One more place checked off our bucket list.  But first, some people say that they have a black cloud following them.  That’s not us.  What’s following us, though, I believe is an arctic cold front which has hitched a ride on our back bumper.  Maybe it’s me but wherever we have gone recently a cold front is just around the corner.  Proof?  We woke this morning with the temperature hovering around 47 degrees!  This is getting down right ridiculous.  Warm weather, spring weather where, oh where ,are you?

Well, anyway, a few short steps and we were in a warm house after waking up this morning.  We were on a mission this morning, to check off another place on our bucket list.  We were going to the whirligig park in Wilson, North Carolina.  It was going to be a long ride but so what we have nothing but time on our hands.

But before I get into that.  Some say that I get all the toys for Graybeard and that poor Barbara never gets a thing.  Well, as we know yesterday she finally got the cherry red pots she’s had her eye on for some time.  Today, she got another I would really like to have item.  This time it was a patio mat for outside our front door.  A good way to add some

class to future sites we’ll stay at and an even better way to keep from tracking dirt inside.

Now for that place we checked off our bucket list today.  It is known today as the Vollis 

Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina.  Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum is part of a public/private partnership that includes the City of Wilson, Wilson Downtown Properties, Wilson Downtown Development Corporation, and others.

The so-called artist behind the creations in the park was a man known as Vollis Simpson.

 

Now Vollis Simpson never called himself an artist.  He began making gigantic kinetic sculptures at his family farm in Wilson County when he was nearing retirement age. He kept making his “whirligigs”–seven days a week–until about six months before he died at the age of 94 in May of 2013. When he died in 2013, the New York Times described Simpson as “a visionary artist of the junkyard…who made metal scraps into magnificent things that twirled and jangled and clattered when he set them out on his land.”

The field of these “whirligigs” soon began attracting the attention of local people, and after the rise of the Internet, visitors from out-of-state. Without any official advertising, Simpson’s farm became one of Wilson County’s top tourism destinations.

The Whirligigs incorporate highway and road signs, HVAC fans, bicycles, ceiling fans, mirrors, stovepipes, I-beams, pipe, textile mill rollers, ball bearings, aluminum sheeting, various woods, steel rods, rings, pans, milkshake mixers and many more such materials form the support and moving parts.

Simpson cut decrepit road signs into one-inch and larger squares so that the whirligigs would be reflective at night.

Images inside the whirligigs are farm animals and people; references to Simpson’s experiences, such as the many WWII era airplanes; lumberjacks sawing wood; and a guitar player based on Simpson’s son.

As Simpson’s health declined he wasn’t able to grease or paint the 40′-50′ tall sculptures that were made from recycled industrial parts and endured rain, sun, and hurricanes for thirty years. It became clear that without intervention, Wilson’s number one attraction would soon disappear. In 2010, a plan was announced to create the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Historic Downtown Wilson. Simpson was delighted that his work would survive and continue to delight people for generations to come.

Today the park is a reality.  30 of his original creations are now at the park restored and persevered for future generations.  And here they are for you to see and marvel at.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we did when we were there today.

So there you have them.  Much more impressive when you see them first hand all in motion.  We are definitely glad we made the time to go to the park knowing we may never have the chance again.

Back home again we settled in for the afternoon.  Picking up on the I’m retired theme I promptly took my afternoon nap.  After that I did a few odds and ends around Graybeard, Barbara continued to attack our laundry.  Can you imagine how much she would have had if I changed my t-shirts every day instead of every week!  I do my part to make life easy for her.

By the way someone asked since I’m always talking about the two of us traveling down the road side by side, singing our song – what is your song?  I guess the words from the Willie Nelson song best fit us:

On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
Goin’ places that we’ve never been
Seein’ things that we may never see again And we can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We’re the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way

Now for supper.  I’ve been waiting for this since we got here.  German potato pancakes, pot roast, and chocolate eclair cake for dessert.  Thanks mom for making one of my favorite meals.  I do believe Graybeard is going to be a bit down on the left front by the time we leave here.

So the day is done.  It has been one super day all around.  A day spent together, enjoying life to the fullest.  Hope you enjoyed your day as well.  If only everyone could have as much fun as we are I believe the world would be so much better.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

 

Read more: Willie Nelson – On The Road Again Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Electricity and Water are a Bad Mix!  Tell you why in a minute.  This morning neither of us was moving all too fast, actually we were barely moving at all because of the night before.  The forecast for last night was for severe storms, high winds, and soaking rain.  They were not wrong.  At 10 pm the thunder rolled, then the rain came, and came, and continued to come, and the winds rocked us as if we were in a cradle.  Nothing we haven’t had before so I went right to sleep confident all would be well.  Oh silly me!

It was around 4 am and Barbara nudged me and said We don’t have electricity.  OK, I thought so mom’s house has lost electricity.  Then I looked out and discovered that her porch light was still on.  Now what in the world, I thought.  Well, first things first, switch the fridge over to propane and then let’s noodle this one out.  Fridge up and running, next I walked around to the other side of Graybeard and I knew in an instant what had happened.  I had failed to think things through once again, I forgot that her yard floods

and I had forgotten to lift the electrical junction between the two 50 amp cords onto a couple of leveling blocks before I went to bed.  The net result was that it was sitting in about 6 inches of water and as we all know electricity and water just don’t mix.  Into the house, find the right breaker, yup it was tripped, turn it back on and we were good to go again.  Ah well, tonight I’m sure will be a better night since there is no rain in the forecast and ,of course, I now have the junction of the two elevated just in case.

This, by the way, is a picture of Graybeard in mom’s driveway.  Kind of nice, just pull in

 

plug-in (and elevate the junction in the future) and you have a wonderful location for the duration.  The front door is to the left in the picture above which means just a couple of steps to hot showers, fantastic meals, and the best of company.

Well, we did eventually get up and get going.  Mom needed to go shopping, so we all went to the Wal-Mart Super Center.  She got the things she needed for her house, and we got what we needed for our house.  My sister had also just given us an induction cook top and a gift certificate for pots to use on it.  So today we picked up a couple of new pots, bright red at that.  Thanks sis!  We can’t wait to try this new gizmo out.

Back home Barbara and I had things to do.  But not before a nap, for me, which was definitely in order after the nights escapade.  After that Barbara worked on finishing our laundry.  I began working on Graybeard:  cover the tires, vacuum the lockers out, store the staples we brought back from Wal-Mart, and store the new toys I received from Amazon today – more on the way tomorrow and the next day.

So, that was the sum of our day.  Another great day by all counts.  Night is now all around us and between you and me it is going to be an early night.  We do need our beauty sleep!  As I sit here typing this tonight I’m thinking we are definitely living up to our mission statement, new states, new friends, boldly going where we have not been before.  Mom asked us the other day are you enjoying this new life and we both agreed yes, yes we are.  Most importantly, though, we continue to do it together, traveling down the road, side by side, singing our song.

Hope you had a great day as well.  The days we have to live are so precious and who knows how many we will be given.  So let’s make the most of every one.  Here’s a thought for each of us to ponder tonight and going forward:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

We’ve got the best of the best for the next several days.  We’re parked in my mom’s driveway, perfectly level and with electric.  Showers in the house as well as meals.  It doesn’t get much better than this. Thanks mom!

Sunday morning, warm, breezy, overcast with the promise of showers early and then severe weather this evening.  Right on cue, the showers came this morning at 9 am.  No real problem since the front door is just a few steps away.

Once up and moving we all went to mom’s church for morning service.  She has been a member of this Presbyterian Church for more years than I can remember.  It’s always nice to say thanks to our God for the great life that Barbara and I are enjoying and so church is a must for us.

Afterwards we all went to a small country restaurant that mom has been

coming to for years called the Country Biscuit.  Wow, was it ever packed but we were able to find a table and settled in for some promised great food.  We were not disappointed at all.  An hour or so later tummies full we headed for home.

Once home, Barbara began to tackle the mountain of dirty clothes we had accumulated over the past two weeks.  I began to look for a campground in the Charlottesville, VA area so we could stop in and visit Barbara’s sister Carol who is currently hospitalized and will probably be so for the next several weeks.  Both missions were successful.

Then, for a few hours, we all sat and played a game of dominoes and yours truly triumphed over all!

OK, let’s go back for a final time to the Outer Banks.  Yesterday we were at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.  Just a few more notes about some of the exhibits at the museum.  One of the craziest things to occur off the coast of the Outer Banks was what is known as the Chip Wreck.  The picture below details what happened, when and how.

Another exhibit here is about the Alligator which was the Navy’s first

submarine.  The 47-foot-long Alligator was the first submarine ever deployed to a combat zone.  The green torpedo-shaped vessel was a technological wonder on par with the Monitor.  It’s design included a number of pioneering innovations for a ship of its type, including an air purification system and a diver lockout chamber.

Ordered to Port Royal, the Alligator set sail under tow of the screw gunboat USS Sumpter on 29 March. On April 2nd, off Cape Hatteras, the wind picked up and blew a gale from the northwest. When it shifted to the southwest and increased to “a heavy gale,” the Alligator continued to tow smoothly. But by 5 pm the seas had increased and the Sumpter was taking water. The sub began “towing hard,” and one of the two hawsers attached to her parted so that she began to “steer wildly.” A hurried council of officers agreed that cutting the Alligator loose was the only way to save the Sumpter, whose engines were already laboring with two feet of water in the hold. At 6 pm, that was done. The submarine was lost at sea.

While searches for the wreck of the Alligator have so far proved inconclusive, interest in her continues ashore in libraries, classrooms, studios, workshops, thanks to a dedicated team of historians, naval experts, engineers, modelers, artists, teachers, and students who have joined forces to uncover the elusive submarine’s secrets.

There are so many other exhibits here at the museum but there is not enough time or space to detail them all.  Take a moment and check them out at https://graveyardoftheatlantic.com/gallery/

Moving north now we next went to the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras.  Here’s Barbara at the entrance to the park.

Construction of a lighthouse at Cape Hatteras was first authorized in 1794, however, construction did not begin until 1799. The first lighthouse was lit in October of 1803. Made of sandstone, it was 90 feet tall with a lamp powered by whale oil.

The 1803 lighthouse was unable to effectively warn ships of the dangerous Diamond Shoals because it was too short, the unpainted sandstone blended in with the background, and the signal was not strong enough to reach mariners. Additionally, the tower was poorly constructed and maintained. Frequent complaints were made regarding the lighthouse.

In 1853, following studies made by the Lighthouse Board, it was decided to add 60 feet to the height of the lighthouse, thereby, making the tower 150 feet tall. The newly extended tower was then painted red (now it is black not red) on top of white making the lighthouse more recognizable during the day. At the same time, the tower was retrofitted with a first order Fresnel lens, which used refraction as well as reflection to channel the light, resulting in a stronger beam.

The new lighthouse was lit on December 1, 1870. The 1803 lighthouse was demolished in February of 1871. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse received the famous black and white

stripe daymark pattern in 1873. The Lighthouse Board assigned each lighthouse a distinctive paint pattern (daymark) and light sequence (nightmark) to allow mariners to recognize it from all others during the day and night as they sailed along the coast.

In 1999, after years of study and debate, the Cape Hatteras Light Station was moved to its

present location. The lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet in 23 days and now lies 1,500 feet from the seashore, its original distance from the sea. The Double Keepers’ Quarters, the Principal Keeper’s Quarters, the dwelling cisterns, and the oil house were all relocated with the lighthouse.

One of the most intriguing stories regarding the lighthouse was what occurred to it during the Civil War.  Take a few minutes and read about it here http://coastalcottageobx.com/cape-hatteras-lighthouse-the-mystery-of-the-fresnel-lens/

Leaving the lighthouse we started back toward the ferry for Ocracoke.  While on the way there we came across this strange home along the side of the road.  It is called the UFO

house.  A shiny silver flying saucer house — about as way, way out as you can get and still be on dry land. The portable, prefabricated home was designed in 1968 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen.  Its owner, LeRoy Reynolds, sometimes dresses in a green alien suit to greet visitors.  It’s current owner has had it since 2000-something. He said he was told by the town to close the door and seal it up. He said no. They are currently letting him use it for storage.  The house is now the mascot of the local art gallery.

Back in Ocracoke, we decided to find a place to get a cup of coffee and maybe a bagel or muffin or whatever.  We discovered this neat little coffee shop on a back road in town.

What was even more interesting were some of the signs they had posted inside.

 

 

Well, there is so much more to share.  The story of the weather station, the ponies that once used to roam the island, the boy scouts who used to ride them bareback, the history of the mail service on the island, how the island was originally supplied by a fleet of boats, the history of the island itself and the list goes on.  But I believe I’m going to call this blog finished.  I encourage you if you ever have the chance set aside several days and go explore the rich history that is everywhere you look in the Outer Banks.  We’re already talking of going back but this time taking Graybeard and staying for several days in one or two of the many campgrounds that are out there.

So our day is done.  It was a wonderful day in so many ways.  We spent the day with my mom, as we well for the next several days.  We laughed, we ate, we enjoyed each others company.  Life just doesn’t get much better than this.  We hope you had a great day as well.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

So Cedar Island is now nothing more than a distant memory.  We enjoyed our time here and would return in the future, if it fit into our plans.  We left this morning under clear skies and brilliant sunshine.  Leaving I left the car off Graybeard and had Barbara lead the way out.  This decision was the right one as the trip out was as easy as could be.  We finally hooked up in Havelock at the Cherry Point Marine Base and traveled as one unit for the next hour to my Mom’s house.  So much for our trip out.  Let’s get going on the Outer Banks again.

Yesterday we ended with the first ferry ride from Cedar Island to Ocracoke.  It took just over 2 hours for the trip.  No time though to take in the sights in Ocracoke, we had another ferry to make.  The ferries typically load between 5-10 minutes before departure and if you’re not there then you lose. Best not to risk the inconvenience of waiting for the next ride by simply being there close to departure time.  So, we made our way through town – narrow two lane road – and continued north on the one and only north to south road which is Route 12.

Thirty minutes or so later we were at the second ferry terminal.  Our second cruise ship would be the Frisco which is of the Hatteras Class.  The North Carolina Ferry System

operates seven Hatteras Class ferries. These Vessels draft only 4 feet, and are designed for the shallow waters and shifting shoals of Eastern North Carolina.   The Hatteras / Ocracoke ferry is one of the most popular of the seven coastal ferry routes.  Open for everyone, with daily runs that occur 365 days a year, the island-hopping ferry provides an integral link for Ocracoke Island to the rest of the Outer Banks and provides visitors of all seasons with an exciting way to enjoy a coastal day trip. We arrived with time to spare, got on line and in no time were on board.  This ferry cost was free.

A bit over an hour later we were ready to leave our second cruise ship and visit our first museum which was the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

With more than 2,000 shipwrecks sunk off the Coast of North Carolina, in what’s called the Graveyard of the Atlantic, it was only natural to build a museum to honor and preserve the maritime culture of the Outer Banks.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is that structure.  A state-of-the-art structure, the year-round museum houses and displays artifacts, and presents a variety of exhibits and interprets the rich maritime culture that includes war, piracy, ghost ships and more. The 18,768 sq. ft. building is constructed to withstand sustained winds of over 135 mph and gusts of over 250 mph and is elevated 12 ft. above sea level surpassing the thousand-year flood plain. The Museum’s design features ship’s curves and timber elements evocative of seafaring vessels.

The lobby features the stunning and original, 1854, First Order Lens from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (more on the Lighthouse later).

Some of the more notable wrecks (time & space don’t permit mention of all that is here) detailed here at the museum are, first of all, the wreck of the USS Monitor.  Built during the American Civil War, she  was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the Union

Navy.  The unique design of the ship, distinguished by its revolving turret was quickly duplicated and established the monitor type of warship.  Monitor is most famous for her central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9 March 1862, where, under the command of Lieutenant John Worden, she fought the ironclad CSS Virginia (built on the hull of the former steam frigate USS Merrimack) to a standstill.

After this, the Monitor was eventually ordered to join the blockaders of North Carolina in December.  On her way there being towed by the Rhode Island the Monitor pitched and swayed in the rough seas 16 miles off Cape Hatteras.  As time went on, the caulking around the gun turret loosened and water began to leak into the hull. More leaks developed as the journey continued. High seas tossed the craft, causing the ship’s flat armor bottom to slap the water. Each roll opened more seams, and by nightfall on December 30, the Monitor was in dire straits.

The Monitor’s commander, J.P. Bankhead, signaled the Rhode Island that he wished to abandon ship. The wooden side-wheeler pulled as close as safety allowed to the stricken ironclad, and two lifeboats were lowered to retrieve the crew. Many of the sailors were rescued, but some men were terrified to venture onto the deck in such rough seas. The ironclad’s pumps stopped working and the ship sank before 16 crew members could be rescued.

Monitor’s wreck was discovered in 1973 and has been partially salvaged.  Her guns, gun turret, engine and other relics are on display the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

Other artifacts at the museum also include those of the German U-boat 85 and artifacts from it. This picture is of a model of the U-boat built for the museum.  The following

picture gives some of the history of the U Boat, its operations  and what eventually  happened of the Coast of Hatteras.

This is a picture of a model of the destroyer USS Roper which sank the U85.

These are pictures of some of the artifacts from the U85 and on loan to the museum.  This is a picture of the actual hatch cover and the following pictures are of other artifacts.

Yet, another notable wreck off the Hatteras coast was that of the USS Huron.  The Huron and her sister ships were the last American made naval vessels to be built of iron rather than steel.  The ship was also equipped with sails to supplement her steam engine.

Following repairs at New York, the Huron left Hampton Roads, VA Friday, November 23, 1877 on a voyage to Havana, Cuba to survey the surrounding coast. On her first night out to sea, the ship encountered a heavy storm blowing from the southeast. The storm combined with a small error in the ship’s compass caused the Huron to run aground off Nags Head at 1:30 a.m., November 24.

Even though the Huron was only 200 yards from the beach, the heavy surf, strong currents and cold temperature prevented most of the crew members from attempting the swim to shore. Most of the crew tried to remain on the ship in the hope that help would arrive. However, no one came to the aid of the sailors; lifesaving stations had been closed until December. The elements eventually took their toll on the storm battered men. Many lost their strength and were washed overboard by waves. One huge wave swept at least 12 sailors away at one time. In all, 98 men lost their lives during the night.

The federal government was severely criticized for its failure to provide adequate funding for the United States Lifesaving Service. This disaster along with another ship

wreck shortly after prompted Congress to appropriate funding to build additional lifesaving stations along the North Carolina coast and increase their months of operation.

There is also an exhibit about the Lifesaving Service and it’s network of stations as well

as a typical lifesaving boat of that day and age.

Time now to wrap this blog up for the day.  We’ll pick up again tomorrow with more of what we did while on the Outer Banks.  We’ll add some more about the museum and, of course, other places we discovered and what we learned.

Needing a place to call home after our first day on the Outer Banks Barbara had booked

a room at the Cape Pines Motel for the night.  I will say it was somewhat strange sleeping here.  It wasn’t Graybeard and so it wasn’t home.  But it was a place to stay.  Hey, Marti thought it was great!

Well, our day is coming to a close.  We are now at my Mom’s house and her hospitality is second to none.  Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs with Lemon Meringue pie for dessert – I felt like a king!  All in all we had a great day and we hope you had a great one as well.  We continue to marvel at how God has blessed us with good health, time together, and so many wonderful experiences day by day.  Let’s never forget when you come right down to it, it’s not how many minutes or even years you’re given to live, but what you do with that time to enrich the lives of yourself and those around you.  So tomorrow and every day make it a point to do something that will both enrich you and those around you.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before