8. Field Trip!

Yep.  I said field trip.  This homeschooling mama is absolutely counting one of our days of vacation as an instructional day.  And how could I not?  Riding a ferry, checking out a Civil War fort, investigating tidal pools, and exploring an aquarium....all in one day!  Surely the North Carolina Department of Education will have to give me credit for all of that!

The best way to get to Ft. Fisher is by ferry.  

Or, at least, it's the most fun way!

Visiting Ft. Fisher is always a sobering experience, partially because it's so small...  What you see in this picture pretty much encompasses the whole fort, so it's hard to believe that this tiny little piece of land was so important in the Civil War that 8,000 soldiers (4,000 Union, 4,000 Confederate) died here fighting for it.  Geographically, this little fort opened-up mainland North Carolina to whomever won it.  After the Union finally captured Ft. Fisher, the South surrendered shortly thereafter.  How heartbreaking to think of 8,000 mothers losing their sons over this teeny tract of real estate.  War is so tragic sometimes.

The trees at Ft. Fisher are beautiful, and HUGE! I can't imagine how they've weathered so many hurricanes and still stand strong.

I have no idea why sitting on a Civil War fort canon made my daughter feel prissy in this picture.
Little girls are befuddling sometimes.  ;)

The United States Flag during the Civil War, the current US flag, the North Carolina flag, and the Confederate Flag that was flown in North Carolina during the Civil War.

The last thing we did on our vacation....ummm I mean field trip.....day at Ft. Fisher was visit the Ft. Fisher Aquarium.  And the good news was that now that we're members of the North Carolina Aquarium, we got in free!  (Everything's always better when it's free!)

This is Christopher's signature "Let Me See If I Can Stick My Head In It" picture.  

One of the most interesting things in our aquarium visit this time was the area about hurricanes in North Carolina.  I guess you study them a little closer when you live close to the shore!  We even found our own city of Rocky Mount mentioned.  

One school day down, 179 to go.  :D

7. Calabash

I am madly, passionately in love with the coastal towns of North Carolina.   They are some of God's most beautiful creations.  Who could imagine anything better than spending a sunny afternoon on Nags Head, a few hours strolling the little shops of Southport, or an evening dining in the tiny fishing village of Calabash? 

When we're on vacation at the beach, we eat at Calabash most evenings.  We love the seafood, and we love the scenery.

My family's favorite Calabash restaurant.

My favorite Calabash restaurant.  This is where I get my steamed crab.
Mmmmm....crab.

John got a kick out of how when the boats come in, people who have caught sharks mount the fins to the top of the dock.  Some were pretty fresh.

6. Learning to Swim

The 6th Best Thing About Our Family Vacation This Year Was

Anna Jean learning how to swim without water wings!

(You would have thought Tim and I were coaching Michael Phelps in that video!) 

But just because Anna is a big girl who can swim now, she DOES NOT believe she is too big to jump into Daddy's arms at the pool!

One of the great things about a September beach vacation is that there is no one else around.  For the entire week we were there, we had the condo pool all to ourselves.  Glorious!

 If I had a nickel for every time John jumped in that pool....

5. Learning to Skim

While we were on vacation, Christopher dove into this teenage boy beach phenomenon known as skimboarding.  He spent quite a bit of his beach time learning to ride that thin little piece of wood across the shallow water.  NOT an easy feat!

To ride a skimboard:

1. Wax down your board with the same wax surfers use...

2.  Wait for just the right amount of water...

3.  Throw the skimboard out infront of you.  Run to catch it...

4.  Jump on it...

5.  Try not to fall!

6.  Fall.

After you've skimmed a few times, it looks a little bit like this:

And for the viewing pleasure of those in our congregation checking-out this post, I must include a video of my husband, your pastor.... skimboarding.  Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy.