Our Brains are Getting Saturated!!! #6

Seems like it's been ages since I have updated the blog. Not because I didn't want to, but because it's been that long since I've been able to get on line. Actually, most of you know that I couldn't live if I wasn't able to get my e-mail and check things out on the web. So, Nan talked to me about subscribing to a data package for my phone. I did and have been able to get e-mail, but it's a little difficult to write a blog on it. So, I am writing it off line, and will be able to transfer it to the site when I get to my cousins later today or tomorrow.
Where did I leave off? Oh, yeah, a visit with my dad. So, we left Palmetto, Fl and headed across the state to see Cape Canaveral. Well, we kind of got sidetracked and ended up at the Kennedy Space Center.
Nan and an astronaut
What a site! We thoroughly enjoyed that whole experience. You just can't get the idea of how big it all is.

Just a teensy section of the ship
The booster rockets, the shuttle, the whole operation. It's just awesome. We had a great day and took in as much as we could see there. If any of you are out that way, definitely stop in at the space center and get an eyeful of what we see on TV and a miniature version of what it really is like. Also, the space station is a must. It's just amazing how much stuff and equipment and electrical stuff is in each of the bays. And the technology is unbelievable.


The Mission Control Room
We headed out and stopped at Brunswick, GA. From there we visited Jekyll Island and Saint Simon Island. Jekyll Island is a whole island of beach. It was really fun walking along the beaches and we even found a small beach where there were no people and a single dolphin close to shore just kind of lazing around feeding. It was fun to watch. We also visited a Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. They were pretty big and beautiful markings. The next day, we went to lunch on Saint Simon Island where Nan got her seafood and I got the best hamburger I've ever had. GREASY and real meat!! We walked out on a pier and watched people fishing. One of them caught a snake! He wasn't too excited about it tho! Another woman caught a horseshoe crab, that was kind of fun because it wasn't just one crab, there were 2 and they were mating! So, being on a pier, we were about 20' above the water, and here there comes, all the way up, these 2 huge horseshoe crabs, interrupted in the middle of their intimate moment! It was fun to watch everyone laughing and trying to get them apart! They must have really been in love, they weren't very willing to quit their current activity!!
Our next stop was a couple of Wal-marts and then taking off for the Outer Banks. We had made reservations for the ferry from Cedar Island to Ocracoke, NC. It was a 2.25 hr ride. We were hoping to see some dolphins on the trip, but no such luck. When we arrived at Ocracoke, we didn't have anywhere to stay, so we headed north and took another ferry to Hatteras Island. There we found a Passport park and headed there. We spent 3 days here and took the car around the Island to see many different sights. We drove from one end of the Island to the other and saw lots of kite surfing, an aquarium, and the Graveyard of the Atlantic. We had a good time at the campground too. It was one of the nicest Passport parks we've been in. One thing we've noticed since hitting Florida is the colors of the homes and businesses. All shades of red, orange, blue, pink, purple, green. I refer to them as “HAPPY PEOPLE”. Whenever I see all those colors, I just smile. It is so refreshing to see colors that are bright and colorful rather than brown, tan and white. I even saw an ORANGE motorhome!!! what fun!!! This campground had a birdhouse city. All different kinds and all different colors. There was a condo birdhouse, a single, a double, and a church!!! all different colors and color combinations. All the spots had different colored picnic tables. Ours was pink and purple! Most of the colors were pastels or light colors, but bright yellow with red trim, or lime green with bright orange trim were the funnest colors. I'd love to be able to have a happy rig!
We took a day and drove up to Roanoke Island. There we visited the “Lost Colony”. They landed here on the Queen Elizabeth I. A ship that was about 30' long and thousands of ropes and masting, and about 100 people. Amazing!!! I couldn't believe it went across an ocean, much less with that many people on board.


Queen Elizabeth I Held together with ropes!!!!!
and Heritage Museum and another aquarium. The story of the Lost Colony was very interesting and the aquarium was fun when I played with the sting rays in the petting pool. They are sooooo soft. Softer than velvet, there was one that kept coming to my hand to be touched. That was pretty neat.
The weather was supposed to start turning rainy so we decided to head off the islands and go towards Kerr Lake where we were going to meet up with my sister. Well, the weather was much much better than forecasters called for and we were making pretty good time. We were planning on stopping at Dismal Swamp, which was recommended by some friends, but we found out that a fire a couple of years ago really took a lot away from it. My sister called while we were on our way and recommended that we go to Williamsburg where my cousin lives instead of Kerr Lake. After talking it over, we took her advice and turned back toward Williamsburg, VA. She's meeting us there next weekend and we've got lots of time to see a ton of stuff here. We found a city park that was $32.50/nite. We figured we'd stay a few days and then hit a Wal-mart, but when we checked in, we got a senior discount and were charged only $21.50/day. This was a terrific price for hookups out here, so we decided to stay here until next Wednesday when we would be checking into another national park campground outside D.C. We are even camped right on a lake. The kayaks have finally come off the roof of the car, we'll definitely take advantage of the lake. That is if it ever stops raining! Yesterday, we spent the entire day at Yorktown. It was so full of really interesting museums and re-enactments, that we didn't get to see it all in the whole day. We both learned a lot of things they never tell you in the history books. We both really enjoyed it all, but ran out of energy and had to give up. We might go back just to take the shuttle around the Victory Center and see the town itself. There are still homes with cannonballs stuck in some of the walls! More re-enactments and re-constructions of Revolutionary times towns and everyday living.
So much to see, so much to do, and so much to learn, we just hope we don't burn out our brains! Whew, it's hard work to learn!! specially at this age!!

later for more..........
hugs to all