USS North Carolina

One of the places I was most excited to show Evan while we were in Wilmington was the USS North Carolina Battleship.  He has developed an intense love of Navy ships and planes, and he and I put together a large Lego style replica of the USS Missouri Battleship that he got for Christmas.  The USS North Carolina is a proud piece of North Carolina and U.S. history, and I knew he would appreciate it.  He missed out on going with his previous Cub Scout troop and his new Cub Scout troop on trips to see and spend the night on this battleship and an aircraft carrier, and he was really disappointed.  He was very appreciative that he got to visit this place.

This battleship served proudly in the Pacific theater of World War II.  

Replicas of both the USS North Carolina battleships.  The first one was a sailing vessel from the 1800s.  The second one was launched in 1940.  

A National Historic Landmark and a memorial to the men and women from our state who served in World War II. 

Of course, Daddy and Evan were interested in the guns. 

Evan liked seeing a plane on the ship, and Mattox enjoyed using one of the guns. 

This little guy really enjoyed manning this gun.

The boys headed up some very tight stairs into a compartment that really made my claustrophobia come out, but I persevered to follow them.  It was actually neat in the cramped space where the men who loaded the biggest guns did their jobs.  It looked cramped for the two dimensional mannequins in the compartments so I can only imagine how it felt to a full grown man.  The very heavy projectiles would come up on a special elevator from below the ship and had to be lifted and rammed into the chamber.  Then, six powder bags had to be loaded behind the projectile. 

While at sea, the Captain had special quarters right behind the helm of the ship.  When not at sea, the Captain enjoyed much larger and more luxurious quarters on the main deck. 

The boys enjoyed sitting in the Captain's chair and driving the ship. 

The Chart House is the navigational center for the ship. 

My boys loved being on a real battleship. 

The boys sitting on one of the huge anchors of the ship.  I used to work on the Portsmouth, VA waterfront near the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and I used to sit and watch the big ships from my office window.  It was a great view.  They worked on both Navy ships as well as commercial ships like cruise ships. 

The ship had an impressive battle history in the Pacific theater of World War II. 

The boys were excited to head down below ship to see where the men lived and slept. 

The cafeteria boasted a large kitchen with a huge mixer and pots to cook for the hundreds or thousands of men on board. 

It also had many conveniences of home like stores, a soda fountain complete with an ice cream machine, and a barber shop. 

A post office and a dental office were also important additions to the ship. 

And now my post gets PG-13 rated.  Haha!  Apparently, you lose your right to privacy in the Navy. 

A pharmacy, doctor's office, operating room and isolation ward for more serious illnesses were also a necessity. 

Officer's enjoyed a fun hang out space, and I thought the explanation for the term Scuttlebutt as a drinking fountain was educational.  Did you know a "scuttlebutt" was a person who gossips because men gossiped around the water fountain on the ship? 

And isn't this just the cutest Navy sailor or officer you've ever seen?  

A Short Trip to Wilmington and Carolina Beach, NC

Last month we added another stop on our tour of our state we have been accomplishing this last year. It is amazing how many wonderful things there are to explore "in our own backyard."  Of course, some of the places we visit in our own state take us as long to get to as something 5 states away.  We will be traveling to Orlando, Florida next week, and it will take us about the same amount of time or less to drive there as it did to drive to the mountains a few weeks ago.  Our trip to Wilmington, NC wasn't too bad and only took a couple of hours on the interstate.  Wilmington, NC really needs a longer trip to explore because it is full of historical gems.  I could have taken hundreds of pictures of historical markers alone with so many very old houses of historical significance.  Wilmington is another very old city on the east coast and is North Carolina's only real ocean port on the Cape Fear River.  The rest of our coastline is too dangerous for big ships with the barrier islands and the notorious Graveyard of the Atlantic off the coast.  I wish we could have explored a little more of Wilmington, but we were only there for one night for Daddy's work conference.  He attended the annual meeting of the Carolina Loggers Association which is closely affiliated with his Association.  He also works with all of the loggers through his Prologger program which provides yearly training and certification to our state's loggers to maintain their SFI (sustainable forestry initiative) standing.  Remember the logos you are supposed to look for on your wood product purchases?  So while Daddy was in his meetings, the boys and I went out to explore a little.  We headed up the road a little ways to see Carolina Beach which is a beautiful beach that makes you think fondly of old beach music and shagging.  They have a fun boardwalk that is a great place to hangout during the summer.  Eddie and I went with some friends one weekend the first summer we were dating, but we haven't been back since sadly.  The boys and I may have to go back this summer.

We stayed at the fancy Hilton on the riverfront and enjoyed walking on the Riverwalk.  Across the river, you will notice the big U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship which we visited on Saturday.  Evan loves anything involving ships and planes right now. 

Just a little sneak peek at the Battleship. 

With Wilmington still being a thriving port city, you will see a lot of big ships along the riverfront.  Cocoa went with us on this trip, but she had to sleep in the car for one night since the hotel didn't allow dogs.  She enjoyed her walks with Daddy. 

A new Veterans' Memorial was erected beside our hotel. 

There are so many old buildings, houses, and churches.  I thought the Jewish Temple was lovely, and I of course love the old trees dripping with Spanish Moss along the streets of the old city.  The old Cotton Exchange warehouse has been converted into trendy shops across from our hotel, and we explored that and enjoyed some yummy homemade ice cream. 

The boys and I joined Eddie for dinner and dancing at the Carolina Loggers Association meeting in the hotel.  We attempted a selfie of our family, and Evan thought he looked cool in his shades.  Brody enjoyed kicking off the party and having the dance floor to himself.  He had some pretty serious moves!

The boys and I loved visiting Carolina Beach, and the boys attempted to do some shagging on the stage. 

They loved posing for pictures in this fun little beachfront area.

My cute sharks, divers, and surfer. 

Heading to the ocean of course.  It just beckons to us with its sweet, soothing voice. 

We took off our shoes, and the sand felt nice and warm.  The sun was shining, the sky was a beautiful Carolina blue, and we found some nice seashells. 

I captured some beautiful shots of seagulls flying. 

The boys ventured into the water a little to rinse off their shells.  It was pretty chilly, but it was still probably warm compared to the west coast water in summer.  We just prefer our water temp to be more like bath water.  Ha!

Selfies on the beach.  Loving my little $5 selfie stick. 

My big "almost teenager." 

The boardwalk is such a nice place to hangout with swings to sit in and watch the ocean.  

The boys and I ate lunch at a little oyster bar.  No oysters for us.  I had fish and chips, and they had some chicken tenders. 

Of course, the boys had to play on the tractor that was brought for the loggers meeting. 

Demonstrating how big the tires are.  

Now, I have several more posts to catch up on from our trip to Wilmington, last month's activities, and Mattox's 12th month and first birthday before we hit the road next week for our big Spring Break trip.  Evan is also out of school for three weeks so that means these boys will be driving me up the wall.  Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it all!