We finally had the pleasure of meeting our new Grandson yesterday and what a joy to see him. Our Son and Daughter are looking great for new parents. They are weathering parent hood so well, good baby and a good approach to their new life. How lucky can a family be. We also had the pleasure of seeing our Granddaughter and her Mother at the same time. A really good day and to top it off there was a light dusting of snow in the evening that makes the world look all sparkly for the moment. This all made the trip back to PA a good reason. The weather here is just awful with high winds and temps in the teens. Woke up this morning to 17 degrees and the cold just goes right to the bone. In the ten months we were away my allergy's were barely noticed and three days back in the Valley and I'm back on the allergy meds. Such is life. Our family Doctor always said that if I wanted to cure the allergy's I would have to leave the Lehigh Valley. Now I'm sure she was very correct in that thought. While we are here we have a number of Doctor's visits and need to take care of vehicle registrations and inspections. Lifes little pains . We will get it all done with some time to see old Friends and Family. Will be back on the move right after Christmas and heading back South to Texas and much warmer temps. Unless some thing really outstanding happens here this will be our last Post for awhile. Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas to everyone and to all a great New Year. Who knows what 2014 will hold for us all.                                  G

      Just a few words to let you all know we have left the Alligator River Refuge and are now in Virginia Beach with Laurens Family for a few days and should be back I  PA next Tuesday. We are already missing the warm weather. It was 33 here last night but should get warmer over the next few days.                                                                                                                  G

      We are Volunteering at the main Visitor Center today and we though it would be very quite. Much to surprise there is a Marathon going on in Manteo on Sunday and all the support people for the runners are looking for some thing to do until tomorrow. So we have been busy. It has finally gotten cold here, 38 this morning and had to turn the heat on to keep the kitty's warm and us of course. Not looking forward to the cold in PA in a couple of weeks. But with new a new Grandchild to see and family for the holidays we will brave it for a couple of weeks.                      G

We took a drive over to this Refuge and ran into another RV couple that we worked with at the Refuge in Wyoming. A really small world.

This building started out as a water pumping station and ended up as a hunting club before becoming part of the Refuge.

Just enjoying the day

Hanging out with his friends.

The Tundra Swans have arrived at Alligator River Refuge.

The Swans have family units and this picture shows a large group in the center.

This field was covered with soybeans two weeks ago and now it's being flooded for the migrating water fowl.

Beautiful Birds.

        We have been in low gear the last few days. We went to Virginia beach last week to Visit the family there and as always it was pleasant. We also visited one of the other Refuges up in that area, Mackay Island and it was OK, more wild life on the Marshes. We went there because the Refuge Manager we meet in Texas used to be in charge of that Refuge.  It has been real windy here the last couple of days so no beach time unless you wish to be sand blasted. It's OK as we spend more time bear watching. We have several large bears and a good number of the small ones. We never fail to see one on each trip out so it is fun just to sit and watch as they feed and move about . They have harvested about half of the five thousand acres they have planted here and are starting to flood some of them now to make ponds for the migrating water fowl that will start to move through the area here very soon. We have also been involved just a little in the Turtle watch on the beach and the baby turtles are really cute when they hatch out but they need some help from us to protect them from the ghost Crabs and the Gulls who think they are a good and easy meal.  As the number of nests decrease every year  they are trying to help rebuild the population by saving more of the hatching's and so they collect them and are releasing them right into the ocean to by pass the predators.                                                                                          G

Did some tourist stuff yesterday and went to the site of the first English settlement in the New World. The Roanoke site at Fort Raleigh.

This is where they do the play the lost Colony during the summer season. 

Some civil War history

The story of the Sea and Land Battle that took place here.



We love Bear watching on the refuge.

He was too tired to eat any more soy beans .

Wright Brothers Monument in Kitty Hawk

A side shot of the Wright flier. Had the long lens on the camera and that was as good a shot as I could get.

Manteo Lighthouse

The reproduction of the first Queen Elizabeth

Our little home at the Refuge with our evening fire.

Our Halloween Kitty

Sunrise the other morning from the Manteo Bridge

Shot through the truck wind shield

And it's up

Just

No hurry

A bear  but leaving the road

Some fall colors

One of the local bears.