Outer Banks Vacation: Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers Monument

George and I visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a long weekend to celebrate our recent anniversary (14 years!). One of our favorite activities was visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a national park in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

We visited on a beautiful, unseasonably warm afternoon. We were looking forward to the park ranger's talk in the air-conditioned auditorium, but learned when we arrived that the auditorium was being cleared out for the upcoming 2-year renovation of the visitor center. We decided to take advantage of the park ranger's talk outdoors instead, and we were glad we did! We learned a lot about Wilbur and Orville Wright, and the history of their plane building and many flying attempts. Now I want to read David McCullough's book, The Wright Brothers!

If you ever have the chance to visit the Outer Banks, the Wright Brothers National Memorial is definitely worth a stop! You'll be glad you did!

The Gift of Spit

Earlier this month, I visited my parents in Alabama. It was a long drive for a short visit, but I'm glad I did it. They're getting older, and it's much more challenging for them to travel.

A few weeks before I left home for Alabama, I ordered two extra AncestryDNA kits, one for each of my parents, in hopes that I could get spit samples from both of them. My mom wasn't able to do it, but my dad was willing to do it. I was so excited, that I mailed the test out on my way back from Alabama to North Carolina! AncestryDNA estimates 6-8 weeks for processing, but I'm still checking practically every day!


I'm so thankful that my dad was willing and able to spit into the little plastic tube for me. I can't wait to see how his results compare to mine and tell me more about our family tree!

Are You Playing Pokemon Go?

Early last week, I downloaded the app for Pokémon Go, to see what the latest craze is all about. I didn't get into the original Pokémon craze, but I was intrigued by the augmented reality and GPS components of Pokémon Go.


My play started pretty slowly, but I've picked up the pace, as much as full-time work and other responsibilities will allow, and am up to level 13 now. Like others, this game has gotten me outside a bit more during the heat of summer, when I'm usually running from one air-conditioned place to another air-conditioned place. I've picked a team (Go Team Mystic!), and am catching the occasional new Pokémon. Mostly, the ones I catch are repeats these days, but part of the fun of the game is the anticipation of catching or evolving a different Pokémon to add to my PokeDex.


Will the gamehold my interest, long term? Good question! For now, though, I think it's pretty fun. I've joined a Pokémon Go Meetup group in my area, so it might be a way of meeting new people. I missed a recent event at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, where they opened it up for Pokémon Go players ("trainers") for a few hours on a weekend afternoon. I hope they do that again!