At the end of a long, unseasonably cold and cruel winter (by North Carolina standards, of course), Celeste and I decided it was time to head to the coast.
*Full disclaimer: "cold" and "cruel" simply mean that snow actually fell this year, and temperatures dipped below the seasonal averages of 40-50 degrees. I hate to admit it, and by doing so simultaneously betray my winter-wonderland roots, but after living in the Carolinas for seven years, I am now officially a cold-weather wuss. Give me the sun.
We were joined in our adventure by the lively company of my childhood friend, Gabe, who is as good-natured as he is mischievous. Thankfully his wife, Ellen (who by all standards is clearly out of his league) accompanied him and kept him in line as much as she could. Together, we made merry our Spring Break and ambled around historic
Wilmington, North Carolina.
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| Henrietta III on the Wilmington Riverwalk |
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| Aww... |
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| Wilmington and the Cape Fear River |
Our first night there we soaked in the Riverwalk while eating at The Basics, a classic down-home Southern restaurant with ribs so tender they fell off the bone, and baked macaroni that tasted like gold. It was just one of several Southern meals we shared, and by the end of it, Gabe and Ellen could see why it was so hard for us Southerners to stay fit.
We awoke the second day and toured the USS North Carolina, a WWII battleship that was involved in virtually every major battle in the Pacific theater, including Iwo Jima. The ship shot down dozens of Japanese planes (or "Zeroes" for all you history buffs out there), and even survived a torpedo attack that left it with a hole in the ship's hull 32 X 18-feet wide.
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| The USS North Carolina (BB-55) |
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| Defending Old Glory |
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| Top Gun |
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| Home Alone |
We then toured the Bellamy Mansion, one of the oldest homes in the city, complete with its gardens and slave quarters. Seeing such refined historic architecture put us in the mood for some more, so we boarded a horse-drawn carriage and took a tour through the historic districts of downtown Wilmington, where many of the homes had stood since before Lincoln, and some before Washington, Adams, and Jefferson.
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The 10,000-square foot Bellamy Mansion, built the same year the Civil War began.
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When the Union troops captured the city of Wilmington, the Bellamy Mansion was used as officers quarters. The tobacco stains on the original marble mantlepiece are from the spittin' lips of those damn Yankee invaders.
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| From L to R: Bob, Prince, Celeste, Baby Girl Olsen, Jackson, Gabe, Ellen. And yes, Celeste is 6 months pregnant. |
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| From L to R: Prince, Bob, and Ron the Tour Guide |
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| The oldest home in all of Wilmington, the Mitchell-Anderson House was constructed in 1738. |
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| Two elements of my dream house are here included: columns and a wraparound porch. Very Southern. |
On our final day in town, we decided to hit the beach. With folding chairs, cornhole boards, and a cooler full of food in tow, we made it to nearby Carolina Beach where we played in the ocean waves and laughed at old men searching for treasure with metal detectors. We played a good deal of cornhole, laid in the sun, and played a little frisbee. Gabe, in his infinite wisdom, decided to suck at throwing the frisbee and struck a sunbathing female in the head on a bad throw, kicking sand into her face at the same time. Of course, it was me who was the first responder seeing as I was the one he was supposed to be throwing it to…let's just say it was very uncomfortable for everyone involved.
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| Cornholing. |
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| Carolina Beach |
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| Be grateful I kept my upper body hidden underwater. It is known to do retinal damage in direct sunlight. |
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| The Bushes. |
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| From L to R: Forever Frosh, Most School Spirit |
Now we are back in the world of gradebooks and lessons and discipline. Does this depress us? Not really. I mean, it's not easy to come back from vacation, regardless of what job you have. And in our case, summer vacation is already rapping at the door.
Wilmington, anyone?
