Wasn't he the lucky one...

 

 

 

The Peterson house has more exhibits.  Both the theater and the Peterson house were arctic!  I appreciated getting back on to the street where it was more mild.

  

Next on the list was the National Archives.  Here, any federal document that was ever written lives.  THE Declaration of Independence is on prominent display along with THE Bill of Rights.  As I approached our Declaration of Independence there were several muslims (the women wore burkhas and veils).  Given that a jihadist war has been declared in the name of muslims, it made me wonder what they were thinking about the founding of our country.  I know not every muslim is a terrorist, don't get me wrong.  But it is kind of a testament to our society to accept these muslims to see our most precious document even though so many of them hate us.

 

As with any museum in DC, you can spend years going through the inventory.  So when you come here, you have to know just what you can logistically see.  After seeing the Louisiana Purchase agreement, it was time to go to the Museum of American History.  You have to walk past the museum of Natural History to get where we are going...  Spouse says 'Let's go in there just for a few minutes'. 

 

Huh?  You just DON'T go into a building here for a few minutes (well maybe the IRS building...).  Just not possible!  The Museum of American History has a lot of fun stuff.  The first vacuum cleaner, steam engine, etc.  And of course... Judy Garland's ruby slippers and Archie Bunker's chair.  'Who is Archie Bunker?' asks Parker.  Young whippersnapper...  Tired and burnt out... we head back.

 

It will be amazing if Rudy doesn't dart out the door when one of the kids goes in and out...

July 26, 2014 Rudy goes to school

Saturday July 26, 2014

 Who are those strangers?  I checked them out while they slept.  I must keep my eyes on them...

 We slept past 7am this morning, actually till almost 8.  We got the kids up and Spouse made a good breakfast to fortify us for the day.  He also made sandwiches.  By the time we got on the road, it was almost 10am.

 We explained how to use the metro and started out at the White House.  It is kind of hard to believe that this is one of the most powerful places on the planet.  It really does not evoke much emotion in me.  The Wright Brothers museum gave me goosebumps.  The White House?  Ok, let's get a picture and move on.  We then set out to walk the national mall.  We pass the WWII memorial, then to the Viet Nam Memorial.  It is warm, it is crowded.  I am worried about Spouse and his bum legs but he seems to be hobbling ok.  We head to the Lincoln Memorial.

 

 

 From here is one of my favorite views of the DC area.  You see the reflecting pond, then the Washington Memorial, and behind that is the Capitol.  It really is quite breathtaking. 

 

 

At this point, we are kind of done with memorials, so we decide to hoof it to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  Did I tell you that there are missing or hidden street signs?  With the map in my hand, it is still hard to navigate.  I am so frustrated I want to kick a politician!  I finally find our way to the entrance to the museum... and to the line waiting to go through security.  As we get close, we can feel the air conditioning!  YES!

 

The Air and Space Museum is overwhelming.  There is so much there from Lindberg's Spirit of St. Louis, to space capsules.  There is a Wright Brothers room, which once again, gave me goosebumps.  I had no idea I was so enamored with the Wright Bros!  We are tired, overwhelmed, burnt out... time to head home.

Spouse made a lovely dinner and we had Rudy on a leash outside.  Hunter said he was going to the pool area, which is about a block away from our trailer.  It was time to bring Rudy inside and Parker tells me that Hunter took Rudy with him to the pool.

 What??!!!  Spouse went to check and sure enough, Rudy was gone.  I asked him, are you ok with this?  Spouse did not seem too alarmed.  I panicked.  I raced down to the pool - it is quite a distance - and no Hunter.  I came back.  No Hunter.  Spouse was unloading the bike to go look.  I walked and started yelling for Hunter and he answered me.  He was in the next aisle over at the end with Rudy.  Rudy was laying in the grass.  Apparently, Hunter tried to pick him up to bring him back and he was hissing.  I walked over and picked him up and he was a limp kitty, thankful to be in his maternal human's arms.  I was actually surprised that he was so calm that far from Hannah.  Both boys love cats and they want Rudy to like them.  But, it takes time for cats to bond and they need to give Rudy his space.  It will happen as he is the type of cat that likes people.  Once we start riding in the truck again, I am sure Rudy will be in the back seat with them.

For now, I am thankful that he didn't panic and run off, even if he was on the leash.  And, I am also thankful that I did not have to kill a grandkid on the first day of their visit.

 Will Rudy ever be the same?

July 25, 2014 Holocaust and airport all in one day

Friday July 25, 2014

 Go ahead and clock me.  I can still run from one end to the other in no time fast!  My name should be ZOOM!

Rudy is full of piss and vinegar this morning.  He is tearing all over the place.

 We were looking to get an early start today.  Having been to DC a couple of times, I have been to all the monuments, the white house, congress, etc.  But I hadn't been to the Holocaust museum.  But, if you do not have advance tickets, you must get there a little early, since the entries are all timed.

My mom's cousin (Lenore -Lyn- Meyerhoff) was very instrumental in getting the funding for the museum.  There is an auditorium named for the Meyerhoffs.  Lyn was pretty amazing.   She was a UN delegate at one point, and was on a first name basis with Golda Meir and Netanyahu.  I read a touching article about her by her daughter, Lee Hendler I believe her name is.  Quite an amazing woman.

Back to our day...  The first step is to navigate the metro parking lot.  Nailed that pretty easy, then getting the Smartcard and loading money.  That was a little challenging but we finally figured that out.  Then getting from point A to point B.  For Spouse's sake, I am glad I was with him...  I think he gets it now though.

 Exiting at the Smithsonian station, we walked a couple of blocks to the museum.  Spouse seems to be walking better finally, so it looks like he has turned a corner.  We shall see...

The museum was extremely emotional, and extremely cold!  I was so glad I was not in shorts and that I had a long sleeve shirt!  We spent about 3 1/2 hours there and left only because we were starving.  We had seen most of it but we could have kept on.  Instead, we ate, then made our way back.  The grandkids come in tonite so we wanted to rest up before they got here...

Now, about that trip to the airport... GPS ultimately got us there, but I think it was not the most direct route.  And the sun was in our eyes, the street signs are not always visible and....  but we got the grandkids.  Then we decided to take them on a scenic tour of DC... Did I mention that the street signs, if they ARE there, are not always visible?  And it was CROWDED?  And the traffic was unbearable? 

 Although the idea seemed good, it was a failed idea.  Now we are stuck in this gridlock, heading with the GPS bitch back home.  Had to throw some food at the kids, and we did not get back till about 11:30.  It was after midnight by the time we got them situated.  I betcha we won't get an early start tomorrow...

July 24, 2014 Nothin' don'

Thursday July 24, 2014

 My maternal human just went outside.  Let me see if I can open the door.  if I put my paw right here... yes!  I am free!  My paternal human is following me!  Oooh, this bush smells good.  What?  What's that sound?  Freeze....  meoooow!  My paternal human got me!

 We woke to a cool morning.  It rained some last night.  Today, we have nothing of significance on our agenda.  After my walk, we began cleaning and getting ready for the grandkids.  They are coming in tomorrow at 9:00 pm.  So we dedicated today to cleaning, grocery shopping and stuff like that.   Spouse fixed our drain in the galley.  We are ready to go.  Now we have to untrain Rudy from opening the door...

I dropped my glasses and they were all bent.  I had to get new ones, but what strength?  The picture is me testing them out.

 

Tomorrow... follow us and see if we got lost on the metro; miss picking up a grandkid, or make the 6:00 news in some fashion!

July 23, 2014 Re-wrighting my wrong

Wednesday July 23, 2014

 When I am in the small moving house, I sleep a lot.  Sometimes between my humans, sometimes behind my humans.  Today I wanted to be on my humans.  It is exhausting sleeping all day.  When I get put back in the big house, I normally have to sleep more so I can recover.

 A pleasant breeze blew through Hannah all night long.  It reminded me of being on our boat.  It wasn't cold, but it wasn't hot either.  In the morning, it looked like it would rain, but it didn't.  On my walk, I checked out the Rodanthe pier.  They want $2 to sight see off the pier.  I didn't have any money with me but I wouldn't have paid for that anyway.  As a California girl, the last thing I need to do is pay to go out on a pier like I do regularly at home for free.  But I guess they must get some takers.

We readied Hannah, and then Spouse broke the news... The kitchen drain broke...  no water in that sink until we can get it fixed.  I hate when that happens.  We headed north on 12 to 158.  Since we would be passing the Wright Bros museum again, we figured we would do a quick stop for some pictures.  I couldn't believe how excited I was to be back in front of the replica of the plane.  Without totally hiking the property, I got a few pix and we moved on. 

 

 

  
 

 

Continuing north on 158, it cuts back over to the mainland.  From the beaches, we pass into agriculture and small homes on large sites.  I fight regularly with the GPS.  But, she is right sometimes.  I wanted to take 168 into Norfolk then cut over to 64.  The GPS witch wanted me to stay on 158 (which headed south) over to Hwy 17, then into Norfolk.  In my mind, why head south only to head north, so we stayed on 168.  But....  as we got close to Norfolk, we see that 168 turns into a tollroad.  Spouse has the GPS set up to avoid tollroads (no surprise there!) if possible, so this time, she was right.  But then she told us to get off 64 on some 35 mph side road.  I bitch slapped her and we found 64 again.    We got to 95 and headed north.  Once we got close to our destination, we let the GPS witch take us to the address, through Washington, DC rush hour traffic.

 Rudy wanted to sit on my lap, and of course, I let him.  It is amazing how he goes into such a deep sleep.  Then he gains weight... lots of weight... and my back starts hurting, then my hips.  But I don't dare disturb him as he is too cute and cuddly.

It is hot.  It is muggy.  Our space is tiny and we need our neighbors to move cars so we can maneuver into the space, and we struggle even with that, but Spouse gets Hannah in place and we set up.

Oh, did you know that if you empty a can of black beans in a big bowl, then use a small bowl to cover the beans, then microwave them, you create a seal that cannot be penetrated?

July 22, 2014 Wright this way

Tuesday July 22, 2014

 I must go outside.  I think that is sand and I must play in it.

 We woke to a beautiful morning.  There are clouds, but there are clearings too.  We put Rudy on a leash and let him outside.  He loved the smells, he wanted to play in the sand and in the reeds.  Sensory overload for our polydactl furball!

After my walk, we disconnected and headed up to Kill Devil Hill and Kitty Hawk to the Wright Museum.  This is where the Wright brothers made the historic first controlled flight in history.    Wait... where is the camera... I know I had it, it was next to my purse... crap.  I could take photos with my phone, but wait... Spouse disallowed texting so I can't even email the pix to myself...  I am a MORON!  Guess my words will have to suffice.

 In the museum, an exact replica of their craft dominates the exhibits.  The docent told the fascinating story of how they persevered, and the trials and tribulations they encountered.  They chose the Kitty Hawk area as it had low hills and sand (for soft landings).  Now the field is more level than it was a hundred plus years ago and it is pretty grassy.  In 1903, it was sand dunes with some grass.  On the day  history was made, they actually did 4 flights.  The first was only 112 feet... not enough to say it was a controlled flight.  They had to get to 300 feet.  After each flight, repairs were needed - they didn't have to have a controlled landing, only a controlled flight!  So repairs made, and flight 2 was 125 feet.  Repairs made and flight 3 was 200 feet.  Repairs made and flight 4 took off.  Wilbur finally was able to maneuver the craft and went 892 feet in 59 seconds!  He might still be flying if an updraft from the dune he was flying over hadn't thrown him off.  But, he crash landed into history.  Their fame actually came not from the plane itself, but from the control mechanism.

 They continued to refine their craft and in 1909, Wilbur actually flew it in France and by then, was able to do figure 8's and sit upright, even with a passenger.  Sadly, he died in 1912, but Orville lived until 1948,  He saw quite an aviation evolution. 

In the fields at the museum, they have the markers for their starting point, and a marker for each of their flights.  They also have a grand monument on the hill overlooking the grounds where the Wright boys practiced some gliding.  There is also a small piece of the original plane that Neil Armstrong took into space and back.  Pretty amazing how quickly we got from rudimentary lift off to outer space!

 For us, it was a thoroughly enjoyable visit... even if I didn't have a camera to share it with you!

After lunch, we went over to Roanoke Island.  There was an English settlement here in 1585 that disappeared without a trace.  Spouse thinks Indians killed them.  I think the dinosaurs got them.  Sad, but one of the colonists was Virginia Dare, the first child born in the new world from British parents.  Her nickname is Purina Dinosaur Chow...

 And believe it or not, our day continues.  After a stop by Hannah to pick up the camera (we put it in a pink camera back so it will not be mistaken for other equipment), we headed down Hwy 12 to Cape Hatteras.  Essentially, the Outer Banks is sand dunes and scrub.  Then it gets wide enough for tall houses on small lots and a few stores.  We stopped by a lighthouse and a museum.  We actually climbed a dune.  Spouse stopped there since he is in hobble mode.  I put my feet in the warm Atlantic water.  It is windy on this side of the dunes with white capped seas.  On the other side of the spit where the sound is, it is windy without the whitecaps.  Thus a gazillion kite boarders are enjoying themselves. 

 

 
 
 

When we got back to Hannah, we watched the kiteboarders with Rudy.   Busy day...

July 21, 2014 Rain rain go away

Monday July 21, 2014

 My humans left that far door open.   They moved all my stuff.  What about me?  What's going on?  WHERE ARE MY HUMANS?

I enjoyed early morning coffee with Butch, then we headed out for a walk.  There were raindrops, and thunder but  we finished our walk without getting wet to any degree.  Spouse and I gathered all our stuff, cleaned up, then loaded up Butch's car to take us back to Hannah.  Last to load  was Rudy.  He was very anxious with all the movement and all of his stuff gone.  So when I called him, he came running at full speed to his maternal human.  We loaded him in the car and drove back to Hannah.  This wasn't Rudy's truck and he didn't know what to make of it, but it was so short of a ride, he didn't get a chance to figure that out. 

 No sooner did we get stuff loaded into Hannah, the rain started.  Heavy rain...  We said our goodbyes to our wonderful, gracious hosts, Butch and Lynn and headed out into the rain; on to Hwy 1 north towards Raleigh.  And it rained... it poured... it stopped, it poured.  In Raleigh, we caught 64 east heading for the Outer Banks towards Kitty Hawk.  Then, we stopped for gas...  it was NOT the cheapest which put Spouse in a bad mood already.  But then, since we were at a truck stop, they tried to charge Spouse for someone else's pump.  Let's just say Spouse educated her... he was writhing in pain over paying .04 per gallon more than the other gas station... will he ever let it go...

The Outer Banks is a series of sand spits that separates the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean.   We found an RV park and made a reservation.  We figured it was summer, this was a vacation resort area, and we may get shut out if we just show up.  So we had our spot, we just had to get there... more rain... more green... more beautiful crape myrtles.  As we pushed east, we started seeing agriculture.  Corn, sweet potatoes and who knows what else but it was a welcome break from the green!   Continuing east, we cross the Alligator River, then the Croatan Sound to Roanoke Island, then made our final crossing over to the Outer Banks.  Any more east and we would be in the Atlantic Ocean!  Right on Hwy 12 to our campground.  Our site backs right up to Abemarle Sound where we watch people fishing and paddleboarding.  There is a mild breeze and it is quite comfortable.  Top it off with a vodka tonic and life is good!  Oh!  Look at that kid with a crab pot!  Hmmmm.... crabs....