The Bathtub is In!

After several delays, the bathtub got installed yesterday (Saturday). The grey liner you see in the tub is to protect it during construction. I'll be calling the general contractor friend tomorrow to get the drywall completed. Then we'll be painting and can get the tile floor laid. I can't wait.

Spring Break - April 11

By Kristen

We finally got to swim for the first time. We all got up early to swim. James and I played around for a little while in the pool. Then we sadly had to leave and be on our way home. But first, we had to stop and see my great-grandpa, Elmer Bloomer, who is 93 years old.

When we got to Colonial Harbor Retirement Living, Yorktown, VA, we all headed to lunch, which was a salad, Italian steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and orange cake for dessert. While we waited, we talked about what was new about our lives. It was so much fun to talk with him and to see him so alert. After some time, we walked around to see the place. Then we sadly had to leave so we could get on our way home.

But before our trip could end, we had to visit one more place, Shenandoah National Park. We saw 15 deer and 2 turkeys. Also, one of the deer was a doe with her two yearlings. We drove to tons of overlooks, but didn't get out because it was really cold. After that, we had to endure hours of driving to get home. We got home at 4 AM on Easter.

Spring Break - April 10

By James

Today we left Cedar Island, NC, and sailed to Ocracoke Island on a ferry. When we first got on the ferry, the ship horn made me jump. The ferry took two hours and thirty minutes. On the ship, people were feeding seagulls.

First we went to the British Graveyard. A lot of people died when their ship sank in World War II, but they only found 4 bodies. After that, we went to Ocracoke Lighthouse. The color on it was white. Third, we went to Teach's Hole pirate shop. That is where I found my pirate playing cards. Fourth, we saw the pony pens. My favorite one was the gray pony laying on the ground.

We left Ocracoke on a ferry and arrived on Cape Hatteras. The Cape Hattaras Lighthouse pattern is black and white twist. At the lighthouse beach, we were looking for seashells. A lot of them had been pecked at. We went to the Top Dog Cafe for dinner. Then we saw the Bodie Island lighthouse.

We stopped at the Kitty Hawk Wright Brothers Memorial, but it was closed. Last , we explored the First Flight Monument. It placed events in order by important flight dates in history.

Spring Break-April 9

By Kristen

Today we started out pretty early because we wanted to get to Brookgreen Gardens National Historic Landmark. This place was an amazing site because it was filled with beautiful statues and flowers. Some of the flowers were lillies, poppies, tulips, azalea, native azaleas, daffodils, and dog wood. They were all different colors like pink, yellow, red, and orange. The statues were elaborate and not easy to make. My favorite was the one that stood in front of the Brookgreen Gardens Entrance. This statue was called "Fighting Stallions", the largest aluminum casting ever made, is the symbol (logo) of Brookgreen Gardens and was created in 1950.

We got to see animals there, like otters, Marsh Tacky Ponies, red tail fox, and many more. The otters were really funny because one of them was trying to sleep, while the other played with him. The playful one would end up rubbing his head against the other. The sleepy one tried to move away but it did not work. Then we sadly had to leave the otters to see other animals. After we were done seeing the animals, we went to another park.

By James

Huntington Beach State Park

As we drove across the causeway to Huntington Beach State Park, we witnessed two alligators on a ramp and one in the shallows. We were able to walk near the one to get pictures. My family and I went in the information site. We saw tons of underwater animals and snakes. Then we walked on the boardwalk and we spotted tons of snapper crabs, little white crabs with one big claw that they close with a snapping sound. We also saw a red-tailed fox all beat-up looking. Finally we went wading in the ocean.

April 8 - Fort Sumter, Folly Beach, Myrtle Beach

By Kristen

Today we got up really early so we could catch a boat to Fort Sumter. While we were waiting to leave, we saw tons of birds searching for food. We all thought it was so funny when the pelicans would dive into the water. We also spotted some dolphins (at least 6) looking for food.

Then we were on our way to Fort Sumter. This is where the beginning of the Civil War happened. We got to tour around to see cannons and cannon balls that were stuck in the walls of the fort. We then got back on the boat, got in our car and we were on our way to lunch.

By James

Today we went to the Angel Oak tree on Johns Island. The live oak is 65 feet high. It is as old as 500 years old. Next we went to Folly Beach on James Island. The fishing pier was more than 1045 feet long. Folly Beach is often referred to as the "Edge of America". We also the Morris Island lighthouse, which is not used now. Next we went to Myrtle Beach. We only saw it at night. My family and I ate by the beach at a restaurant.

Spring Break - April 7

By James

Today we went to Magnolia Plantation. Today we went on a boat ride. We saw alligators and marsh birds (coots, cormorants, great blue herons, and moorhens). We also went on a house tour. The first house was struck by lightning. The second house got burnt by Union soldiers. So we saw the third house built on the same spot. We also went to the petting zoo, where we got to pet a deer! We got got to see a blue-green peacock and a white peacock. Kristen and I ran through a maze to get to a statue.

For dinner, we drove to historic Charleston. We went to see Rainbow Row, houses that are different colors that stand side-by-side. Then we ate at Charleston Crab House.

Spring Break - April 6

By Kristen

Today we drove for many hours to get to our location, which was Charleston, SC. It was boring, until I drove (very scary), but a good driving experience. On our way to the hotel, we stopped at a place called Congaree National Park. While we were there, we walked out and saw marsh lands (swamps). We saw a lot of dogwood and wild azalea trees and tons of Spanish moss everywhere. Then after that we were on our way to our hotel.

Getting Ready for Spring Break

Sorry about the long period between posts. We have made progress in the bathroom but are now waiting for the tub to come in. It should arrive in a week or so. We are getting the same one we have upstairs, but no one around here has it in stock. Figures...

We are headed to South Carolina for Spring Break. We leave at some awful hour tomorrow morning. We hope to update as we go, so I hope to be posting in a day or two.

Have fun and Happy Easter.

Teri