Category Archives: Travel

Beaufort, N. C.

Katie and I were in Beaufort, S.C. (pronounced byoo-furt) in 2010 and now in 2011 Katie, Dear and I visited Beaufort, N.C. (pronounced bow-furt).

Settled in 1709, Beaufort is North Carolina’s third oldest town. Originally a fishing village and port of safety dating from the 1600’s, Beaufort has been visited by patriots, privateers and pirates!

This two acre complex interprets the town’s colonial maritime heritage in nine houses and buildings dating from 1732 to 1859.

We had lunch at Clawson’s. The original Clawson’s grocery store was owned by Charles and Mary Clawson who were immigrants from Sweden and Ireland, respectively. Its first location was on the south (water) side of Front St. where all the retail shops were able to serve customers that arrived by boat from Harkers Island and points east. Clawson’s claim to fame back then was its bakery, located behind our current building where Backstreet Pub is located. It’s believed to be the oldest building in Beaufort built about 1870 completely of brick. The original waterside grocery store was destroyed by a hurricane, so the current Clawson’s was re-established on the north side of Front Street where it is today.

We also visited the fudge shop and bought some freshly made fudge to enjoy later. After we left Beaufort we headed to Fort Macon on the northern tip of the Emerald Isle.

I think all my Christmas shopping is done now. Today I picked up our mystery tree at Home Depot. Thursday I get my grey roots taken care of just in time for Dear’s company Christmas function on Friday at the Fairmont/Four Seasons in downtown Seattle. I’m hoping to have all my decorating done by Sunday. Still haven’t decided about the Christmas cards…

Nature Walks at the Aquarium

There were some nice nature walks and trails outside the Aquarium that we enjoyed.

We learned something new about Spanish Moss. Found it really interesting that it’s related to pineapple.

Got my shipping shopping done and the boxes are sent. This is the first year that I have to send Christmas gifts to some of our kids. I was so busy this morning that when I hit the road I realized I hadn’t made or had my morning coffee. I stopped at a Starbucks which isn’t ever part of my regular routine but the morning brew I got was very nice and sharpened me up a bit.

North Carolina Aquarium ~ Pine Knoll Shores

We really enjoyed the Aquarium on Emerald Isle in North Carolina. Because it’s off season we didn’t have any crowds to deal with which is always a plus. Besides the indoor tanks and displays we enjoyed some outdoor nature trails that are part of the Aquarium. I’ll show those photos later.

Today was a surprisingly productive day for me and I thank the Lord for that. I changed my tablecloth to a Christmas one and that is the only Christmas decor visible in my house so far. I got some laundry, cleaning, Christmas shopping, banking, and mailing done. Pats herself on the back. I’m still debating if Christmas cards are going out this year. Time will tell. Hope your days are going well.

The Atlantic

On our last full day in North Carolina we headed on an adventure to the seashore. We traveled east to Emerald Isle/Crystal Coast of N.C.

We traveled the length of Emerald Isle across to the mainland to Beaufort.

We walked along the sand and collected a couple handfuls of shells.

It was good to walk along the beach again. It’s been a long time since our weekly walks along the Pacific Ocean.

Seems like mushrooms can grow in many environments…

Here are the shells we collected.

I’ll share our stops at the aquarium, Beaufort, and Fort Macon in the next few days.

On Saturday after our day out Dear and I left for the airport home. It was hard to say goodbye to Katie and leave her alone. We know she’ll do well and that soon she’ll be reunited with Andrew. I also know I will have those tearful moments as I adjust to our empty nest. The triggers that lead to tears vary. The first trigger was walking past Katie’s room. Oops! I might just have to redecorate sooner than later. But first I need to start getting our home ready for our Christmas celebrations!

I’m linking up for Mosaic Monday with Mary at Little Red House.

Glad We Said Yes…

…to the freshly made apple fritters!

On the way to our Emerald Isle adventure we decided to stop for breakfast at Yana’s Restaurant on Front Street in Swansboro.

The apple fritters were dusted smothered with powdered sugar. It was great to bite into the sweetness straight to a great slice of fresh apple.

This was very much a 50’s diner and we were surrounded by Marilyn and Elvis.

Loved this sign. You definitely can trust me because I’m far from skinny.

After breakfast we continued on to our sea and sand adventure on the Emerald Isle. I’ll share more later along with our stop at the Aquarium, Beaufort, and Fort Macon.

Swansboro

Last night we headed East to Swansboro to have dinner. I tried Grouper for the first time ever and it was very good. We also had a great scallop nacho appetizer. The scallops were like butter. If you are ever in this part of North Carolina we would recommend Riverside Steak and Seafood.

We got a kick out of the swans that were part of the Christmas light decor in the city of Swansboro. They also had snowflakes and seashells.

Well I know one thing for sure that is on the agenda when I get back home. I’ll be eating less and moving more. Today we are headed to the coast to see what we can see. Today is our last full day here in North Carolina. On Saturday Dear and I drive back to Raleigh-Durham for our flights home to Seattle.

A Few Things…

Katie has added a few personal touches to her first home. Decorating will be at the minimum for now. She ordered enough to make them comfortable and when Andrew gets home the two of them will add any extra pieces together. There are still bookcases and such at our house for them to bring across the country after the wedding in March in Seattle. For now we are really enjoying the sofa and loveseat and the Keurig. Coffee and a place to sit and enjoy it in the morning…wonderful.

Our round trip to Raleigh went well and the new used car is safe in the garage with a 30 day pass to get it on and off base. We used the washer and dryer last night and they worked well. We are going to lay low today and recuperate. Tomorrow we hope to have a play day at the seashore!

A storm rolled through last night and we got to experience some of the lightning that we hear is pretty common around these parts. Living on a Base it’s hard to figure out whether the booms you hear are thunder or artillery!

We are also learning the best times to go to the Commissary. It’s good to avoid it on payday or the day after. If you go on payday you will experience crowds like you do on Black Friday! And don’t get stuck on base at quitting time.

God has really helped us through little and big things here in North Carolina. We are looking to Him and for Him in the details of each day. We are blessed because of all that God brought to pass 2000 years ago…

We’ve Gone Beyond…

…and back.

3 full shopping carts of goodies for Katie and Andrew’s Base housing. Katie had a pocket full of gift cards that she had received at Bridal showers. We spent it all. When everything was bagged up we had to lug 4 shopping carts out to the car. Today we continued our quest to get some essentials. The more we work around the house the more we find we need. You know things like scissors and trash cans

On Saturday we are driving to Raleigh to pick up a used car that Andrew’s step brother found for Katie and Andrew. We’ll pick up Dear from the airport and drop off our rental car. This next week we’ll be breaking in the used car and making sure everything works well.

Grateful!

We are so grateful that God brought us safe to Camp Lejeune and that Katie has her and Andrew’s keys to their new home.

It was no easy feat for the two of us to get all these suitcases off the luggage carousel at the airport, into the shuttle van, into our first hotel, into our rental car, out of the rental car and into the new home. We are both so happy to have that part of this journey over! Today we shopped till we dropped.

Tomorrow we have to attend a fire safety course on Base and try to get cable/internet services set up. Wow, we are heading into December already. Do you have your tree yet?

All Packed and Ready to Go!

Katie and I are in the air headed to Chicago and connecting to Raleigh-Durham. We arrive close to midnight, or at least we hope that all goes well and we arrive on time. Here are some of our packing photos from Black Friday. My sister Lana is the master of packing. At the end of that day we were all wiped out!

I’m reading a Christmas Story by Debbie Macomber on the plane that will help me get in the Christmas mood. I’m happy to hear about what you are doing to prepare for Christmas. Blessings…