Highlights:-Hampton Inn over night in Virginia.
-Topsail, North Carolina
-Beach, a lot of it.
-Family Reunion
-mud fight
-South Carolina
Friday June 27th- Long car ride down to VA. I listened to music, read and finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and semi-watched a few movies including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, National Treasure 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We had the youngsters and the elders in the cars which meant a bunch of stops to pee and eat and pee and eat. Arrived at our Hampton Inn hotel with Aunt Tricia and co, the Povalls, and another family from Cameron’s dance team. We went swimming in the hotel pool for a long while and went to sleep.
Saturday June 28th- When we woke up we had the typical Hampton Inn breakfast (they did at least). The group of us sat around the breakfast room for a while and all the kids we were making a big ruckus. What fun! The twins started singing the ABCs really loud. It was cute. We had another long drive to Topsail Island. The traffic was backed up forever and luckily we took a route that was a teeny bit out of the way or we would have been in dead traffic for hours. There must have been some kind of accident. We got to the houses in Topsail around 4:30/5. Everyone else had already arrived and unloaded their things. We lugged all of our stuff up into our rooms. I ended up sleeping in a different room then I was supposed to just because was able to have a real bed instead of a trundle bed. We explored the houses; they were SO nice. Everything was pre-furnished and very classy. Took some photos, ate some food, the usual. Went crab hunting at night. We walked super far down the beach chasing down crabs and collecting them all in a big bucket. Took some unsuccessful night photos. The end.
Sunday June 29th- Today was my birthday! Woke up to a lot of people yelling Happy Birthday. It was really nice. I was busy typing other stuff so here is the short version of the day: Family reuniting for the first time, the power going out during the reuniting, crab hunting on the beach, crab hunting feeling like Forrest Gump because as we walked down the beach we were collecting more and more people. There were people that were from our family, many who weren’t. We were all from different areas of the country. It was so funny.
Monday June 30th- Bike ride, I think? I can’t remember exact details. Hung out on the beach most of the day. Big get together at the McDermott household. Had the family photo. Walked on the beach. Took a lot of photos of everyone hanging out. Probably watched a movie back at the house.
Tuesday July 1st- Beach day again I think. Hillary, Kean, Shanna and I went to this really cool fishing spot under a huge bridge.
There was a lot of mud. I think we were all anticipating what was to come: a mud fight. It could have been worse, we could have rolled around in it a bunch. It was still super fun though. We got back covered in mud. I think this is written in the correct day. Afterwards we cleaned ourselves up. Rode bikes to a pig roast party at the McDermott household with Kean. Walked all the way down the beach with Kean to the pier. It was an awesome walk. The sun was setting and the clouds were beautiful!
For some reason I wore my sneakers and with sand in the back of my shoe I got a really bad blister, poo! We rode back to the house and then hung out with the cousins. Walked on the beach? I don’t remember.
Wednesday July 2nd- Went to church with the entire family. Went to one of the houses, had family Olympics on the beach, hung out on the beach, swam around, went in really deep water hunting for things, didn’t find anything.
Thursday July 3rd- Hillary, Kean and I went to go find this sand bar swimming place that he saw when he was fishing but there to be no road on the opposite side of the lake, just lots of private camping grounds. We nixed that idea and started driving around for a little bit. After finding nothing too interesting we headed back across the bridge (lots of traffic) where they were setting up for that nights July 3rd fireworks extravaganza (weird). We went home, had a nice dinner. Hmm I think today was the dance party today. We were flagged down by one of the uncles on the beach and he told us it was mandatory. We cut some rug at the house. It was a fun time. I enjoyed it. We all did. We took the (what seemed to be) very long walk back to our house. I cut my toe on a rock, eek!
Friday July 4th- Woke up and walked around the beach a bit. Hung around with Hillary and Shanna and ect. Hillary, Uncle Glenn, Kean and I decided to go to this spot to go kayaking and sailing. We borrowed the kayak from our cousins down the street. We had a wee bit of trouble getting the kayak attached to the car, it was all good though. Uncle Glenn took us to this spot where he and Megan had gone sailing a few days earlier. It was beautiful. I am so glad I had my phone there to take photos, and I am grateful that it didn’t drown in the water like a few…ehemm…others over the week. But anyway. Hillary and I were in the kayak and the other two were in the sail boat. After slowly kayaking around for a bit we saw that the boys had parked their boat in what seemed to be the middle of the lake. We heave-hoed our way across the lake (literally). Turns out that there was a HUGE sand bar. It was probably, definitely the highlight of the trip. As the tide went out the sand bar got bigger and bigger. We had a great time. There were giant hermit crabs, fish, and clams everywhere. After swimming around for a bit we decided to learn to clam. We saw a guy in the water and we went out to him and asked him what the deal was. He showed us to stand in this very muddy sand (it was weird feeling but so fun!) a little bit out from the shoreline. You then have to walk-dance around and dig around in the mud with your toes to feel for clams. It’s a simple as that. Except, the clams are kind of hard to dig out. Considering that the water is murky and you are holding on to these things with your toes makes for an interesting combination. So, we learned how to clam. After about 5 hours. Yes, FIVE hours later and 100 clams richer we decided to set sail. It was getting close to the 6 pm dinner time and the July 4th festivities. They ate the clams for dinner
Standing alone on the balcony overlooking the ocean and the rows of houses igniting fireworks was wonderful and beautiful. The bursts of light from the fireworks created an eerie glow on the clouds above and each colorful flame lit up the small pools in the swamps different colors. I took a bunch of photos out there and realized after a few minutes that there was no one left from my family…er…my immediate family. I hurried outside, said goodbyes to the California cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, whatever else they may have been. We wont be seeing them for a while.
Saturday July 5th - Woke up around 4:30/5 am to watch the sun rise. It was beautiful. I walked around for a bit and hunted for sea glass on the beach. I packed everything in my suitcase, threw my bags in the car and we all said our goodbyes. Right now my dad, Shanna and I are in the car headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We are staying over night there with Cameron and my mom. They are having a wrap up party for the dance competition. I guess we’ll just hang out at the beach or something. Who knows! We then leave tomorrow to trek home, hopefully very early. We have a 12-ish hour drive back home, depending on traffic and ect. Oh joy.
Well, this is one vacation closer to my departure to Ohio. I am ready for it.
Update: Last night was a bunch of fun. We got uuga-boogaed by Cam’s dance company. Don’t ask. My family and the Povalls walked around this boardwalk place. We went to a fudge shop where a guy was singing a lot and was really fun and went to this huge candy store where they had everything imaginable. We are now on our way driving home. We left around 4:15 am this morning from the hotel. We stopped around 8 at a Cracker Barrel and then at a gas station and then at a Taco bell to pee. I think we are in or around Petersburg, Virginia, where ever that may be. I see a sign for Falling Creek, a Phillip Morris Factory, and exit 67B. That doesn’t mean much. I slept for a lot of the ride, watched Sky High with Cameron and now I am writing this entry and writing an email and texting a few friends. Woopie do.
What I would give to be traveling the world right now…
My aunt said to my mom the other day after looking at my photos: “you should just send Cayce on a trip around the world instead of college!”
YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH HAPPINESS THAT WOULD BRING ME. Indescribable amounts.
I need to go, experience, live. Get out of this 9-5 work day, white picket fenced in world that I live in and do something with the time that remains.
Entering Richmond, Virginia. Exciting. I see the Virginia Holocaust museum on the left and a bunch of tall bank buildings on the right. It looks like a nice city. I’ve never been though. I just saw a thrift store out the left side of the window that I would really like to go to right now and there is a lady driving in the next lane over who’s drivers side door is completely smashed in. I don’t know how she is driving it right now. Wow.
This makes me look forward to the 18 hour drive up to Minnesota in 2 months. Less. AY!
I feel like I am writing a novel. Sorry for the length of this. It’s hard to cram 10ish days into a few paragraphs.
Paul Baribeau makes me happy. As does the adventure I am going on tomorrow with Mike. It’s a surprise adventure. Oh boy! I’m bringing the eggos. If we have any. I think we do, I hope!
400 (ish) miles remain: TRAFFIC. stop go stop go stop go STOP.
251 miles remain: Dark clouds are looming in the distance. It looks like we’re in for a lot of rain in the next legs of our journey.
A sign just said PARIS: 51 miles. Oh how I wish I could be in the European country side right now.
245 miles remain: We never hit rain. My dad decided it was best to avoid traffic by not going on 95. We added a lot of miles to the trip. We made another pit stop and are stopping again in 2 ish hours to eat lunch. It’s 1:11 now. Make a wish. To be out of this car! 19 Minutes left of my computer battery and I have gotten this blog entry to almost 3 pages and the letter to over 1 page. Goodness. Time does fly. I have not written this much in a while. It feels good not to be writing something for school. Solely my opinions and experiences and feelings. Fun! I doubt you will take your time to read this entire entry. I might not even read it ever again. Just having it here is comforting. I think I am afraid of forgetting experiences, people, things. Or them forgetting me. Maybe this is why I take photographs? It’s hard to define your meaning in life but I know I am here to document, to witness and this is what I am going to do.
0 miles remain: Home. It’s been a while.
I go to Ohio on Sunday for orientation and for choosing my classes. I'll be there a few days and hopefully make some friends!
it's been too long since I've been out of this country. I am ready to go! It wont be for a long while.
(best (sexiest) man in the world)
