side trip

Yesterday, I think it was we went to the Aquarium at Kure Beach.   To get there from Oak Island the Southport - Fort Fisher ferry is a great way to travel - as well as spend 35 minutes.

and watch passing cargo ships heading up river to the port at Wilmington.

The possible favorite of the aquarium, or at least one of the favorite exhibits was the alligator pool.  The underwater view must have been captivating.

The historic  Civil War Fort Fisher site was second stop which included a picnic lunch.  Most of the history lesson will have to come with subsequent visits.

John Paul enjoys his Grandmama and special times.  

one more day

Today with the top of the Wheelhouse peering over the dune, that is just barely peering, we built a series of lakes, connected by canals dug by Isaac.  

Had Isaac not been a volunteer, entirely self-motivated, we probably would have been in trouble for wage and hour violation work conditions, not to mention child labor law issues.  He worked and worked and worked digging trenches and clearing over wash, deepening and such to get water back to the various holes and ponds/lakes/ moats and such.

A passing boat can get Luke excited and compelled to advise all within earshot - and that includes quite some area of approach and passing of such an event.

Also as Luke and I spent a few minutes catching waves washing up on us he announced loudly as they approached "a --big --one"  or "two— big-- ones" quite breathlessly.  (this much ocean was a major advancement for someone who was leery of the "wimming pool".

Drip sand towers decorated our sand castles as did shells and other beach debris.

It was a team effort.

Julianna is quite the fan of the ocean, and chose to take a lawn chair and sit in the wash of the waves.

She really does enjoy beach stuff and wish I could have gotten a better photo to have captured the grin on her face as she paused from boogie boarding with her Dad.

Julianna with Grandmama, enjoying a bit of a rest from the day's rush and actions.

 And Lydia is our decorator in chief for castles.  Not that you couldn't tell.

The crowd of builders and one not such a builder — that is, the one on the extreme right.

That would be John Paul, who keeps on moving, as in moving right along an all points action figure for sure.

In the afternoon, after naps all round - at least for the grandparent set and the youngest two boys, play is on the deck, catch a little shade and some plastic pool time.

and these three boys do indeed put the idea of water based play to the fullest extent possible.

back at Oak Island

The beach makes for a great place for a two year old to dig and play in the sand with a bucket and Luke did that all morning long, stopping only reluctantly to go in to eat lunch.

Matt and the big three, dug a huge hole, worrying not in the least about the erosion of the dune in the background — though it does make for a dramatic backdrop to a photo.  After a few years of adding a little sand to the beach, it appears as if once again the ole ocean is taking a big bite out of the coast line once again.

John Paul - and this will probably surprise people who know him - found lots of things to do from carry water from the ocean to the buckets his sisters and brothers were using, to carrying sand to the same, to digging sand, helping others do any of the former, and generally moving between all points on the compass.

of course there was wave jumping, and later even boogie board riding too.

Sometimes space got tight, but all in all, things stayed on an even keel. The beach is big, wide and there is lots of sand and water, just about enough for everyone to have all they need.

And at the end of the day, watching their Dad fix hamburgers is a great way to end the day while the granddaddy enjoys an adult beverage.

We've done this Oak Island drill before, if it goes just like we did it today— it will work well tomorrow too.  There are a few variations, not many and they are all pretty well tried and true.  

a trip to the kids museum Marbles

We've been to this place, Marbles Kids Museum, before; and to go the day starts early, with being read to by Grandmama. like before breakfast.  That is all except Luke who has his 'muk' early, and if it was up to him, often.  He looks like he has had plenty of muk too. 

There is so much to do and play with and build and experience at the museum it is amazing, one of the kids' favorites was building cars and racing them down this race track.  Note Julianna's and Lydia's excitement and leaps as they themselves race down the way to get their cars.

Lydia especially seemed to just bounce as she went after each of multiple and I mean multiple trips chasing her car down the track.

This is Lydia showing off one of her models, she made several.

These two boys worked like their lives depended on it loading little balls into this pulley system to feed conveyer belts to feed a huge overhead bank that would later drop the balls as shown below.

Julianna and John Paul are about worn out loading balls at various load points and are waiting on other kids to load some for a while.

Matt got the kids suited up for a hockey game on the slick floor with plastic sticks.  The spirit was pretty high, the skating and stick skills not so much I think.

Now on this court I heard, "watch me Granddaddy, watch me".  

and I sure did

There were unique physical testing / exercise devices that the kids enjoyed doing and Isaac surprised himself that he could pull himself up strapped into a seat.

While I was playing ball with Luke, Patt was in a kitchen with John Paul, photos later. Matt was in a building shop with the big three - I got there in time to get these action photos.

The kids were making boxes or shelves or something that involved sawing-

Using a drill - a hand drill - not one of those power ones, and screw drivers, and appropriate facial expressions.

Yesterday Patt's company celebrated her retirement with a party in the parking lot between the office buildings at their Raleigh offices as is their custom.  In addition to staff from the local office staff from other offices attended as did people who had worked with Patt from other agencies around the state.  It was quite nice and many wonderful things were said about her.  I asked her quietly as an aside where was this always patient, understanding (among other platitudes ) person they were talking about?

The photo above is of some of Patt's former direct reports along with their new supervisor.

and here is the view from the "family section as Luke, Laura, John Paul and back of my head, and Lydia's hat are prominent.  Julianna is sitting up with Patt in this picture while  Patt's former supervisor and person who hired her away from Apex is telling of recruiting Patt.  

They did indeed say very nice things about Patt and her contributions to the company and to the many communities that they served over the years.  It was obvious they meant them too.

Patt was given among other nice gifts a beautiful magnetic wall map with little magnets and directions to mark locations of travels and visits in her retirement.  The intent is to seriously follow that direction.

Though the party was but yesterday, Patt's last day of work was actually two weeks ago in Asheville at a conference that ended at noon.  Rather than driving back to Raleigh,  those last four hours of being employed.

Here is Patt hard at work, practicing being retired enjoying the Little Tennessee River.

and the view into western NC real near Murphy.  The return to Raleigh can happen whenever.  You know, Patt's retirement starts on Monday and if she uses that day or the next to return to Raleigh so what.

moving right along

All of a sudden the house got full, the basement is being turned into a school or camp, or store or play house of some sort,  and it is much more lively that it used to be when I was sitting at my desk down there listening to sport talk radio and "doing some bills" or some sort of record keeping or something — and a lot more fun too.

We have wagons to load and pull around, being in motion is apparently pretty important to this one.

and the basement is getting a full dose workout and the old toys a new exercise.

and yes I have participated in a tea party already.  Do note that is lower case tea party. And the tea was quite good I would point out after I had Luke adjust it much to his delight.  It is never sweet enough to start with for me.

Matt  had the kids help him wash the car.  Brave Matt, he suggested I might want to move our car up the street.  I did.  Wise move.

Look who has the hose.  He was not the only one either.  All of them dipped rags in buckets and applied elbow grease.

wide areas of the cul-de-sac were wet down, kids were wet, car got washed, kids got sprayed, feelings got hurt, the whole gamete of events transpired.  Great activity for the kids to shake out a long car ride.  And they did a long car ride too.

more adventures to come.