Immediately after the Aurora Fossil Festival, we felt time for a walkabout, and struck out for the

OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA

Pelicans and cormorants on the pilings, and seagulls:

Gas prices, we did not know they would spiral DOWN shortly after this trip

In contrast, the tiny Salyo NC Post office is primitively tiny:

A surprise Space ship House on Cape Hatteras, near the Shore Birds & More store.  It is an uninhabited residence

Manteo, Roanoke Island

The Elizabethan Gardens is a glorious living memorial to the men and women of the Roanoke Voyages (1584-1587) who tried to carve out a living in a strange new world. Over 500 different plant species are found in the 10-acre site on the north end of Roanoke Island, adjacent to Waterside Theater (where the Lost Colony play is re-enacted).

The bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth I , the largest of its kind in the world:

FRANKLIN & CHEROKEE, NORTH CAROLINA

A walk on the beach, 

Fun watching the birds run from the waves, finding shells, fossils and sharks teeth.  Always a relaxing time for both of us:

Jellyfish on the shore this particular week, we attempted to make an art form of it through our photography.  There is beauty even in death.

We found a single artist to feature from this show, as he was so outstanding.

Nnamdi Okonkwo is based in Atlanta, Georgia.  He created these huge bronze sculptures of women.  They are phenomenal.  He has a workshop and gallery in Atlanta, visit his site at:

www.nnamdiart.com

Here he is, sitting beside one of his Ladies

Here is a setting of 3 of his bronze ladies in various poses.  It stops every single person in amazement at the sheer size and grace of them, here are five angles of the same grouping.  This is one of those things that must be felt in person to be understood, though we attempted to capture the mood with our photography.

Mother and child, two different sculptures

Three other small sculptures, just as beautiful and moving as the larger ones:

ALLIGATOR ADVENTURE, Myrtle Beach, SC

Featuring UTAN, the largest croc in captivity in the United States

Link to Gators page 7 to view the Virtual Tour:

Gators Page 7

BOURBON STREET

We drew quite a crowd to see all the OTHER gator items we had brought.   But since we were parked in a cockeyed position (no parking spaces, of course)

we spent just a few minutes inside.  I'm sure once they position him at his best, he will be quite impressive!  The restaurant is beautiful, two stories high, with wrought iron railings, a huge wooden mantel behind the bar, Mr. Gator on the right hand side.   A real re-creation of the flavor of New Orleans.

Through the Lincoln Tunnel:

A sandwich board ad for a barber shop on a street corner

PHOENIX, BENSON Arizona trip

The fact that this was a dual birthday for both Glenn's brother Frank and Frank's wife Diane made this a special trip from the start.

Here's Frank & Glenn in front of Glenn's birthday gift to him last year, a big jasper rock for their yard

 

We went to the Kartchner Caverns in Benson Arizona, though no cameras, purses, anything carried or in your pockets are allowed in.  A mist sprayed at the entrance kept lint attached to our clothing for the duration, we went on tours through two different caverns (The Rotunda  Room, and the Throne Room where we saw the Xanadu Kubla Khan throne).  We were impressed at the policies and care taken to keep this growing, virgin cave alive and as pristine as possible for future generations to enjoy.  It is closed part of the year, as it is a bat habitat, during the breeding season.

Discovered in 1974, it was kept a secret for 14 years until laws and plans were in place to protect it from vandalism, exploitation and ensure the survival of its delicate ecosystem.

http://www.explorethecaverns.com/cave.html

    Flowing Rock (calcium deposits from flowing water)

And an angel wings "Shield Rock" that is not on the public tour..

Due to a malfunction, the entire cave was lit, rather than the lights shutting off behind us, so we had a rare panoramic view of the caverns that even some of the guides had never seen before.

Note the crashed car halfway down the slope, we saw quite a few of these unfortunate vehicles, not to mention their former occupants

Apple Tree Restaurant in Benson, Arizona

MCLELLANVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA

 

Glenn opted for the baby clams for which he was glad, I had the home made coconut custard pie that was like no other, I took another piece with me of that and the Charleston chocolate pie.   Wow!

Inside we found a gigantic wooden head, there on display from a local artist.  

The owner has such a sense of humor, we saw a fantasy creature made of a deer skull, (gator or dolphin, unidentified but assuredly legal) skeleton and a horned tail.

A giant shrimp that kids & adults would pull a string to make it "swim" through the air

And a Crab from Hell (keep your sense of humor and your fingers to yourself!)

Atlantic City, NEW JERSEY SHORE Trip

The Visitor's Center near Atlantic City is a real landmark:

The Jersey Shore is memorable, especially the 5+mile boardwalk.  Here we are at the beach 

A side trip to a craft show brought us to Smithville NJ, where there was a great row of shops including this wonderful carousel:

At the Noyes Museum of Art (Absecon/Oceanville), we were more intrigued with the wood marquetry flooring.  I'm sure they thought we were nuts...

Of course, photos of Trump's Taj Mahal could not be avoided:

Surprisingly, they have wind generators here (this is the view from Absecon NJ), they are amazing structures.

A hurricane worked its way up the coast, we left Myrtle Beach after it had passed, only to land in New Jersey, drive to Ocean City, and see the hurricane causing enormous waves for brave surfers.  Wave runners pulled divers out far enough to ride the waves.  What a spectacle!  We shot some photos from the beautiful pavilion, due to the cold wind & spray:

The ocean & sky made for postcard pictures:

The boardwalk in Ocean City was just as special as that in Atlantic City.  Most of the vendors were open, brave souls!  Of course Heidi always orders the custard wherever she can find it.

Then we came upon the taffy store... they've been here since 1898 (109 YEARS!)  

Notice the beautiful wood showcases, the stained glass windows, the store has delicious products and so much character, it invited us to linger...

The candy train, and the gorgeous, huge Victorian mirror:

And the white chocolate figures such as horses, stagecoaches, flowers, and man & woman figures that can be ordered for weddings, etc.:

And all the chocolate, pralines & taffy choices to make, it was AWFULLY HARD (smile)

The fudge, pralines and taffy for which they are famous, are made right on site:

Linwood, New Jersey

ROCK stone FACES!  Not just a great garden & landscaping company.  The owner carves huge boulders into faces, and has an eye for growing & arranging beautiful flowers and vegetables into a cornucopia of art.

Here are some examples of the face boulders:

 And a boulder pile waiting for him to create more faces:

A picturesque and soothing koi pond, beautifully  landscaped with bamboo trees

An unusual draping tree

And an incredible mural of a hand in nature

Home of the Flying Fish

The fishmongers there found they attracted a crowd when they threw big salmon from person to person behind the counter, with plenty of shouting and hoop-la.  It helped their business, that's for sure!  We watched the fun as the did this several times while we observed, then they would throw a fish into the crowd who screamed and backed away, only to find out that a plush salmon toy (looking like the real thing) had actually been thrown.  The joke was on them!

Downtown Seattle, water's edge, Puget Sound

at an Art Gallery,  near the waterfront, Seattle

  

A "quilt" tile

An exquisite quilt done with puffins:

   

You can get a sense of the size of the barge from the car on shore

A birdhouse near the river's edge, bent no doubt from the wind

   

And close up photos of some of its working parts

Flowers blooming along the highway

FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA Gem Show

Renee and Heidi in the parking lot of the Whistle Stop Mall, having a light-hearted girly moment

EL PASO, Texas

We actually went to El Paso to cross to Juarez to get dental work done (American-trained dentists that do terrific work on crowns & root canals for a fraction of the American prices).  We, of course, explored the surroundings and have much to share!

At the post office near the airport, there was a LONG line...it turned out this was a designated day to file your passport papers for the new regulations.  This is a big deal for a border state such as El Paso.  Here is Glenn with Margie, the postal clerk who explained it to us.  Thankfully for us, the SHORT line was for postage.   A great and friendly post office!

A place everyone must visit when coming to El Paso, it retains the flavor of the Old West, and the colorful Mexican history as well

http://www.yesboutique.com/index.html

Then an unusual kiosk

The famous Rosa's Cantina from the song "El Paso" by Marty Robbins:

Another colorful restaurant:

     

Even live koi in a large pond:

Mariachi band of musicians in iron..

  INSIDE - a taxidermy raccoon that was hilarious--who scared him?  And a llama made of shag carpet?

A silver belt buckle just for "Diane", what a story that must have been...

Turtle Cove Shopping Center, El Paso

Right in El Paso, another pleasant surprise was a beautifully well-kept rose garden, that included a ball park too.  Just enjoy the variety and exquisite formation of the roses...

 To comfort man--to whisper hope, when e'er his faith is dim, for who so careth for the flowers will care much more for him.

An unforgettable view from Rim Road on Memorial Day, of the Wells Fargo Bank in El Paso displaying an American flag on its building

     

Tweety Bird!

The winds had begun to change, becoming dangerous for one balloon that landed near the road

An ENORMOUS Rain Forest Tree balloon with parrots & toucans, it took a long time to fill, then due to the wind change, it never took off.

This balloon also never had time to inflate before the winds changed a different direction and they had to deflate.

A Huge Purple People Eater balloon, another unusual balloon!

Not to be confused with other Cattleman's Restaurant Chains, this is a single entity, at Indian Cliffs Ranch, 35 minutes from El Paso.  Started & continued by proud German Dieter Gerzymisch, first to accommodate the dining needs and horse rental for the soldiers at Fort Bliss, it kept growing to the entertainment destination you see today.  It has also been a movie location for numerous films shot here.

http://www.cattlemanssteakhouse.com/

Of course, while taking this photo, I picked up this little friend on the hem of my pants, ouch!

We saw a sign for a "Beggar's Festival & Hobo Convention" and turned in out of curiosity.   

We found an interesting gentleman caretaker who explained the unique roof water collection, and how he continues to raise money to restore the school house.  He also told how the school bell had been shot at and eventually stolen.  

The Wishing Well  Token you get for making a donation:

       

Inside was a big re-sale store, in the back room was a REALLY LARGE rattlesnake, though without a size reference this will not impact you as it did us:

What we did find of interest was a LARGE zebra skin in pristine condition, which we bought and kept till we chose to sell it in December of '07:

Alamagordo, New Mexico

Some vegetation has to have long roots to withstand the shifting sands

(previously known as the International Space Hall of Fame).  28 countries furnished artifacts and other exhibits of man's conquest of space.

Ever see where pistachios grow?  We did.  They even produce WINE!  One miles NE of Alamogordo on Hwy 82 towards Cloudcroft, we came upon this lovely log store.   They even sold koi fish in a pond out front.  Yummy pistachios in flavors you never even imagined (hot hot hot)

COLORADO

Burros bronze statue, near the visitor's center, which was an old railroad car, the inside was very cozy:

On the road from Woodland Park to Cripple Creek, a hilarious Roadside Americana scene of the Flintstones and dinosaurs. Note the blowing snow on the last statue, we were missing the mild temperatures of South Carolina!

A huge wooden carved ostrich at a Pottery Shop we found between Colorado Springs and Woodland Hills

And a beautiful and well stocked gift shop for visitors:

A cactus thriving in the desert scenery, though I guarantee the snowman will be temporary, in the warm sun on the picnic table: