Canada Day!

Today is Canada Day and they celebrate the birth of their nation in a similar fashion - flags and fireworks! George and Adalaya also celebrated it by dunking themselves in the frigid waters of Lake Huron. We've been wanting to swim in these beautiful lakes for awhile now, but because of the temperature of the water, the chilly wind, and the rocky coast we have not submerged more than our feet. But today we found a nice sandy beach and it was a bit warmer (although still plenty windy) so we attempted it. All bodily alarms went off once we got knee deep, so we had to increase the stakes. We have been allotting ourselves one indulgent ice-cream cone per week, so we set the stakes to an extra ice-cream cone (with 2 scoops) in a waffle cone with sprinkles to anyone that fully submerged themselves (including their head). I decided that I don't like ice-cream that much, so I wimped out and opted to document the event. Unfortunately, I can't get the video to load, but here's a few photos.

The task at hand...

And the spoils...

Biggest, Best, and First in NC

We have been learning a lot about NC while we've been on the coast. I had no idea how many claims-to-fame our state has. I know that Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi. It was also NC's first state park. And everyone knows that we were "First in Fight". We visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial where the first flight actually happened, and it's actually located in Kill Devil Hills, not Kitty Hawk. We got to fly kites where the Wright Brothers tested out their gliders and first aeroplane. We also visited Roanoke Island, location of "The Lost Colony" - the first Brittish Colony in America, although the colonists did not survive to tell their tale. And the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in North America at 208 ft. Not to mention venus flytraps! What a state!

NC Outer Banks

We've spent the last few days exploring the Outer Banks of NC. David Senseney has graciously hosted us in his house on Ocracoke for 3 nights - a great refuge to escape most of the bugs and heat, and be able to shower off the sweat, sand, and saltwater. He took us out to a nearly-deserted part of the beach in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore; the best place to "bare-butt body surf". We also went to Springer's Point Preserve on the Sound, reputed to be Blackbeard's favorite hang-out and near to where he was eventually beheaded. Aarrgh! And speaking of beheading, Adalaya has become an expert green-headed horse-fly killer.