The crabs on the islands

Upcoming Events

T has passed all his exams and has been able to take a few days off to recover. We are trying to get the house ready to be moved to our next duty station in Washington, and we are going to CT for a few months first. WE are both looking forward to having a little less humidity hopefully, and are going to the places we like here one last time. My last day of work is Sunday.

Kayaking

On our Saturday in Swansboro, we went and met my cousin and his grandson for breakfast before taking off for a day of kayaking in the intercoastal waterway. The water was so warm and the waterway not too choppy. When we left we were some of the only boats out there. We decided to paddle out to Hammack's state beach park on Bear island. There were these little crabs there that from the water looked like giant ants. They only had one claw as well. We walked around from where we parked our kayak to the state beach, and bathrooms and shade to eat our lunch. On our way back to the kayak place we had a nice peaceful paddle, and then we came across the major thoroughfare of all large boats. We waited for an ideal crossing and then paddled as hard as we could, but one boat wasn't going to give so we had to wait for it to pass in front of us. We had a lot of fun. Then, we went and got some ice cream before going home. We were tired that night for sure. I got 7 bites out on the islands, and figured out a few days later that they were chigger bites....they itch relentlessly.

Swansboro

We had a great visit with my aunt and uncle in Swansboro. Aunt S is a great cook! I even ate the lima beans and liked them. I cannot tell you how well we ate without making you jealous. Uncle R filled me in on some good books, and T got to meet some family. IT is kind of sad that we go to bed before them, but in our defense, T had been working days and had his final oral board within 5 days, so I think that stress maybe helped the sleeping. I always learn something from Aunt S in solving puzzles and cryptograms as well.

Lake Waccamaw

ON our way to visit my aunts and uncles in North Carolina, T and I stopped at this beautiful lake in north Carolina. It was a great way to get out of the car and hike for a while. It broke the trip up nicely and didn't make it seem that long. The only disadvantage was a surprising amount of bugs that liked to do flybys of our heads. It must have been quite a sight to see us waving our hands around our heads. We found out that all State parks in North Carolina are free entrance. Pretty cool!!