Day 22 - Choose the Wright

This morning Jeff and I took off early for a long walk on the beach. I’ve missed our long walks. We haven’t been very consistent on this trip. I just love having uninterrupted time to talk and then we get to burn some calories on top of that…bonus!

 

It was hard to keep the kids away from the beach and the ocean but we managed to go to Kitty Hawk before the beach this morning. I’ve been looking forward to visiting this historic site. The Wright Brothers’ story is just so fascinating to me. They were just two regular guys, 32 and 36, who owned their own business but dreamed of flying. When they realized how little progress had been made by even the greatest minds of the day, they realized they really had a shot at making some monumental progress in this field. They would spend months out on these sand dunes at Kill Devil Hill and test their glider flights staying in canvas tents and eventually a little shed. They financed their own operation and were years ahead of anyone else. And they were brothers who sincerely loved being with each other, working together, playing together, and learning together. And they did it! They achieved their dreams and a huge milestone for all of us. Then the crazy thought is that there were only 66 years between the Wright Brothers’ first flight and man landing on the moon. I loved standing in those fields and on the same hill that they stood on when they conquered the air. I loved standing at the top of the hill and feeling the wind blow over the dune and imagining what it must have been like to take those first glider flights. They had some serious guts!

 

After a hot morning at Kitty Hawk, we headed out to the beach. We spent the next 4 hours or so just playing at the beach. Boogie boarding, swimming, etc. I loved watching Calvin and Isaac playing together today. They played for hours together, just the two of them. They dove over the waves, sprinted into the ocean, let the surf drag them around. Isaac told me they even held hands and let the surf swirl them around on the beach. They laughed and ran and played. I thought about the Wright brothers, they were 4 years apart just like Calvin and Isaac. I hope my boys become best friends. I hope they love spending time together, playing together and working together. It was a serious mom “payday” moment today!

 

After stopping by a little old hair salon to shuttle the boys through for haircuts (and Kira getting her first eyebrow wax) we headed to Capt’n Franks, an Outer Banks institution since 1975, for some hot dogs for dinner. I can’t believe I had a hot dog for dinner. And paid $3.75 for it!

 

After dinner we decided to head back out to the beach. The weather was perfect. The water was perfect. The waves were a little better than this afternoon and the kids had fun boogie boarding. Even Mikey caught a few waves. Not anything too big but real waves nonetheless. We stayed at the beach until it was almost too dark to pack up our stuff and head back in. They caught sand crabs until they couldn’t see them anymore. Kira and Calvin were seeking revenge for the pinches they’d gotten out in the ocean. :)

Brothers!

Heading out on our sunrise walk. (Well, a little after sunrise).

Kill Devil Hill where the Wright Brothers mastered flight on their glider.

Seeing if they are faster than the Wright Flyer. The first flight was 120 feet in 12 seconds. They all beat it!

Posing on the actual size replica of the Wright Flyer.

Chillin' at the house watching a little TV on the big screen. 

Dinner at Capt'n Franks