Thanksgiving in Wilmington, NC

This past week has been quite a change from the normal routine, it being Thanksgiving and all. We were able to finish teaching on Tuesday, had Wednesday as a work day to catch up on things, and then we headed to Wilmington, NC just to get away for the holiday.

It was an unusual Thanksgiving, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. Celeste and I were about 3,000 miles and a $500 plane ticket away from our nearest family, so we decided to play it conservative and sit this one out on our own.

We woke up early Thanksgiving morning and went for a jog. We then went to the Wilmington disc golf course and played a little Frisbee golf, which was a lot of fun. From there we hit the beach and basked in the sunlight and in the 70-degree weather. Sure, we lost our Frisbee in the ocean after only 2 minutes of tossing it around, but it was still a lot of fun.

When we originally planned this little vacation, we had planned on eating our Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant, but one of our fellow Teach For America corps members happens to be from Wilmington, and when she found out that we were going to be there on vacation, she insisted that we have dinner with her and her family. Dinner was nice. It was a little fancier than we were used to. In place of corn on the cob there were stuffed mushrooms. In place of soda there was wine. But all in all it was a wonderful dinner and very satisfying to spend the evening with someone we knew, and to be surrounded by people that quickly became friends before the evening’s end.

So in the end, we enjoyed our time together in Wilmington. It wasn't like being home for the holidays, but we'll be there soon enough! In the meantime, enjoy these photos:

Disc golfing. On this hole we had to throw our frisbee while in mid-air. Result: awesome pictures.

Lost our frisbee in the ocean after only 2 minutes or so. I tried to get it back, but was unsuccessful.

Thanksgiving Day 2009

Orton Plantation near Wilmington

On the ferry to Bald Head Island, where the only legal transportation is in the form of golf carts and bicycles.

At the beach at Bald Head Island.

Getting around on Bald Head Island. Cute, huh?

"Old Baldy" the oldest standing lighthouse in North Carolina.

The Bridge to Wilmington, NC

Moore's Creek Bridge, the site of a pivotal Revolutionary War battle. It included soap, grease, kilts, bagpipes, trickery, and several men drowning in the creek.

Me and the bridge...and a "cool guy" pose.