American Journey, Part 3

First of all, happy 2nd wedding anniversary to us!!

Hey, it's just slightly more than 1 month later and I'm finally going to finish this post, how's that for timeliness.

After a fun week in Medina Ohio we all hit the road for a 1 week stay in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The 7 of us split up into two vehicles and the trek was on. We figured it was about 12 hours away but decided to split the journey in half so that it would be easier on little John (and consequently us.) I'd never been through that part of the country and while I didn't have anytime to stop and look around I got close to several famous American cities; Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Washington and Richmond Virginia. It was interesting how deeply steeped in military history the area around Washington and Virgina are. All the famous names of places I've heard in movies and seen in books were popping up on highway signs left and right. Bethesda (where JFK's 'supposed' autopsy took place, the Potomac river, Langley (the home of the CIA), Quantico (the training centre of the FBI), Williamsburg, Norfolk and Chesapeake Bay. And all this time I thought Tom Clancy was just making these places up.
There were also many ominous sounding street names such as 'Military Way.' At least I didn't see any army conveys rolling by. I guess they are all stationed overseas for the time being.
Our rental house in the Outer Banks was great. Lots of space for everyone to relax. No matter how far and wide we stretched we couldn't fill it. The pool and hot tub were also great for wiling away the days.

Our little piece of heaven.

The impetus for the creation of the remote control.

2 guys with excuses for not changing out of their pajamas.

Posing with grandma Margaret.

The look of a confident swimmer.

As tough as it was to pry us away from the house and the pool we managed to spend a lot time tramping about the area. Our house was very close to Kitty Hawk so we spent one day at the Wright Brothers' museum which is located at the field where the first powered, sustained flight took place.

The Wright brothers museum was very cool. However it doesn't fly at all. Not even a little bit. Kind of disappointing really.

One of the Wright brothers is actually mounted and stuffed in this replica of their first plane but history has forgotten which one. Just kidding. It's not a replica.

On that historic day Wilbur Wright flew for 59 seconds until he crashed into this stone marker which his brother had set up just minutes before. What a jerk.

The Wright brothers memorial monument. See the person on the left for scale. It's a real hazard for crop dusters.

We also sampled the local flavour at various shops and restaurants.

They were delicious.
Be sure to check out their website, www.trymynuts.com


An awesome kite shop near Kitty Hawk.

Check out the gigantic cow wind-sock up on the tower.

Through a combination of cutting off the blood supply to the head with his legs, and delivering slaps to the side of the head, little John is able to steer Jason wherever he wishes.

We also found a beautiful Elizabethan gardens nearby.

Gateway to the Elizabethan Gardens... and eternal damnation. Half price for students.

"Although we'd never wear it, we feel that orange is a great colour for our child to wear."

Suddenly, the water creature from the movie 'The Abyss' sprouted in front of us. Luckily, it was merely curious about us.

The Henwood clan, minus Yukiko :(

Look at that balancing, look at that framing. It took my masterful camera skills to make this spot look good.

After the gardens we went to a beautiful outdoor ampitheatre to watch a traditional musical called 'The Lost Colony.' It's about a mysterious part of American history that I was blissfully unaware of before. It was a great show with a large cast playing Natives and Pilgrims. We really lucked out because Ann booked our seats very early and we were sitting front row and centre. You can read more about the play and its colorful history here.

What happened to the Lost Colony? Only those with tickets will ever know.

"Hast thou forsaken us Sir Walter Raleigh?"

There is also a park made of sand dunes nearby. It got very hot in the middle of the day but it was a great place to hang out. You could tumble down steep inclines without fear of injury. You just had to worry about your shorts filling with sand.

An afternoon on the sand dunes.

My dad gets his severely aerodynamically challenged kite to soar majestically... briefly.

Just by looking you wouldn't know that it's only a few meters high would you? So I won't tell you.

Of course the best part of the Outer Banks are the beautiful beaches. White sands running as far as you can see in either direction. The water was beautiful too. Cool enough to keep you feeling soothed while the strong surf pounded you into the beach. A little too rough for swimming but great for boogie boarding.

My mum and John.

The first step is always the squishiest.

Couple of beach bums. Rob and John.

Sporting the latest beach fashion, little John goes cruising.

That guy on the right is really built eh?

Check out this great beach house. Wouldn't you like to live here?

Or here? The hurrican insurance must be pretty steep though.

On our last day there the guys engaged in some male bonding. Seeing as how I still owed my dad a birthday and father's day present I treated him to a half day of fishing. My brother Rob also came and we had a great day. Not great in terms of catching fish but great in terms of spending quality time together. I didn't partake in any of the brutal fish killing as I still have strong vegetarian tendencies. My dad and brother supported me by totally sucking at fishing. Thanks guys.

How come I can't look as cool as my brother?

Dad looks like a pro.

Fish sticks anyone?

With a barbaric 'yop' the mighty fisherman proudly displays his catch which shall see his tribe safely through the harsh winter.

Our boat.

On our last night in North Carolina we decided it was time to dress up John in the little 'Happy Coat' I had brought from Japan. The mums got him dressed and he just loved it. Everyone thought it was great how happy he became when he wore it. The sudden barage of flash photography put a quick end to that though.

At this point I hadn't realized that his bandana was on upside down. Or that it wasn't in fact a bandana at all but a sash worn over the shoulders.

There we go. Got it fixed a little better.

The next day my parents and Rob were kind enough to drive me to the airport. Whereas I was flying back to Japan they had to drive back to Ohio. My return flights were pretty uneventful and I got emergency exit seats with lots of legroom on the way back.