A Recap of 2011: Lake Vacation

August 2011

Every year, we get together when the Georgia Southern Girls for some fun. This year we headed to Anna and Maggie's family lake house in South Carolina. In Jack's world, the weekend was called Lake Vacation. We (Lindsay, Jeb, Jack and myself) met Anna, Maggie, Jill, Carly, Dave, Brian, and some other South Carolina folk for a weekend of lake fun with jet skis, board games, wake boards and boats. (For those wondering, Bryan had to work . . . )

Auntie Maggie hanging out with Jack in his tent

You know, being a boy.

Maggie, Me, Jill, Anna and Lindsay

Toddler Pass

Jack's first JetSki ride! He called this a motorcycle boat. Pretty smart, kid.

Driving with Mommy

The weekend was awesome, it was full of much needed friend-time. Jack loved riding the JetSki. He loved hanging out naked on the dock. He loved the lack of schedule and bedtime. He loved all the lady love he received. The most memorable story of the weekend was Saturday morning. Dave was frantically searching the house for his ... wedding ring. That's right. The poor guy was broken-hearted and pale in the face. He searched through he and Jill's room, we scoured the front lawn where we hung out at the fire pit the night before. Let's not forget fishing from the dock - all of us searched and searched for a couple of hours, at least. It was awful.

Later that morning, we were cleaning up from breakfast and I checked in on Jack hanging out under the kitchen table playing with the ducks (He has a love for ducks - and the Bunch lakehouse has a collection of them. The kid was in heaven). I asked him - "Jack, what's in your hand," expecting him to hold up a miniature duck. He looked up, held up Dave's ring, and exclaimed, "A ring!"

Dave's hero.

The Adventures of Potty Training

Jack is a potty champ, I tell you!

There were no accidents ALL the way down to Tampa (or back) - but there were indeed a couple mishaps.

We left early (4am) in the morning on Wednesday to hit up Busch Gardens before joining the rest of the family in St. Petersburg. Jack woke up in his pj's and pull-up in his car seat around 630am when we stopped for an on-the-road breakfast. He plowed through his chicken biscuit and milk. Not long after, Jack was squirming, complaining about his tummy. We had him shake his legs as we thought he had some gas; but he still whined. I split a Tums with him; but he still whined. Around 8am, we stopped to he could walk his 'gas' pains out. The minute he stood up out of his car seat, he screamed, "I HAVE TO GO FOTTY!!!!"

That explains his tummy pains. And THIS would be a parenting mishap.

RV Vacation: 4th Stop Part 2.2

Once we returned back to 'the Hook,' we grabbed lawn chairs, snacks and a blanket and headed out to the beach to watch the fireworks across the harbor - from the beach, you can see New York ... Staten Island, Prospect Park, Long Beach and so forth. We enjoyed a stroll and a sunset, then settled in for fireworks. While the fireworks display was small in size - it was enormous in quantity. Saying we saw a couple dozen shows is an understatement.

PS - Jack still hates sand.

RV Vacation: 4th Stop Part 2

4th of July: After Bryan and I returned to Sandy Hook from New York/Jersey City we (Granny, Pop, Jack, Bryan and myself) headed to Bayville, NJ to spend some much needed time with Gigi & Dom. We all caught up - but Jack and Gigi spent a lot of time playing and getting to know each other some more.

 

RV Vacation: 4th Stop

July 2: We made it to our destination.  Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, Highlands ... Fort Hancock is part of Sandy Hook which is a 'Hook' right off of Highlands, NJ. (I think?) At any rate - we made it to Bryan's parents house!

Sandy Hook, NJ

Sandy Hook - in relation to it's surroundings.

Sandy Hook is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.  Sandy Hook is also shared with Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), the Coast Guard, NOAA, and a 'clothing optional' beach.

In 1893, Fort Hancock installed Battery Potter, the nation's first disappearing gun battery. It also was important for the defense of the vital New York Harbor throughout World War II, preventing the entrance of German submarines into the harbor. In the late 1950s Project Nike antiaircaft missiles were based there. Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974 (yes, straight off of Wikipedia).

When we got to Sandy Hook, we unhooked the RV and headed with Granny June's to Uncle Walt (June's brother), Aunt Martie and Cousin Rachel's house. We had a lovely dinner on the deck - something we can't bare to do in Georgia's summer heat. Jack spent a great deal of time playing with Rachel. She even made him a 4th of July crown (precious!) and he received a couple of Melissa & Doug puzzles that kept him busy for the remainder of the trip! Top notch hospitality - we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with them.

The next day Bryan and I headed to Jersey City to see John and Kate (cousins on the Neal side). We dropped our bags, headed to lunch in Jersey City and then caught a train into the city. Our first stop was the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. I specifically requested this stop and hauled the rest of the crew with us. Once we got their, we realized the line to get in was close to 3 blocks long. (whoa.) The guys took off and Kate and I were committed. We stood in line -  (for maybe an hour?) in the rain. The company was great, so I am not complaining. It being a Smithsonian, I assumed it was free. I was wrong. There was a fancy-schamncy jewelry exhibition going on and they were herding guests around like cattle. The jewelry was sparkly and impressive ... but I was on a mission. We dodged out of line, walked against grain, got some looks from security guards. We looked everywhere for the 2D/Graphic Design section and came up with a loss. I grabbed my phone and looked online for more information on the display - to my surprise, every other display was closed. Closed. CLOSED? (Found in the very small print on an interior page) You've got to be kidding me. What a waste of time. Luckily, Kate has a great attitude and we were able to laugh it off once we made a swing through the gift shop.

Cooper Hewitt

We found the guys at a bar and headed out for some more walking. We went to B & H Photo - which was a circus. I love their catalog - I love their website ... I am not so in love with their store. It was HUGE. It had everything you could dream of. But it was just too big for me and lacked that one-on-one customer service relationship - but their customer service is out of this world.

Oddly - I lugged my camera around NYC and took not one picture. 

RV Vacation: 3rd Stop; Part 2

Yesterday's post was getting a little lengthy, so I've included a 'Part 2' to share some videos.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel




Ring 'Round Cape Henlopen's Watchtower



Chasing Shadows on Fort Miles

RV Vacation: 3rd Stop

July 1: Up and out after a meal at IHop (yes, we cheated.) A warm breakfast was delightful though. We drove through Virginia's countryside and landed ourselves on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel; a pretty phenomenal structure. It's over 20 miles long with a little over 2 miles of it underwater - which seems MUCH longer as you watch semi-trucks barely clear the narrow tunnel going 50+mph. They have a gift shop and cafe with a fishing pier on part of the bridge. We of course stopped and bought a trinket. 

Chesapeake Bay Tunnel - Bridge

On the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel - Bridge Pier

Miles and miles of bridge & tunnel to go.

We spent the night at Cape Henlopen State Park. They had no running water or electricity - and generators were not allowed. I'm not complaining at all - the weather is beyond perfect with a nice breeze. We tooled around the city of Lewes and hiked around the park. Within the park was Fort Miles historic area.

During World War II, the Delaware River was a chief priority for defense planners because of the access it afforded to the giant trade centers of Wilmington, Philadelphia, and beyond. Fort Miles was a key piece in the nation's coastal defense at that time.

The heavy guns, mine fields and searchlights of Fort Miles provided in-depth defense; however, the growing use of long-range missiles brought an end to harbor defenses in the United States. By 1958, Fort Miles was no longer important to the defense of the region, and in 1964, 543 acres of the base were returned to the State of Delaware, forming the heart of Cape Henlopen State Park. In April, 2005, Fort Miles was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Cape Henlopen is a dynamic coastal environment that encompasses ocean and bay beaches, maritime forests, tidal salt marshes and the highest dune system between Cape Cod and the Outer Banks. 

In the Watchtower looking over Cape Henlopen, DE

Looking up the WWII Watchtower

Mama and Jack sitting on an artillery gun at Fort Miles

Jack and his bug bites testing out another artillery gun

Barracks on Fort Miles

Jack LOVED being in the 'RV'

RV Vacation: 2nd Stop

June 30: In the morning, we packed up and drove 500 feet to wait for the ferry and left Cedar Island via the Cedar Island/Okracoke Island Ferry and headed up the coast through Cape Hatteras National Seashore... (our nation's first national seashore) - beauuuuutiful! We really want to head back this way and spend some time in this area. Bryan grew up coming to Cape Hatteras, so he rekindled memories as we drove.

On the way there, we sat on the ferry, rolled the windows down, listened to a little bit of music - and killed the battery. Oh, and we were also running really low on gas. So, the ferry staff jumped us - recommended we leave the truck running. Hmmm... okay. So we once we got to Okracoke, we found the nearest gas station, filled up and killed the truck again. We were in need of another jump and lucky us, a little surfer guy was willing to help.

Cape Hatteras - Hwy 12

Cape Hatteras Seashore

Cape Hatteras Island, RV Vacation and a sleeping Jack in a running truck.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - truck still running in the parking lot.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Bryan & Jack -
truck still running in the parking lot.

Jack, Mom and Ernie in front of the light station

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in America (and no, we didn't climb it. We opted out seeing it was flipping hot and we'd have a line of people behind us because of Jack.) It's 200 feet tall! In 1999, they actually moved the lighthouse inland because of erosion. Interesting. Next - a stop in Kill Devil Hills to see the Wright Brother's Memorial. Thank goodness we got there when we did - 4:39pm! They closed at 5pm (5pm!!! What happened to sundown??) We paid our donation and drove straight to the historic hill and monument. Unfortunately, because of our limited time, we didn't learn too much - but definitely got a grasp of the size of the hill and paid tribute to one of America's biggest invention.

Monument and front side of hill

Wright Brothers Memorial, RV Vacation and a running truck.

That night, we stayed at a KOA in Virginia Beach. Although it received horrible reviews online - we thought it was a pretty awesome place. They had a pool, putt-putt, clean bathrooms ... and oh, it was next to Naval Air Station Oceana. And seeing it was the end of the month, all of the pilots were trying to get their 'hours' in. So it made for an interesting night. But we didn't complain - free airshow!! 
 

We ended the night by eating an impressive RV Vacation dinner: roast, toast, green beans and mashed potatoes and giving Jack an RV bath. 
 

RV Vacation: 1st Stop

Now that I have announced Bryan's deployment - I am sure you can see why a road-trip was in order. It wasn't the St. Lucia or Barbados pre/mid deployment trip that I was used to ... (call me a snot, I dare you) but this trip was PERFECT for our little family.  I know we didn't take an RV - we took a travel trailer. HOWEVER, "RV Vacation" rolls off the tongue a little easier than Travel Trailer Vacation, eh?

June 29, 4am: We were up and out the door on our way to our first stop - Cedar Island, NC. Once on the road, it didn't take long to realize the Sequoia gets shitty gas mileage while towing. I don't think we got out of Georgia before needing gas again.

 

1st stop for something other than gas? South of the Border, SC. The Walldrug of the south. We stopped for gas (surprise!) and a snack. Jack wanted to venture in as well. He wanted a leopard - and he got one for pointing to a pile of animals and asking specifically for a leopard. It was a you're one smart-cookie reward.

We drove through some very scenic southern countryside and coastal areas, our longest car ride of the trip, and ended on Cedar Island, NC (The gateway to the Outer Banks of North Carolina) at the Driftwood Motel & Campgrounds. We spent the stormy night inside of 'RV Vacation' (yes, that's a noun). But the location was awesome. It was on water's edge right next to the ferry; we were 1 out of 6 other campers that found this hidden gem.

Playing with Daddy in the RV Vacation

Next to the ferry launch ... I spotted 6 jelly fish while standing on the dock!

For cleaning crab (we hope)

Crab pots and shrimp boats. Lovely find.

Bryan & Jack watching the ferry.

The Neal RV Extravaganza!!

 Well - I am currently packing up the RV for our trip up the east coast! Rick invited me to Google's Latitude and I thought it would be a fun way to track our progress (for any of those interested).

Check out http://www.google.com/latitude and find us under my email: smaneal [at] gmail.com

I will also do my best to update the blog. Bryan has a great trip planned out and I am really excited to see new sights -- my Flip & all of my memory cards are empty, ready to go!

 We rented an RV from Ft. Stewart's MWR (Moral, Welfare & Recreation) program. One of the perks of being active duty - cool things we can rent cheaper than anywhere else!

So we're taking advantage of the opportunity and checking out the coast on our way to Sandy Hook, NJ to see Bryan's family.

We leave tomorrow, bright and early, for our first stop - Ocracoke, North Carolina.

Wish us luck and pray for good weather!