Yes, I did take that picture! A Happy New Years greeting to you'all from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Today, January 1, 2012, marks my one year anniversary of retirement, and the day could not have been better. It almost reach 70F here and the beach was perfect for a long bike ride. Louise and dad walked the beach twice during the day and collected various seashells. We started the day with a campground church service under the pier and finished up the evening by going out and sharing a pizza celebrating a new year.
I hope each of you will have a special year ahead, and I want to thank all of you who have encouraged me in my writing and photography. I just need to figure out how to make some money doing it, to help defray the costs of such a traveling adventure. Perhaps a good bike ride will clear my head and I will come up with more concrete ideas! I am serious, sort of.
Well, let's get caught up on our travels. The three of us were due at our daughter's home for Christmas and had a few days to enjoy the upper coast of North Carolina. We chose to go to Cape Hatteras Island area for those days. While there, we took in a ferry and road trip to Ocracoke Island to the south, visited the Wright Brothers Memorial museum and site of their world famous first motorized flight, to the north. We also visited Roanoke Island and toured the site of the first english speaking settlement (albeit short-lived) in the Americas.
We stayed at a KOA RV park on this outer bank island which was offering a post-hurricane Katrina special rate while they reconstructed the majority of their park. Wood cabins had floated off their foundations, facilities needed to be rebuilt and all the electric connections replaced. They had 20 sites open and hundreds closed. The little town of Rodanthe was hit especially hard. The beautiful community has suffered and several of its homes were damaged beyond repair, mainly due to erosion to their sandy foundations. These outer bank islands are made of sand, several miles out in the ocean and just a few feet higher than normal tides. They are a hardy sort out here. Undaunted by the destruction, we beach-combed, biked, and did a lot of sight-seeing, and oh yes, laundry. One evening, upon our return from Ocracoke Island we caught a sunset to remember, so pink that it colored the waves! It had a chill in the air, but the beauty warmed our hearts.
Dad walking the beach. Something her very much loves doing.
Little protects the island from storms, but they try.
The storm breached the island. Here is a picture of the temporary bridge.
We asked a Canadian man from Nova Scotia to take this picture of us.
Lighthouses were critical in early years navigating the treacherous waters; much shoaling takes place in waters east and west of the islands. Many a ship were lost, its crew and its treasure.
The blue house is leaning. Before the storm it had been behind an artificial sand barrier, but now the island is giving way to the sea
Well, it is getting late once again so the rest of the pictures will need to wait. Stay tuned for the Wright Brothers and the Lost Colony of Roanoke. And then there is Christmas! I need to run off now!
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