Seeing the Lights

This past week we did a tour of the lighthouses. We have seen and been to the top of the Hatteras lighthouse many times but it is always neat to see it again. We were here when the Hatteras light was moved 2900 feet away from the ocean in 1999. It is hard to believe that a 208" tower could be picked up and moved. We stopped again at the Bodie Island light and learned it is due for a major renovation that will allow the public to climb to the top. We also drove to Corolla to see the Currituck light which we have never visited. It is the exact design as Bodie Island with the the only difference being it is not painted. It is open to the public for climbing and you get a wonderful view of the area. It is unbelievable the development that has taken place along route 12 going north to Corolla. There wasn't even a paved road to the area until 1984. Now there are houses being built north of the pavement in an area where you need a four wheel drive. You can purchase a ten acre lot in this area for a mere $1,000,000 or so. Many of the houses in Duck and Corolla now sell for more then that. Driving through these towns at this time of year is very strange because there is no one staying in 90% of the houses. The weather until today continued to be above normal with highs in the 70's & 80's. We did have some rain but mostly at night. Today it is cooler (68) and very windy. The catching is still not very good. There was a fishing tournament with 300 participants and in the first two days only five fish were caught. This has not deterred the fisherman. We walked to Cape Point one day and vehicles where lined up side by side for over a mile.

HI from Hatteras Island

We have been at the Sands of Time Campground on Hatteras Island since last Sunday. To get here from Williamsburg we drove through a tunnel under Chesapeake Bay and across three different long bridges. The weather this past week has been fantastic with highs in the 70's & 80's. The big difference from inland areas is the low temperatures have been very comfortable. It has only been in the 60's one night. We have been able to have the widows open and even Nanc has been wearing shorts. We have gone to the beach to sun and fish several days. The catching has not been great because the water is still so warm but just being on the beach any day of the week in October is what retirement is all about. There are not nearly as many people here as in the summer but most hotels had no vacancy signs up over the weekend because of the number of fishermen. Some of these fishermen have been here for a long time.

A Little History

We have been doing some touring from the campground at Williamsburg Pottery. One day we went to Jamestown where the 400 anniversary of the first successful English colony in America is being celebrated. We only went to the National Park Service area where you can watch an on-going archaeological dig. In this area they continue to extract remains of Jamestown from over a two hundred year period. They have statues of Pocahontas and John Smith as well as a rebuilt portion of the old fort, but most of the site is dedicated to archeology. Nearby, Jamestown Settlement is a reproduction of the ships, houses and original fort. We also went to Yorktown to tour the site of the last battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781. There were the usual film, artifacts and talks. At Surrender Field there is a display of captured cannons and a tape to explain how it was done. We always thinks it is a unique experience to be able to walk the actual ground where the famous events in history have taken place. It was also interesting to be reminded what an important role the French played in our victory. Without their assistance the outcome of the war could have been very different. The plaque lists the names of the French who died at Yorktown. The freedom fries crowd should go reread the history books before badmouthing the French. Our plan from here is to spend a month on Hatteras Island in North Carolina. I'm really looking forward to doing some surf fishing at this time of the year. I talked to a couple here who have fished Hatteras during these months in the past and they said it was great.

On the Road Again

We are back on the road after more than two weeks in Washington. We have been in Welcome, Maryland for five days visiting Nanc's sister Michelle and her husband Keith. We stayed at Goose Bay Marina on the Potomac River which was away from all the noise and congestion. We had a great time going to the Sotterley Plantation, watching the Steelers game, going out to dinner and having them to the motor home. They live in a log home on a wooded lot that they have completely redone and their improvements and decor have made their home really beautiful. To get to their place we crossed the Potomac on the two lane Nice Bridge. This was good practice for going to the Outer Banks. We arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia today and are planning on being here for five days to see the sights before going to North Carolina.

Tieing Up Loose Ends

For the last two weeks we have been in Washington working to get everything out of our house. We sold quite a bit to friends and finally found an auctioneer to take all the rest. The second floor is empty and all the STUFF is spread out on the first floor. Two of the big changes in Washington were the look of the court house and the statue of George & Tom at Washington & Jefferson College. Take a look at the pictures and judge for yourself. We have had a great time with old friends and going to our favorite restaurants. We had a long to do list which has been greatly shortened. On Saturday we went to the Donnell House, the hospice care facility where both my parents, Bob and Betty, spent their last days being very well cared for. We went to see the memorial plaques placed in their memory on the legacy library. This is a tremendous place that people in Washington are lucky to have available for them. On Sunday Nanc and Tom ran in the 30th Great Race along with nearly 10,000 others. Both had good runs with Nanc finishing 6 in her age group and Tom 22 in his. They look fine in the post race picture.