myretroperspective

I needed to do a little grocery shopping today, but I decided to take the long round about way to get there just to see what I could see.  Sometimes those are the best journeys, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.  I avoided the Outer Banks area, and drove down a couple of North Carolina Scenic Byways instead.  So far I haven’t found anything that rivals the scenic byways of Idaho, but I found a couple of things of interest on today’s drive. I started out pretty much driving the perimeter of Alligator River NWR east and south of the RV pads.  The road eventually curved around to the west, and then I turned north on Hwy 94 that would take me to Columbia.  I saw this sign, and pulled in.  I had been hoping to find a rural stand selling tomatoes, but cantaloupe and watermelon would do just fine.  I would be attending a cook out honoring this year’s batch of interns at the refuge tonight, and I had planned to take a watermelon.  Oh my goodness, wh...

After countless flights and numerous international flights, I would like to say that I've gotten pretty good at packing a carry on. But truth be told, I'm still trying to learn how to consolidate as much as possible. Here's what I slimmed my carry on down to for our trip to the States: Socks-  I am  always  cold. I've started making it a habit to bring both an extra sweater (great at doubling as a pillow) and a pair of socks. Kindle- ( with  a waterproof cover...I spill a lot) I got  bunch of traveling books to cure my wanderlust for the next few months including Jack Kerouac- On the Road and Alain de Botton-The Art of Travel. Also a great travel read, Lost Girls. About three girls that leave their comfy jobs and lifestyles in New York city to spend a year traveling the globe. It will make you want to go buy a ticket for the first flight out. Makeup and hair basics-  I like to bring the basics such as a brush, concealor, powder and mascara so I can freshen...

Yesterday I showed you the brand new state of the art Gateway visitors center.  Today, my assignment was to run the other visitors center out an Pea Island NWR.  It can’t compare to Gateway, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either.  Especially when you consider the ‘shack’ VC that I worked in at Anahuac NWR. I’m not quite sure how long this building has been here along US 12 on the Outer Banks (OBX), but it hasn’t changed much in five years, and remained unscathed after last year’s hurricane. The building is half exhibits, and half nature store.  It is the busiest visitors center that I have ever worked at.  Today was a relatively slow day with only 131 visitors and $420 in sales.  It was change over day here on the OBX.  That means everyone that rented a beach house or campsite for last week was leaving, and the crowd for the next week was coming in.  Lots of folks stop here because they think they are lost. ...

About three weeks ago, the Gateway Visitors Center opened in Manteo, NC.  This new “green” facility (notice the solar panels on the roofs) serves as the ‘gateway’ to eleven National Wildlife Refuges in the coastal North Carolina and southeastern Virginia area.  And what a spectacular visitors center it is!  You can take a virtual flight in an airplane to view aerial tours of each refuge, visit a red wolf den, learn about prescribed burns, visually see the effects of hurricanes on the Outer Banks, and enjoy four different videos including one of the town of Buffalo City before Alligator River NWR came into existence.  Buffalo City was a most interesting place with a lively history during prohibition.  I was here today to learn the ropes of running this place.  I’ll be on my own for a full day on Sunday.  Each visitors center I’ve worked at has their own special way of doing things, and the kinks are still being wo...

I guess I did a pretty good job of talking up our life in Atlanta because it seems we'll be here at least a few months longer than anticipated.  I'm sure once this next step becomes a reality I'll do an extensive post on the process but at this point, suffice it to say that it just isn't our time quite yet.  So I want to post about things I am anticipating that being here will make so much better: 1- decorating our house for fall: not sure I did much of this last year but I have some fun ideas I've seen floating around on pinterest that I want to attempt. 2- football season! while florida is still settling into the Muschamp era it will be fun to be in the south for SEC football and maybe even make it down for a game. 3-my birthday (Oct 28th for those doing early shopping- wink!)- way more fun to celebrate with friends here than in the capitol (did I mention the transition involves a move north? well there you have it).  There's even talk of a costume party the ...

dear insanity, i'm done! actually...i'm going to continue for the two weeks that i'm in the states because i have to do something to keep that american food from stealing my results back.  dear sleep, please come tonight. i just know it's going to be tough with all the excitement of being on a plane for 14 hours tomorrow. thanks goodness for sleeping pills. dear cliffs,  you were amazing as usual but can you please fill up with more water, i'm getting bored of the low dive. dear hubs,  i can't believe we've lived in korea for a year and a half now. so excited for our crazy adventure that's only just begun.  dear sun, wherever have you gone? good thing i live in  country where it's fashionable to be pasty and pale.  dear lovely ticketing agent, it would be just swell to get a free upgrade so i can stretch my freakishly long legs during our 14 hour flight. wishful thinking.  dear rainy season,  you're officially finished! and of course, now t...

My assignment for this afternoon was to help with the Soundside children’s program on Pea Island NWR.  I was told to meet Cindy, a staff member, at the New Inlet pull out on the island.  The west side of the island borders the Pamlico Sound, and the east side greets the Atlantic Ocean.  Pea Island is along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I guess it should now be called Pea Islands, as a result of the hurricane last August.  That red arrow and X that I drew in indicates where the surge from the sound broke through the island breaking it in two.  When I volunteered here five years ago, the RV pads were where that X is.  Now, it’s gone, and a bridge had to be built for traffic to get from one side to the other to proceed down to Rodanthe and the town of Cape Hatteras.  When I first saw it on Tuesday, I had a hard time taking that all in. Anyway, when I got to New Inlet, I found out that Cindy was not...

When I first started writing this blog near the end of 2008, it was because of my oldest son’s prompting.  He knew that I kept a journal and thought others might be interested in my travels as well.  I doubted that, but took the plunge anyway.  I especially liked the fact that I could add pictures to my journal this way. I think it was well over a year before I received comments from anyone other than the occasional remark by a relative.  In the meantime, I had started reading other RVers blogs, and would leave a comment now and then.  I guess that’s what got the ball rolling.  Now, receiving comments is an enjoyable part of my day, and gives me the incentive to continue posting.  Lately, I’ve noticed the number of comments drifting downward.  I remember remarking out loud to Emma the other day that I guess my recent posts weren’t very interesting.  Traveling solo as I do, the blogging community out there allows me to have daily conversat...

My schedule for today was for a half day of getting the volunteer paperwork done, and an orientation to my duties while I’m here.  Ha!  That half day ended up taking eight and a half hours.  Didn’t surprise me.  Just about two weeks ago, a new National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center opened in Manteo that highlights nine refuges in the North Carolina/Virginia Coastal area.  What a spectacular center it is!  I’ll be doing a separate post on it in the near future.  I went through most all of the exhibits today so I’ll know what I’m talking about when I’ll be the only person running it this coming Sunday.  That could be very interesting. Most of the photos tonight are from the incoming storm that hit last evening.  Almost every night since I’ve been here, heavy rains have pelted us beginning around 7:00.  Yesterday’s storm had huge billowing clouds preceding it. Abbey, the volunteer coordinator, and I made a trip out to the Pea Is...