OK, so I started this post last week and due to some crazy, hectic days around here I am just now getting the time, actually just making the time, to get this one done and posted!
Day 3 of our vacation just so happened to also be the 4th of July. I was excited to be on the coast for the 4th this year because there is just nothing like a fire works show on the water.
We started out the day with a trip to Harkers Island - my hometown. Even though my mom does not live far from there at all now, it had probably been close to two years since I had visited. Not too much has changed really. It was weird to go by the house where I grew up. I don't think the current owners or renters have really made any changes at all to the outside of the house at least but for some reason it just looked...different. Maybe smaller than I remember it being? I'm not sure. I guess it is just somewhat surreal to see the house where I spent 18+ years and know someone else is living there now.
This was the girls' first trip to the Island except for a trip or two for Gabrielle when she was a baby. In addition to pointing out the house I showed them my elementary school where I went to kindergarten through 8th grade and all with the same 22 people! Ha!
The main purpose of our trip to the Island was to visit the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum. This is where Ed and I had our wedding reception but since then the other half of the museum has been completed. I was able to show the girls a little bit of family history. They may be a bit too young to understand or even care a lot about it now but hopefully we can make this an annual or at least every other year event and one day hopefully they'll "get it".
Day 3 of our vacation just so happened to also be the 4th of July. I was excited to be on the coast for the 4th this year because there is just nothing like a fire works show on the water.
We started out the day with a trip to Harkers Island - my hometown. Even though my mom does not live far from there at all now, it had probably been close to two years since I had visited. Not too much has changed really. It was weird to go by the house where I grew up. I don't think the current owners or renters have really made any changes at all to the outside of the house at least but for some reason it just looked...different. Maybe smaller than I remember it being? I'm not sure. I guess it is just somewhat surreal to see the house where I spent 18+ years and know someone else is living there now.
This was the girls' first trip to the Island except for a trip or two for Gabrielle when she was a baby. In addition to pointing out the house I showed them my elementary school where I went to kindergarten through 8th grade and all with the same 22 people! Ha!
The main purpose of our trip to the Island was to visit the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum. This is where Ed and I had our wedding reception but since then the other half of the museum has been completed. I was able to show the girls a little bit of family history. They may be a bit too young to understand or even care a lot about it now but hopefully we can make this an annual or at least every other year event and one day hopefully they'll "get it".
This is Gabrielle in front of my Poppy's old band saw. This sat in our backyard right beside the clothes line when I grew up. When Mama moved she called to have it donated to the museum knowing they would clean it up and take care of it.
Samantha was being anti-photo this day and this is the best shot I could get of her with Gabrielle and the band saw.
I wish I knew more myself of my family and hometown history (I'll have to make a point to buy a book my next visit to the museum) but what I do know is this. My great-grandfather, Stacy Guthrie, was a resident of Diamond City, NC, now known as Shackleford Banks. He was one of the residents that floated their homes over to Harkers Island after a hurricane in 1899. He was a whaler and boat builder. In the museum are several photos and stories about him and a couple of other family members.
My Poppy, Stacy Guthrie.
"Hey, Samantha, you want Mommy to take a picture of you with the ducks?" (She actually had been fairly excited about the decoys in the museum.) The photo above is her reaction to my request. She looks excited, right? And it was mid-morning, not nap time or meal time!!
Gabrielle was definitely more compliant - at least with most of my photo requests.
Almost a cute photo of Samantha and Meemaw in the rocking chairs.
At the top of the museum was a wrap around balcony. The view was great - the stairs getting there, not so great!! We took the elevator down. :)
You can see Cape Lookout Lighthouse in the distance.
Of course, Gabrielle would decide she did not want to have her photo taken when the request involved a family shot with me! And we're facing the sun so our eyes are all squinty. Oh well.
After the museum we went across the road to Shell Point to have a picnic lunch. To say it was windy is an understatement!
Gabrielle really enjoyed feeding the sea gulls some of our goldfish after lunch. Though she got a little freaked out a couple of times at just how close they would get to her for the food!!
After lunch we went back across the road to the National Park Service office. None of us had been in there before and we weren't sure what we would find. We were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't huge but there were some photos and displays of various parts of Cape Lookout and the banks. And there was a magnetic wall where the girls matched up the plant and animal life magnets to where they thought they lived on the Outerbanks. There was also a small table of sand, shells, bones and other interesting things that the girls could actually pick up and touch.
We spent the afternoon resting up since it would be a late night for the girls with fireworks. We were hoping to grill out with my brother Benji and his girlfriend Mimi for dinner and then walk from their house to the waterfront to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately Mimi was in a terrible accident that afternoon so of course dinner plans were canceled. Fortunately, God had certainly sent an angel to Mimi that day. She is bruised and battered and sore and will probably be dealing with some pain and issues for a while but it was a head on car accident and could have certainly had very different, very tragic results. So thank you God for Your protection over Mimi that day!!
While dinner plans didn't work out, we still went to Benji and Mimi's house, checked in on them both then walked down to the waterfront for the show. The girls loved the fireworks and I thought it was a pretty good show.
After lunch we went back across the road to the National Park Service office. None of us had been in there before and we weren't sure what we would find. We were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't huge but there were some photos and displays of various parts of Cape Lookout and the banks. And there was a magnetic wall where the girls matched up the plant and animal life magnets to where they thought they lived on the Outerbanks. There was also a small table of sand, shells, bones and other interesting things that the girls could actually pick up and touch.
We spent the afternoon resting up since it would be a late night for the girls with fireworks. We were hoping to grill out with my brother Benji and his girlfriend Mimi for dinner and then walk from their house to the waterfront to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately Mimi was in a terrible accident that afternoon so of course dinner plans were canceled. Fortunately, God had certainly sent an angel to Mimi that day. She is bruised and battered and sore and will probably be dealing with some pain and issues for a while but it was a head on car accident and could have certainly had very different, very tragic results. So thank you God for Your protection over Mimi that day!!
While dinner plans didn't work out, we still went to Benji and Mimi's house, checked in on them both then walked down to the waterfront for the show. The girls loved the fireworks and I thought it was a pretty good show.
They were beyond worn out from such a crazy busy day. The fell asleep on the way back to Mama's and since we were on vacation at the beach I figured it was ok to go to bed a little dirty for one night.
:)
:)
No comments:
Post a Comment