Fort Eustis, the Wright Brothers, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore

My Dad landed in Fort Eustis in September of 1968. He was there to receive training from the Army's top-rated transportation division.

His MOS (Military Occupational Specialty code): 67N - Aviation Maintenance Training
A gunner on a Huey helicopter.
His training details: Crew Chief on a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter

Now, it rarely snows in this part of Virginia, but it snowed at Fort Eustis that winter in 1968 - just as it snowed for us. Dad said the base didn't have snow plows, and the only way to move the snow was to use shovels. And that is just what they did in 1968. Since then, the base has managed to get snowplows.

My cousin James and I have been swapping travel stories and photos over the past year. His dad (Uncle John) and my dad (Clyde) are brothers. One served in the Navy, the other in the Army. One is naturally bald, and the other is bald by choice. But both have stories from their service in Vietnam.


James was visiting his dad one evening - and Uncle John was sharing Navy stories. James mentioned our visit to Fort Eustis and the conversation below occurred.

Note: I hope you find it just as amusing as I did - I even laughed out loud. I couldn't get over the fact that my dad and Uncle John were talking on the phone while James sent it all via email. Gotta love technology!

From James:

I just mentioned your father to him [Uncle John] (because I'm typing to you now), and Dad is telling me that your father came from Fort Eustis to visit him on his ship in Little Creek, Virginia, in 1968, and then he told me that cousin Wayne came from Camp Pendleton to visit him in San Diego. I had not realized that Wayne had been in the USMC.

Anyway, Dad said that after your father came to visit him, Dad tried to find Uncle Clyde at Fort Eustis but could not find him.

Okay, now he's telling me (and now he knows I'm typing to you) about the "weirdest coincidence between the two of them." "One time I came in to the New Orleans airport, and if I remember this correctly, Aunt Laura and Uncle Warren came to pick me up, and by sheer accident, Uncle Clyde came in on another flight," and the four of them rode back to Raceland together! Wow! (He said that our grandparents couldn't pick them up, for some reason.)

Okay, now this is getting funny! My father just said, "Give me the phone," and he's calling your dad's house to get details!

Okay, I just heard "Michele and Richie" through the phone, and your father is saying that Fort Eustis is very near where you and Richie are near there now.

Your father says that he doesn't have any memory of that accidental meeting at the airport. My father said "dust your memory off," that it might come back in a few days!


Heehee. Isn't this the way it happens to everyone? And that is why I love my family, ladies and gentlemen! On our visit to Cape Canaveral (which you will read about in a February entry), Dad said the reason he didn't remember that incident was because he and a fellow Army bud spent 2 days driving (without a break) - and everything was a blur.

So, we drove to Fort Eustis in honor of my dad's training. It is still an active military base and security is tight - - well - - sort of.

We pulled up to the gate and were greeted by a mall cop. You've seen the movie, so you know what I'm talking about. The military seems to be doing a lot more outsourcing these days.


He took down our license plate number and checked our IDs, then he asked us what building we were going to. I told him that my dad was here in '68 and that we just wanted to drive around to check out the base. He told us that he couldn't put that down in his notes and he needed a specific location. I asked him if there is a museum on base. He said "Yes." And I told him "Well, that is where we are headed." and he let us through. Funny thing is that it was a Monday and the museum is closed on Mondays. How is that for security?

Even though the museum was closed, we were able to enjoy the leftover holiday decorations tacked to the fence surrounding the Army tanks and aircraft. I'm glad we were able to view and photograph them. Two NCOs (non-commissioned officers) showed up with a pick-up truck to take them down. The companies were clever and well designed. Here are a few of our favorites...

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After a short drive to Virginia Beach, we crashed at a delightful B&B called the Beach Spa Bed and Breakfast. Every B&B has a hook (breakfast, a hot tub, close to activities, etc.), and their hook was a spa shower which looked an awful lot like the beaming devices in Star Trek. "Beam me up, Scotty." Unfortunately, I think they spent a whole lot of money on a multi-headed singing shower. But if you are ever in Virginia Beach and want to be a block from the water and "get away from it all" - this little B&B is it.

And now we are off to the coast of North Carolina which is locally known (and pridefully called) as "The Outer Banks" or "OBX." A less pleasant name is the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" - so famously named for the 2000+ documented shipwrecks on her seashore.

The area is very fragile, but beautiful. It is a set of barrier islands known as Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where "Land and sea work in an uneasy alliance." It is less than a mile wide in most places and 100 miles in length. I was surprised to see the dunes!

Many people don't realize that The Outer Banks played a significant role in the beginning of the Civil War and in protecting the U.S. from German U-boats in WWII.



Most books list December temperatures between 40 and 55 degrees. Of course, we managed to experience the lower temperatures... 45 in the day, 32 degrees at night - and windy!

Our first stop was the Monument to a Century of Flight, just off the highway. It was created and dedicated during the First Flight Centennial in 2003. There is a time capsule that should be opened in 2103. It is amazing to think about life in 100 years...

The highlight was the entrance to the monument - a large piece of granite with the poem "High Flight" engraved on it. This poem has a special place in our hearts. Richie and I memorized this poem while in Civil Air Patrol. When we saw the title on the granite, we immediately began reciting it in unison.

"Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter silvered wings..."

Anyhow... the monument (about 100 feet further) depicts the human odyssey of flight in one century - from earthbound into the mysteries of space. It has 14 stainless steel, wing-shaped pylons ascending in height from 10 to 20 feet and are organized in an orbit of 120 feet (symbolic of the length of the Wright Brothers' first historic flight). The black granite panels chronicle 100 of the most significant events in aviation's first century.



Our next stop: The Wright Brothers' Memorial.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers living in Dayton, OH, and successfully running a bicycle shop. Due to a combination of restlessness and probably being too smart for their own good, they turned their attention to creating a machine that would allow humans to fly. They spent most of their time in Dayton, but used Kill Devil Hill in Kitty Hawk, NC, for "flight training" because it provided isolation, high dunes, strong winds, and soft landings. Each year from 1900 to 1903 they returned with an improved design, gradually developing their flying abilities and figuring out new techniques of controlling the plane. They invented the concept of wing-warping (the predecessor to modern ailerons), designed their own propeller and gasoline powered engine, and even built a wind tunnel.

Stones marking the first 3 successful flights (actually, landings).

Finally in 1903, the first brother to attempt "manned, controlled, powered, heavier-than-air" flight was Wilbur on December 14th. The flight was cut short when he over-steered and crashed shortly after take-off. Three days later, after repairs were complete, Orville gave it a go at 10:35 in the morning and succeeded, flying for 12 seconds for a distance of 120 feet. They flew three more times that day, with the last flight lasting 59 seconds and flying 852 feet.

Unfortunately after this 4th flight, the plane was caught by a gust of wind, rolled over, and was badly damaged. But the Wright Brothers had succeeded: "For the first time, a manned, heavier-than-air machine left the ground by its own power, moved forward under control without losing speed, and landed on a point as high as that from which it started."

60-foot granite monument on top of Big Kill Devil Hill (a 90-foot dune)

FACT: Kill Devil Hills are named after the foul tasting rum that washed
ashore after shipwrecks, which locals said "would kill the devil."

Just over "the hill" is a beautiful full-sized replica of the 1903 flyer the moment the flight began (photographs above and below). We couldn't get over the scale and detail of the sculptures. We must admit that we put bunny ears behind a few of the statues, but we couldn't resist. It was a fun place to photograph.

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A visit to the coast is not complete without searching for at least one lighthouse. The OBX has five, and we were able to visit two.



Bodie Island Lighthouse

• Documented as both "Bodie Island" and "Body's Island Lighthouse."
• 156-foot tall horizontally-striped lighthouse.
• The lighthouse you see today is actually the third Bodie Island Lighthouse, built in 1872. Her daymark was applied in 1873.
• It is in much need of repair, but is getting the funding from the 2009 Omnibus Budget bill (Thanks Barack!).
• The First order Fresnel lens is being dismantled, taken to ground level, cleaned and repaired, then put back in the tower once all renovations are complete.

The highlight of Bodie Island Lighthouse was meeting John, the son of the last lighthouse keeper at Bodie Island Lighthouse. In 1934, John was 18 years old, and responsible for painting the lighthouse. He volunteers at the lighthouse every Tuesday and Thursday, and he is a neat man to talk to.



And Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

• It is also known as "America's Lighthouse"
• It has the tallest brick beacon in the nation - standing 208 feet.
• In the 1980's, the lighthouse was in a "move it or lose it" state due to erosion.
• And in 1999, the lighthouse was moved a half-mile inland to save it from the encroaching sea.
• It is now as far from the ocean as when originally constructed in 1870.

Some facts on the move:

• The lighthouse weighs 4,800 tons (That's more than the weight of 2 space shuttles!)
• Hydraulic push jacks moved the lighthouse five feet at a time. After each push, the jacks were reset - for a total of 580 pushes.
• It took 23 days to move Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 2,900 feet.
• It should be safe for another 100 years.

This is the original foundation of the 1870 lighthouse. Names of the lighthouse keepers are engraved in the stones.



Doesn't this look like a toy cannon? It is actually called a Lyle Gun and was designed (post Civil War) for lifesaving. Yes, lifesaving! But how can a gun be useful in lifesaving, you ask? This little guy could fire a 20-pound projectile 700 yards to a distressed vessel. A line was attached to the projectile, and the line was used to guide crew members (usually on buoys) to safety.

Colonial Williamsburg - Part II

One fact that we were surprised to learn was that most colonial Virginians purchased goods from England. It was much cheaper than trying to purchase it locally or make it yourself. Gosh - sounds a lot like today with items "Made in China." I suppose goods from the 18th century were stamped with "Made in England" stickers. heehee

Christmas Eve was spent seeing one program after another - and we enjoyed every ounce of it! We started with an organ recital in the chapel of the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary.

Some Facts:

• The College of William and Mary was chartered by King William III and Queen Mary II of England on February 8, 1693.
• The College of William and Mary is the second oldest college in the nation (following Harvard).
• The Wren Building is the oldest academic building in use in America.
• Construction of the Wren Building began August 8, 1695.
• Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, and John Marshall studied in the Wren Building.
• The Wren Building has survived 3 major fires and 2 wars.

There were many highlights to our visit to Colonial Williamsburg, but the Christmas Decorations Walking Tour was a nice treat. Our guide was the only employee of Colonial Williamsburg who grew up in Colonial Williamsburg, so he had some wonderful memories to share from his childhood.


Decorating buildings in Colonial Williamsburg is a wonderful tradition - and a competitive one, we hear! To learn more about the rules for the contest, click here. I will post pictures of the decorations throughout this entry.

Dean Shostak's Crystal Carols was next - and WOW! - what an incredible show. This was my favorite of the day. Dean plays a reproduction of Ben Franklin's glass armonica (No, I didn't mispell harmonica, this one is spelled without the h.). He also performs with crystal handbells (They are the only ones in the world, I believe!), a glass violin, a Cristal Baschet (invented by two brothers in France), and a grand harmonicon (which is basically a wooden box with glasses inside). The sounds that come from these instruments are unlike anything I've ever heard before. They are beautiful - and this guy is amazing and worth a watch if he is in town! Check out his website here.

The Twelve Days and Nights Before Christmas - This was a ridiculously funny performance. Three actors took volunteers from the audience to sing the Twelve Days of Christmas, which crowded the stage, especially with 8 maids a milking, 9 ladies dancing, 10 lords a leaping, 11 pipers piping, and 12 drummers drumming.


I believe they were on a mission, and one mission only... To clarify Two Colly birds. Not "calling birds" as everyone sings. You know you are guilty of this, too!

So what is a Colly Bird? It is a European black bird - the color of coal. So Colly birds are black birds!

It is Christmas Eve, and it is traditional for Colonial Williamsburg to fire the Christmas guns. All of them - including the cannons and rifles. After almost being run over by the Drum and Bugle Corps and the crowds of people surrounding them, we moved to the courthouse to witness the Community Christmas Tree lighting.


It was a very cold night, and the Williamsburg Rotary president served as the Master of Ceremonies. There were classic Christmas carols and a bonfire, prayers and a brief recollection of years past, and the lighting of the Christmas tree.


We are in the moment of celebration and reflection, feeling warm and fuzzy despite the cold weather, when the MC looks longingly into the sky and says "I know this isn't in the script, but I can't help noticing that bright star shining just above the Colonial Williamsburg tree." And Richie whispers in my ear "That's not a star, that's Venus." This is why I love my husband.

We concluded our Christmas Eve celebration at the Kimball Theatre to watch the Polly Honeycombe Show.


What was Polly Honeycombe about?
Polly is a young lady who "outwits her parents to avoid an arranged marriage and find the man of her literary dreams in this classic farce of mistaken identities."

Polly Honeycombe, the show, was first performed in London in 1760, and first performed in Williamsburg in 1768. The 1768 show was done as a benefit for one of the actors of the company as a way to boost his regular wages.

It was a splendid show! We were encouraged to observe 18th century style - saying Encore! and clapping or booing when we wanted. Many audience members did just that. In fact, Polly's father was Encored so many times that once he stated to the audience "Boy, you don't get out much, do you?!?!" A great evening of fun!

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It is a tradition for my family on Christmas Eve, to listen to Maw Maw Muriel (or Maw Maw Cereal, as we call her) read to us The Cajun Night Before Christmas. I thought I'd share it with you here...

'Twas the night before Christmas, an' all t'ru de house,
Dey don't a t'ing pass, not even a mouse.

De chirren been nezzle good snug on de flo',
An' Mama pass de pepper t'ru de crack on de do'.

Den Mama in de fireplace done roas' us de ham,
Stir up de gumbo, an' make de baked yam.

Den out on de bayou dey got such a clatter...
Make soun' like old Boudreaux done fall off his ladder.

I run like a rabbit to got to de do'... Trip over de dawg an' fall on de flo'!

As I look out de do' in de light o' de moon, I t'ink, "Manh, you crazy, or got ole too soon."

Cuz dere on de bayou when I stretch ma' neck stiff... Dere's eight alligator a-pullin' de skiff...
An' a little fat drover wit' a lone polein' stick... I know r'at away got to be ole St. Nick.

Mo' fas'er an' fas'er de 'gator dey came. He whistle an' holler an' call dem by name:
"Ha, Gaston!
Ha, Tiboy!
Ha, Pierre an' Alcee!
Gee, Ninette!
Gee, Suzette!
Celeste an' Renee!"

To de top o' de porch dem ole 'gator clime! Wit' de skiff full o' toy an' St. Nicklus behin'.

Den on top de porch roof it soun' like de hail When all dem big 'gator done sot down dey tail!

Den down de chimney he fell wit' a bam...
An' St. Nicklus fall an' sit on de yam!

"SACRE!" he axclaim "Ma pant got a hole.
I done sot mase'f on dem red hot coal!"

He got on his foots an' jump like a cat...
Out to de flo' where he lan' wit' a SPLAT!

He was dress in musk-rat from his head to his foot
An' his clothes is all dirty wit' ashes an' soot.

A sack full o' playt'ing he t'row on his back.
He look like a burglar, an' dass fo' a fack!

His eyes how dey shine...his dimple, how merry!
Maybe he been drink de wine from blackberry!

His cheek was like rose...his nose like a cherry...
On secon' tought maybe he lap up de sherry!

Wit' snow-white chin whisker an' quiverin' belly,
He shook when he laugh like de stromberry jelly!

But a wink in his eye...an' a shook o' his head...
Make my confidance dat I soon got to be scared.

He don' do no talkin'...gone straight to his work...
Put playt'ing in sock an' den turn wit' a jerk!

He put bot' his han' dere on top o' his head,
He cas' an eye on de chimney an' den he done said:
"Wit' all o' dat fire an' dem burnin' hot flame...
Me I ain' goin' back by de way dat I came."

So he run out de do' an' he clime to de roof...
He ain' no fool, him for to make one more goof.

He jump in his skiff an' crack his big whip.
De 'gator move down an' don' make one slip.

An' I hear him shout loud as a splashin' he go:
"Marry C'rismas to all...till I saw you some mo'!"

We had a nice, filling Christmas breakfast at the Kings Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, and watched their presentation of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We later enjoyed a small feast in our cabin with a Christmas tree and festive napkins courtesy of Aunt Susan.

Here's to 2010!

Colonial Williamsburg - Part I

Colonial Williamsburg was highly recommended by a few friends, and I've been wanting to visit for quite some time. So what better way to spend the Christmas holidays than in the 18th century! If you aren't careful, tickets can get expensive, but we found it best to get the 2-day pass and look for free programs.

The town can be intimidating, so we spent our first day getting acquainted with the town and visiting the tradesmen. Our second day was full of special programs offered by Colonial Williamsburg during the holidays (note: most are free!). And with the town being 1 mile by 1/2 mile, we also got some great exercise to cover our festive caloric intake.


Yes, Colonial Williamsburg was an actual town, not a fantasy world for today's tourist (although it is somewhat of that, too). It served as Virginia's capital during the colonial period (1699-1780). This is where famous names in history helped shape democracy. Names like James Madison, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Wythe, and Peyton Randolph.

Our day started with a stop at the Visitor Center to watch "Williamsburg - the Story of a Patriot." Then we walked across the footbridge into the 18th Century. Our first stop: The Governor's Palace!



The Governor's Palace - former home of 5 Lt. Governors, 2 Royal Governors, and the first 2 Governor's of the Commonwealth of Virginia - Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.

Inside the Governor's Palace
(Yes, those are swords!)

The palace was built in 1722 and destroyed by a fire in 1781 while being used as a hospital for Americans wounded at the Battle of Yorktown.

The Palace Gardens

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The Apothecary - Having a baby? You wouldn't see the doctor down the street, you'd come to the apothecary. Need to mend a broken arm? Children 12 and younger would wear a brace for 7-8 weeks and have a bit of rum and laudulum to help them relax. Our favorite cure - chocolate, and for just about everything from asthma and dysentery to headaches and even smallpox!

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The Basketmakers - Households relied on baskets to carry and store everything from field crops and flowers to sewing thread. Most were woven from white oak. We learned that a skilled weaver can make a basket in 4 hours.

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The George Wythe House - The house was built in the early 1750's and was a wedding present from Richard Taliaferro, George's father-in-law.

George Wythe was the mayor of Williamsburg from 1768-1769, and he was the first Virginian to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was also a professor of law and teacher of Thomas Jefferson.

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The Peyton Randolph House - We were excited to take this 40-minute tour through the Randolph house - particularly for the wealth of information and a look into slavery in the 18th century.

Now I've been a tour guide before at a historic site (Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge), and we look up to the folks at Colonial Williamsburg. Not only do they have access and funding for costumes, but for their own education and props. The tour guides at Colonial Williamsburg are the "creme de la creme." Or at least that's the way we thought...

Not so much with the Peyton Randolph House. Our guide, Chris, was terrible - and it was painful to stick around for the rest of the tour. He was very forceful, a bit condescending, and even rude. So if you are ever in Colonial Williamsburg and there is a guy named Chris leading the tour - wait for the next go round.

Despite our frightful tour guide experience, here is what we learned about Peyton Randolph: He served as the Speaker of the House of Burgess, and as the president of the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

So what was the House of Burgess? It is a council of elected representatives, kind of like today's legislative branch (senators and house of representatives), except the governor had the power to dissolve the House of Burgess at any time. However, that did not stop members from meeting - and around 1770, the seed was planted for a revolution against Britain.

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The Cabinetmaker
(who also assisted in making instruments)

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The Brickyard - Bricks are molded from clay, dried in the sun during the warm months of the year, and fired in a kiln in the fall. Many of the bricks used in Colonial Williamsburg are made on site, including the bricks at the new Charlton's Coffeehouse.

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The Printing and Bindery Office - We spotted this guy putting splattered dots on the edge of a book. No real fancy technique here! The gentleman at the bindery office said that only the wealthy would own books - and only a few books. It was quite expensive to print and bind a book, especially one with engravings. Virginia's first newspaper was published here in 1736.

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The Public Gaol (aka - Jail)

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The Capitol - Colonial Williamsburg describes this building best:

Here, Virginia patriots developed principles of self-government,
individual liberty, and responsible leadership.
Series of events that lead to American independence - from the French and Indian War through the Virginia Resolves to declare independence from Britain.
Many of the fundamental liberties that Americans cherish today were debated in this colonial seat of government.

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The Wigmaker - So what type of hair did they use to make wigs? Horse, goat, and human hair! The wigmaker also offered services like shaving, washing, bathing, and sold soaps, perfumes, and powders.

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The Guardhouse and Magazine is an original building. It houses originals and replicas of muskets and cannons of the 18th Century.