Accidental tourist

I had no idea there was a NASCAR hall of fame... but there is!

Drove by this giant building full of cars...

So I decided, why not see what NASCAR has put together in their museum? 

A sort of chronology of winners on a banked track inside a building...

I wandered through the displays and took a lot of pics.  Some familiar names I remember as a youngster.... Allison, Yarborough, Petty, Waltrip, Earnhardt,  even some early racers like Teague. 

Engines and more...

Complete with air sensors

And some classic lines.  I think the cars from the 1930's have some of the most beautiful lines.

Beautiful!

See you next time!

Croatan Hike on Mountain to Sea Trail

An absolutely beautiful day for a hike.  This weekends trek was along the Neusiok Trail.  Part of the 900 mile long Mountain to Sea Trail.

Typical terrain is flat vegetation is Pine Forest. Blaze is a simple aluminum tabs.  So a GPS is really advisable.

The trail follows the Neuse River.  A beautiful view of the Croatan National Forest.

This trail can be walked to the Appalachian Mountains.

Horse trail markers.  A dual use trail system.  I met several hikers on the trail today, but no horses...

This part of the trail is near the Cherry Point Air Station, here's a Harrier flying by...

Carolina gators

A very large nest on the shore of the river

 

A beautiful day for a hike!

Birthday's are a time of reflection...

Just a little poem to some great kids I know pretty well.

One day in July a precious blessing arrived-

A wonderful girl who brightened my world – a father was I.

On another day in January a son came too and my heart grew more still.

Only a father could know the depth and joy and the love that those children bring.

So here's a small poem from a grateful Dad…

I saw you dance and you skated onto the ice as the audience applauded and a tear came to my eye.

You brought happiness to me and for that I thanked the good Lord out loud.

We ski and we bowled, we laughed and I warmed your hands before we said good bye.

Those soccer games always made my feet move as I watched you move so well – you make me proud.

As you both grow and you learn life’s lessons,  know that I’m always here for you.

All my love, from all of my heart,

-Dad

Now for something totally different...

Have to say I have never seen anything like this before!

Brunswick Town and a walk through early American history

What a great day to wander through the site of one of the first colonial towns to protest British Rule... Brunswick Town.

St Philips Anglican Church built in 1740 some 36 years before the Deceleration of Independence

The plaque outside the building and some historical facts

Brunswick Town holds the distinction in American history of being the site of one of the first armed resistances to British colonial policies, an extraordinary example of what the colonists saw as taxation without representation.

The Stamp Act in 1765, which required that stamps be purchased from the Crown and attached “to all legal documents, newspapers, gambling papers, ships’ clearance papers, and books or pamphlets”pushed the people of Brunswick Town a little too far.

The act was so offensive to the people of Brunswick Town that when the ship Diligence carrying these stamps for sale docked at their port, a number of citizens met the ship carrying muskets, frightening the captain so much that he dare not unload the dreaded stamps. This put the royal governor  in a bind. He felt bound to uphold the new law, but was sympathetic toward the feelings of the citizens. He even offered to personally pay for stamps on a number of documents and for wine licenses for certain towns. However, his generous offer was turned down. By refusing to unload his stamps in such a hostile environment, the captain of the Diligence assured that trade in Brunswick Town and the whole Cape Fear region essentially ground to a halt.

Archeological remnants of the settlement

Inside the visitor center at the Historic Site

 Another beautiful day for a little trek.  In the clear sky above I got to see an awesome sight.  The first job I had as a young engineer was at Bell Helicopter a long time ago.  While at Bell I worked on this bird... It has a great sound as it wheels those beautiful rotors through the air.  A grown up XV-15!

Just out of college, I worked on the JVX. That bird would become the very cool V-22

I'll close this post with a great name for a street I noticed today!

I like it!

Hope you enjoyed the post,  Lee.

Iowa in January is cold and snowy!

Driving into Cedar Falls and one of my favorite places the Black Hawk...

Ice on the window and some January snow - it's  Iowa in January...