Note here: Our brake pads are designed to squeal to let you know they are wearing.  They stop squealing when there’s nothing left to squeal.

By the time we pulled into the visitor center parking lot in Williamsburg, we were hearing grinding.  Yup that was our rotors.  We agreed that I would take the kids to explore while Patrick drove into town to find a repair shop that was open on Saturdays.

Note here:  We both failed to realize it was also the 4th of July.

By some miracle, he found a  Good Year dealer that could take him right away.  A couple hours and a couple hundred dollars later, we had an oil change and new brakes.

Meanwhile, I had all 3 ravenously hungry kids…one of who had to use the restroom post haste.  We hurried into the visitor’s center to find a bathroom.  On the way, I noticed a map of the don’t-have-to-pay-to-get-in area but didn’t have time to stop because of the potty emergency.  After we all relieved ourselves, we headed back out to the map.  This was easier said than done since the visitors center was down 2 flights of steps and the ramp meandered all around in an s-like pattern.  Unfortunately the map was pretty useless but did mention there was a cafe back at the visitor’s center.  Since I wasn’t feeling confident about walking 3 blocks to a sit down pizza restaurant and controlling 3 kids by myself in said restaurant, we headed back down the winding ramp to the visitor’s center.  The cafe was more like a coffee bar and our choices for lunch were cold biscuits, cold biscuits with ham and cheese, or cold biscuits with just ham or just cheese.  After filling our tummies a couple bites here and there, we headed back up the windy ramp to the promenade to kill some time and wait for Patrick.

After 10 minutes of chasing Ty, I decided we were just as well to bite the bullet and buy admission tickets to the attractions in the historic center.  An hour later after about 15 stops to rest Mia’s legs, we had made the 1/4 mile journey from the visitor’s center to the Governor’s Palace Green.

We were just in time for PJ and Mia to try their hands at hoop-rolling before the normal town activities started to come to a close.  It was about this time, that I was super thankful that we had bought year-long passes.  At least if we had a flop of a weekend, we could try again another time for just the cost of gas and maybe a hotel room.

After Patrick met up with us, we did have a chance to visit the art museum kid’s room and make artist trading cards.  Then we were off to find food and wonder the town for a bit.

On his way into town, Patrick has secured us a spot on the palace green where we could enjoy the fireworks.  We were a little dissappointed at the display.  The music had happened beforehand and they were only shooting up one at a time.  After the finale, we started to pack up to leave.  Oops…there was more…another finale-like burst of brilliance…then another…and, finally, another.  The 4 finales kind of redeemed the experience.

This is a video of the third “finale.”

We decided to stay overnight in Williamsburg so we could have the first part of Sunday to explore more.  It was all going well until Patrick decided to park in town (instead of at the visitor’s center) and PJ realized he wouldn’t get to walk the bridge back.  You see, as you walk the bridge from the visitor’s center into the colonial town, there are plaques that mark your journey back in time.  Heading back to the visitor’s center, there are plaques that mark important people as you make your trip back to the present.  PJ had only read the plaques going back in time because it was too dark to read them on the way out after fireworks, and we had promised him he could have a chance Sunday.

Anyway, Patrick decided to drop me, PJ, and Mia off in town before driving back to park at the visitor’s center so PJ would have to walk the bridge to get back.

Gee, I hope you’re still with me.  I’m not sure I’m still following.

This would have been a great plan except Patrick’s phone was dead and he did realize it until he was into town.  He spent more than 2 hours looking for us…guessing all the things I might do to be found easily.  The problem was that I was trying to be found…even after I knew his phone was dead.  It wasn’t malicious in intent as much as it was thoughtless.  I was concentrating on getting the kids to as many kid-friendly experiences as I could while I didn’t have to worry about Ty. 

We played in clay at the brickmaker’s…

…played the harpsichord at the cabinetmaker’s…

…and dried potatoes at the Benjamin Powell House.

Some kind (but slightly paranoid) lady eventually had pity on Patrick and called me on her cell phone to report where he was and we were able to meet up at long last.  Then the rain started…yeah, it seemed our weekend at Williamsburg was a little less-than-perfect.

Not too fear, we headed home in good, but wet, spirits and headed up Route 301 instead of the more crowded I-95.  All was well until we came to a complete standstill about 15 miles from the Virginia/Maryland line.  Come to find out that the bridge that would bring us across the Potomac was one lane both ways while the road leading to the bridge was two.  Bad planning.  We were able to use back roads to cut out about 10 of those miles but it still took us about an hour to go the last 5.  By the time we made it home after 7 hours of driving, we were all a little road-weary.

After the lighthouse fun, we got some bait and headed to a dock to crab and fish.  We caught 3 keeper-crabs but one got away since the lid to the cooler was off.  We also caught a couple small fish.

The latter part of Tuesday afternoon was spent watching the fishing charters come in at Oregon Inlet and mini golfing.  

Tuesday night we steamed the crabs we had caught (8 in all).  It was fun teaching Max to eat them.  His excitement over eating something he had caught was contagious.

Wednesday was HOT.  We started to go on a tour of the Army Corps of Engineers Research Facility here in Duck, but it started kinda of slow boring and was all outside.  Since we hadn’t really spent time on the beach, we lathered up and headed out.  By the end of a couple hours, the older two were in love with the ocean.  Mia went way out and enjoyed some independent floating (wearing her life vest).  She thoroughly enjoyed the wave swells.  PJ enjoyed riding the waves in as they broke at the shoreline.  Ty wasn’t sure whether to love or hate the water and he spent a lot of time trying to join other party’s parked along the beach.  

After lunch, we headed north to Corolla to a weekly wine festival.  It was small so we just looked around and headed out for ice cream.  On our way home, Patrick and PJ tried for some more crabs but were unsuccessful.  We have 6 in the fridge from Chris and Sean’s early Wednesday morning expedition.

Wednesday night Amy and I tried to rendezvous in the hot tub with a glass of wine but someone had turned it down and it wasn’t much warmer than the pool water.

As a side note: We talked to a family today who was crabbing off a pier in Corolla near OB Center for Wildlife Education.  They were going to boil their crabs and thought the majority of the meat was in the body!!!  Don’t worry, I kept them from committing such mortal sins.  They seemed thankful for the advice (steam in beer and Old Bay and look for the majority of meat in the body).

After crabbing, we headed north to Corolla.  We kinda wished we had a 4WD vehicle so we could go exploring for wild horses on the beach.  Apparently off-roading on the beach is a popular NC beach pastime.  We did get to explore the Center for Wildlife Education.  Then we headed back for a little down time and the boys’ graduation party.

The party was a blast.  We all felt like we need name tags that not only identified our names but, also, to which clan we belonged.  Andy tried to keep us all straight with a double family tree that covered both sides of the family that were gathered this week.

We had great intentions in our house of board games and wine every night, but the days have been long which leads to early nights.  It’s so nice and quiet right now–especially considering there are so many people sleeping under the roof.  Apparently, Patrick and I are the night owls of the group since he’s out fishing and I’m the only other one that seems to be up.  We’ve seen a tremendous increase in Ty’s receptive language recently.  Last night, I was able to explain that I was no longer going to lay down while he fell asleep going to put him to bed just like Daddy did and I walked out with no subsequent crying–SCORE!!  It’s so much nicer to enjoy my quiet nights when I’m not groggy from laying down with Ty.

There are more party pictures and kayaking pictures in the 2009OBX album.  Enjoy!

Sunday we decided to explore south of us.  We stopped at the Wright Brothers National Memorial where PJ was able to earn a Junior Ranger badge.  We learned how to make and fly sled kites out of trash bags.  As we headed further south through the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge and toward Cape Hattaras, Patrick picked up surf casting gear so he could fish.  We stopped at a beautiful beach in the Refuge to fish and play in the surf.  We hadn’t exactly planned on being on the beach so the kids went in, fully clothed.  I was able to post a couple pictures that you can access through the Photos page.