Road Trip!

We have some friends who live eight hours away, on the North Carolina coast, and we set aside a few days to visit them. We packed up the car last Wednesday night and left Thursday morning around 9 AM. I had just bought a new DVD player, and we made great use of it on this trip. Our longest stop was in Dillon, SC, at South of the Border. What a place. But, the kids absolutely loved it and climbed shamelessly onto the jackalope.

We rode to the top of The Sombrero, where the wind created all sorts of havoc for my loose, knee-length hair. The kids played a video game and skee ball game each, and after about an hour, we were on the road again.

We arrived, and all of the kids became fast friends. The first night out, New Daddy tried to gig for flounder, but the wind kept the water too broken to spot flounder. They came in with one fish. On Friday, we loaded up the kids and struck out for the beach. The kids had a blast building things, burying themselves, and getting a little wet in the cold waves. Friday night, it was still too windy to gig successfully. We slept instead.

On Saturday, Bubby continued to build trains with his new friend. Sis. H. built a tent for the kids in the front yard, where they "napped." I had a great nap, myself; but I was in the apartment downstairs. After resting, I beat New Daddy at two games of ping pong.

Before midnight on Saturday, New Daddy went gigging one last time and caught two flounder. Sunday, our precious friends loaded us down with food and we started the trip towards home.

We stopped in Wilmington at the USS North Carolina.The kids enjoyed stretching their legs and exploring this amazing piece of WW II history. Cutie busted her lip and tooth when she tried to climb a steel bench, but she is healing up nicely.

dancing-rhythm with the metal in the gunroom

We spent our final night at Poppy and Mimi's house. Our North Carolina friends had given us thirty pounds of oysters as we left. We got them out of the cooler, and Poppy and New Daddy busted the shells open. Then, I extracted the meat. After that job, I feel that restaurants can charge whatever they like for oysters. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's worth the work to get them open. Cooking them was easy- delicious sautéed briefly in butter, garlic, a little pepper and sea salt. And yes, I ate a few raw- sprinkled with lemon juice and pepper. They were delicious, and I lived to tell about it. I only wish I had taken a picture of Bubby's face when I popped one in his mouth. If one could imagine helplessness, surprise, and humour in one expression, that would have been it.

Today, we finished the drive home, where Rosie was thrilled to greet us early this evening. She was especially thrilled to get the ham scraps that Mimi sent for her. Tomorrow, New Daddy works from home, and we visit our dairy farm for a hayride, greet the lovely cows that give us our delicious milk, and jump in the hay bales. Life is busy, relaxing, and wonderful.