The Events of Thursday, December 30, 2010

            You know, even though it is five days after Christmas, there are a lot of houses with decorations still up. I guess that some of them are still on vacation with their families, but if you ever had an itch to know what I would be thinking at 9:17 in the morning while driving through the most rustic parts of North Carolina, now you know. Waking up around seven, we showered and ate breakfast and then left our beautiful campsite where we had sat looking out over a gorgeous expanse of still water. We drove for about three hours, during which blogs, pictures, and e-mails were completed. We had individual prayer times and read. At around noon, we pulled over for lunch and then once again hit the road. Our destination for the day, a beach house on an island off the coast of North Carolina, but before we arrived there we had a via point at Beaufort, North Carolina.

            We arrived in the cute little seaside town of Beaufort around 3:00 and hopped out to feel the sea breeze on our faces. The RV felt so stuffy compared to the salty air of Beaufort. We walked through the town, looking at the shops and restaurants that probably are bustling in the summer. But now, they just sat there, their lights blinking lazily like the eyes of a hibernating bear. We arrived at the Maritime Museum and walked into the lobby. This was the kind of museum where you have to figure out how to get around by yourself. So, Caitlin, Ben, Abby, and I chose free seashells, picked up the scavenger hunt, and sauntered in after our parents into a large room. There was a movie playing and a few rows of chairs facing the TV. But all around the room were paintings of ocean and beach life in North Carolina. Some favorites were a curious turtle, a lazy fisherman, and sand dollars in the sand. We explored the paintings, watched the movie, and then headed to the exhibits. We got slapped in the face with panel after panel of information, pictures, and interactive exhibits. There was information on Blackbeard and his reign of the seas, whaling and fishing, saving the sea animals, scuba diving, and professional lifesavers. By the time we finished the museum, we were so informed that we went to the gift shop and read children’s stories until Mom and Daddy finished the museum.

            After leaving the museum, we walked back through the town to the town graveyard. Caitlin, Abby, and I were freaked out, but Mom, Daddy, and Ben liked looking at the tombstones. Daddy found a gravestone with Robert H. Taylor and Loretta Taylor on it! (For those of you who don’t know, my Grandpa, or Daddy’s dad’s name is Robert Howland Taylor. We guessed Grandma (Gayle) found out about Loretta and wasn’t too pleased.) Mom found a gravestone of a sailor who was buried standing up to salute his king, King George the third. And Ben found a tombstone of a little girl who died on a ship back from England and her father put her in a barrel of rum, so that he could bring her back to America to give her a proper burial. Walking back, Daddy spotted a gorgeous, vibrant sunset reflecting in the water. We went out on the dock to take pictures and then walked to a boat whose sail was decorated with lights outlining a fisherman at the wheel of a boat. More pictures. The RV was now nice and warm compared to the cool salty air and we snuggled in blankets and pillows as we drove. At around dinner time, we stopped at a grocery store and asked if we could stay in their parking lot. They said no. We drove on to another grocery store parking lot and they also said no. We were starting to feel like Mary and Joseph. So, now we were getting hungry and it was getting late. We decided to go out for a quick dinner at Dairy Queen’s and then make the long drive to the beach house. We did just that, except there were a lot of details that made the last 3 and a half hours of our day a lot more interesting.

            We filled up on Dairy Queen’s Blizzards, or soft serve ice cream with different mix-ins after a burger dinner. Upon returning to the RV, we took turns brushing teeth and getting ready for bed. Then, all of the kids slept on our made beds, while Mom and Daddy had the incredible joy of getting us to our destination. Now, I can’t tell you exactly how that went because, well, I was asleep. But I will tell you that it included negotiating a long curvy bridge in the dark and a lot of crazy drivers and I bet if I had been awake, I would have learned a few new words (just kidding). But, we all made it there alive and well. Mom and Daddy woke us up and so disoriented and excited, we frantically grabbed essentials and headed into our new domain. We had a little trouble with the heater and the lights, but that soon got cleared up after Mom called our cousins, the Wells, who by the way are the ones who are lending us the beach house. And so, we fell asleep to Abby’s excited squeals, the purring of the heater, and the distant crashing of waves.