Key West, FL (USA)

[Norfolk, Key West, Norfolk]

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 5

Waking up for the last time in our room at Charleston Place, we started to get ready for our drive home. After breakfast, we bid goodbye to all of our cousins (especially Bonnie) and started our drive towards home.  On the way, Nicky let me stop for an hour to search through a cemetery (for Coogans) on the outskirts of the town.  Didn't find much, unfortunately...  Back to the driving, we made our way to I-26 and then to I-95. Just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, the traffic started to get bad. Like I often do, I decided to take some back roads to try to get around the mess.  We ended up travelling through some pretty rural areas near the Albemarle sound and later passed East Carolina University.  The kids were good during the long drive and we made it to Elizabeth City just before nightfall. Bonus for Mollie: entered Virginia near her favorite place, the "Dismal Bear Swamp."  What a great trip!

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 4

It was a little slower pace today. In the morning, Nicky went out to dinner with Bonnie and the kids went shopping. Meanwhile, I went over to the city archives to learn more about a Coogan who lived here many years ago. I wasn't there too long, but I learned some interesting details about his life and about other relatives of his who lived in the area. Later in the day, the kids and I did went swimming - Mollie is doing great! Later, we went to dinner at a fancy place on the north side of town. It was delicious. The Charleston Place did a special Christmas Tree lighting tonight - everyone enjoyed that. We had a chance for a little more visiting, but everyone got to bed pretty early (due to Sunday travel plans).

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 3

The whole family headed over to tour a Southern Plantation in Mount Pleasant today. The place was just like something out of a movie - it was called Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens. They used to make bricks there and grow rice. We were entertained by a lady who told us stories from the days when the slaves worked there and we walked the gardens of the plantation owner. There were horses and other animals - that made Mollie happy. Later, some of the group decided to go aboard the aircraft carrier nearby. Ellen, Andy and our family, however, decided to take the ferry boat out to Fort Sumter. It was a fun trip - we enjoyed the last of the warm days and saw some great sites in the harbor. After a few hours out there, we headed back to the Charleston Place to enjoy another evening in Bonnie's room with the family.

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 2

We slept in pretty late, actually, but still made it for the early dinner at one of Charleston Place's very nice restaurants. We took our family photo in a beautiful garden next door. Dinner was great and everyone had a nice time - including the kids at their very own table. We walked around the city a little bit after dinner and made sure that we enjoyed the warm weather. The kids and I found a pretty waterfront spot where we could watch the boats and sit in swings. We also found a historical marker for President Andrew Jackson's mother in one of the small parks. After some more visiting, we went to bed.

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 1

We left kind of late this afternoon. Things weren't really packed, but we finally got on our way about 1300. Of course, everyone else was also headed out for the Thanksgiving holiday, so we got hung up near Emporia. After some creative detours, we ended up on a good road towards the south. Actually, we found that despite the heavy I-95 traffic, there was no one on US-301 or US-52. Our drive ended up being pretty nice after all and we drove into Charleston around 1800. Bonnie had us in the Charleston Place Hotel - very fancy! After checking in, we met up with most everyone in the family at an Irish Pub a few blocks from the hotel. It was a nice dinner with lots of family time. We went to bed late after lots more visiting.

Williamsburg, VA (USA)

Just like last year, we were able to spend Veterans Day at Colonial Williamsburg. This time, we took our time so we could watch some of the re-enactments (the auctioneer, the jail house, some militia training). The kids liked the Carriage House. We watched the parade and relaxed in the unexpectedly warm weather...

Guantanamo (Cuba)

[fuel stops uncertain] Norfolk - GTMO - (Jax ?) - Norfolk... With Rich