The Outer Banks of North Carolina - Sept. 12, 2008

This was our first trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is about a 6 hr. drive and a 45 minute ferry ride to get to our destination.

Here comes the vessel to take us to Ocracoke Island, NC.

The ferry boats run every 1/2 hr during the main part of the day. We were lucky to catch the boat we did as we were the last vehicle on this vessel.

We took the white pickup on this trip because of all the gear we took with us.

And yes Mom - they did have life jackets. All stored away and locked in the cabin.

The sign says it all.

Here we are getting ready to hit the night life in Ocracoke. The village is small and we were able to walk everywhere. The population is just over 700.

Here we are at Howards Pub with our good friends Jack and Lana Nesbit. We were so happy they invited us to come with them on this trip.

The waves are one of our favorite things about the ocean. We had a blast swimming and body surfing in the Atlantic.

Of course there are other sights on the island as well. Here we are at the Ocracoke Lighthouse just a few blocks from our hotel. It is the second oldest lighthouse in North America (1823).

All good things must come to an end as the sun begins to set. We had a great trip and plan on returning real soon.

Hurricane Hanna hits DC - Sept. 6, 2008

Hurricane Hanna started up the east coast and made her way to DC. This was our first Hurricane!

The clouds started arriving around 6 AM



As you can see they are getting worse!



The rains begin and instantly flood the golf course near our home.




In Old Town Alexandria the sand bagging begins at the lower end of King Street near the Potomac.



Supplies are running low as the town prepares for the worse.



The Potomac River is now even with the sidewalk as it inches it way towards Old Town.

The creeks are swollen and the rains continue. It is now time to make it back home before it is too late!

As it turned out our area was not hit with the high winds but we did get the rains. Damage closer to the coast was more extensive.

Laurie and Leah Come to DC - August 28

Laurie Johnson makes it back for another visit. We are so happy she came back to see us!

This time she brought another friend who teaches in Omaha - Leah LaFerrier. She is originally from Elk Point, SD

Of course they saw all the sights DC has to offer - well a lot of them anyway!

And of course they had to see Chadwick's. Laurie is becoming a seasoned professional there and Leah could make rookie of the year.

And then its back to the ball park - everyone was feeling chipper at this game!

All good things have to come to an end - one last outing before the girls left.

Aug 26 - Dodgers vs Nationals = Screech

Nothing like a night at the park. You get to watch the Dodgers get swept by the worse team in the major leagues. Fortunately they are now in 1st place heading for the playoffs.




Nothing could be better than being at the game with the one you love......or could it get any better???



How about when Screech comes and gives you pizza! Now that is pretty good too!