Guy out to get me.

Before I begin this post, let me tell you that we passed the 1,000 mi. when we arrived in Gettysburg; I forgot to mention it earlier. Also, the vehicle we rented for awhile was a Ford f-150. We used it around camp. After playing at the pool for a long time, Rebecca and I changed into regular clothes. Then, we went out to eat lunch at 2:00. We walked into "Square Cafe and Grille" and a man with blue eyes and an orange beard stepped out to meet us.

"You can sit anywhere you like."

When seated, Dad asked, "So is this all owned by one person?"

"Yes. In the other room is a bakery, and the other a coffee shop."

"Cool," I said with a smile.

Dad and Mom started looking around for something to look at (like a menu) when the man said nervously, "Oh, right, menus! I'll get that right now" He scurried away and came back with four menus. He placed one by Dad, one by Mom, one by Rebecca and then he returned back. What! What happened to my menu! I know it's just a little thing, but did he do that on purpose? I let it slide and looked at Dad's (I was sitting next to him), but it then it got worse.

Rebecca and I got milk. Mom water. Dad diet coke. When given these drinks, Mom and Dad seemed satisfied. I was too, until I drank my milk. It tasted kind of sour. This was strike 2.

I found the chicken salad wrap on the menu, so I thought about ordering it. The man came back with a notepad. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I believe we are." (That was Dad)

"I'll have the salad," Mom said.

"French onion soup for me," Dad confirmed.

"Those are both great choices. And you?" he asked pointing to Rebecca.

"Mac n' cheese?"

"Well, that is a side, but I guess you can have it as a meal."

"Thank you," Mom said. "We really appreciate it."

"What about you?" It was finally my turn.

"I'll have the chicken salad wrap."

"Oh, I'm sorry. We had them all prepared, and then we were packed earlier today, and so, we ran out."

"No matter," Dad said. "Andrew, try the crab cake sandwich, it's really good."

"Is it?"Mom asked.

"Oh yes, I'm part owner, and so I've tried everything on the menu. It's a great choice."

I guess I'll have the crab cake sandwich then." That was the biggest mistake on this trip.

Later, all of the meals were taken out. First Mom, then Dad, and after that Rebecca. Then me. It was a crab cooked on a croissant, which tomato, a pickle and lettuce. It looked very good.

And it was. It was very satisfying. I'm sure the other meals (Mom, Dad and Rebecca) were good too.

When we left, Dad said we were going to check out what was at Gettysburg. We weren't gonna do any of it, but we were going to check it out. Down the road, I felt sick to my stomach. I was crying (I don't know why) and a was breathing heavily. Mom noticed.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I... um.. don't feel good," I managed with a weary, croaky voice.

The next 30 min. are a blur. I remember stopping at a pharmacy, buying a water, sitting in the front seat with a blanket over me, and going to some car dealership to get our jeep back. They fixed it!

We DID check out Gettysburg, but I couldn't give you a description. I will today.

When back at the RV, I went to bed in Mom and Dad's bed, and slept for two hours. When I woke up, some people we met from the pool were conversing in our RV. I had missed all the fun! They stayed a little longer and I had fun. I had a very INTERESTING day. And I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon.

What I don't understand is, why was that guy picking on me? Did he single me out? Is he a bounty hunter? A psychopath? A mass murderer? Is my imagination getting to me? I believe it is the latter. I am 11, aren't I?

I'm sure it was just a coincidence. I'll just forget it.

Learning about the battle of gray and blue,

Andrew.

The broken jeep

Last night we arrived at an outdoors man's dream. It was a forest-filled RV "resort" with gravel roads and more rustic pools. The name of this place is Drummer's Boy, located in Gettysburg, PA. Yes, we're currently in Gettysburg. We are zigzagging up to the North and make sure we do that by the end of summer, and then coming back to the south again. Although it is possible we can manage here. I certainly can; I am an outdoors kind of guy. But, that isn't the worst part of it. When our RV was in it's place, Mom was supposed to drive the jeep back to the site. The bad thing that happened, was that a cable in the shift broke, and now the jeep can't drive! GREAT, JUST GREAT! Now we have to rent a golf cart and another vehicle. The jeep will eventually be fixed, but it might take awhile.

In the meantime, I will be contacting friends, and staying at home (the RV). When we do rent the vehicle, I hope we will go travel around in Gettysburg. Please keep us in your prayers. I hope the jeep will be fixed.

We'll probably have a fun time here. Today we might be going to Gettysburg or we might stay at the pool. It depends. You know what's funny? Anytime I write I think of a part of Roswell. Last night while writing I had the picture of our garage. This morning the Roswell Park. Right now a barber shop called About Hair. Also Red Door Playhouse. Although I'm not there, I can still think of these places. It's cool.

Talk to you loyal followers later.

Sincerely,

Andrew

PS Andrew wrote about Williamsburg, but the post was deleted before it saved....hopefully he will write it again. Becky

Camp Beth Page Church

Yesterday morning I arrived with Mom and Rebecca to a pavilion filled with stone rows, mostly sat upon by people. There was a stereo, and a lady operating it, a tiny pavilion with a podium, and a lake in the background. It was really a beautiful setting.

The really cool thing was that the service is hosted by a different church every week. So regulars at the campground get to experience a new kind of church every week, although it is nondenominational. Since we were only there for this Sunday we got to listen to Urbanna Baptist Church. They were interesting. No singing involved, just a dialogue between a missionary and the pastor. The missionary talked about how he left the comfort of Ruby, LA and embarked on a mission for God. It was fairly inspirational.

That's all we did Sunday morning. Later in the day we played at the pool and swam in the lake. We had a lot of fun listening to Clark (see other blog) and wearing a camera called GoPro, which is attached to your chest. I went down the slide and recorded what I was seeing. Now that, was cool!

Driving to Williamsburg,

Andrew.

Clark Laster (Clark the funny lifeguard)

At the water park yesterday, I got to know a very animated and cool character. And the coolest part is, he's a lifeguard! His name was Clark.

Clark told Mom, Dad and me (Rebecca was on the slide) about his journey with his mother cross country, being about my age. He told of a land of cars sticking up out of the ground (Northern Texas) and a garden of botanicalness. He also was an actor (a dream of mine), a singer in the choir, was in a Kodak commercial and met Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. He remembered that Pitt was modest and kind. Very interesting if I ever meet them.

He gave us some very cool tips and I found out he was a current teacher, and of course, a lifeguard. He was funny too!

I won't ever forget Clark as he informed us of places to go, shared funny stories, told of his acting/singing career, and told me to write about him in the "book" aka the blog. So, if Clark is reading this right now, I hope you got your wish. It was nice to meet you, Clark. I hope to see you again.

Yorktown and Jamestown: Part 2

I will now speak to you all about Yorktown, which I went to before Jamestown, but have flipped flopped them because in History, Jamestown came first. Here comes the document of Yorktown.

We took off from the RV Resort (Camp Beth Page) at about 9:00. We zoomed off in our black wrangler jeep and drove to our destination. Before we saw the battle of blue and red, we managed a large breakfast from a diner (not the best service.) After that we drove in a parking lot and started walking around. A little park illuminated what appeared to be a reenactment show, consisting of colonial-looking people. I got to play colonial games (which I was really good at - unlike their modern equivalents). Also was a large military show, where all the tourists pick up fake wooden muskets and go through a drill the state militiamen would endure. Now that, was fun! The "officer" was giving commands, telling us to load in many different fashions: tearing the cartilage, ramming down the stick, yotta yotta. Mom even has a video of it. I'll need to put it online.

Next, I saw Surrender Field, where the last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought, the redcoats losing and the Yankees winning! We very foolishly climbed up the hill when we could of taken the trolley, but I guess it was good exercise. We saw yet another movie and I recorded it. I found out that the British were blocked from all directions, French Navy in the East, Spaniards in the south, and Americans from THE North and the west. The British had to surrender.

General Cornwallis did not want to surrender, and actually pretended to be sick so he didn't have to be the one to surrender the sword of England. The pride and dignity of the guy!

It was a really well thought up battle that went just as planned. I don't have time to tell you all of the battle plans, so I urge you to look it up. It's very interesting.

That's pretty much all I got.

'Til next time,

Andrew.

Yorktown and Jamestown

Yesterday we went to Jamestown and Yorktown: the place were the English first planted their feet in America and the place where they last planted their feet.

First we went to Yorktown. But I'm not going to tell you that story first! It only seems right that I should tell you about Jamestown first because it happened in history first. So now I'm going to tell this story in reverse-chronological order. This should be fun.

At about 3:30 we embarked to Jamestown, after the trolley incident in Yorktown. And you remember that, don't you? Oh, right, you don't! Anyway, we traveled to Old Jamestown, the place where 104 men and boys made a settlement in 1607. I saw the old, old ruins and was flabbergasted at it all. This was the birthplace of America.

I saw and read everything possible in the museum. I am really interested in this stuff!

I learned that the settlers had bad relations with the India...I mean Native Americans (They're not really Indians. Columbus thought he was in India!) How would you feel if someone you didn't know came into your home and claimed it was owned by some guy named King James?

You wouldn't like it, would you? The native Americans were just trying to defend their land. And if you know your history, you know that it doesn't get much better. Later in history, the Native Americans are literally pushed off America, being pushed off and off until they have nowhere to go. And then they were put on reservations! What are they, dogs? It is so inhumane of us that we invaded their land and took it for ours. I am strongly... Wait, why am I going on and on about Indians? I need to get on with the story!

Anyhow, we saw an old church, a state building, watched a short and cheap documentary and even saw a reenactment. It was a blast.

A corner showed the entrance to a bucket load of white crosses, 30 in all. These were some of the poor unfortunate souls who died in the "starving time" during 1608 and 1609. It was really hard on some.

In the middle of all these graves stood a memorial to Captain John Smith:, rogue, jerk, Governor, chief council member, and player (he had 3 wives during his life). The guy did a lot.

When I saw the heroic looking statue with a sword and a steel metal hat, chest shield and beard, it didn't match the suave, sandy haired young man that that Disney promoted. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool. Also, there was a statue that many young girls know as a Disney princess. The people of Jamestown knew her as brown-skinned girl, John Rolfe knew her as Rebecca,but most know her as Pocahontas.

Now, I know there is a question at hand that has been wondered for decades. Did Pocahontas really save the life of John Smith? Although Smith says he was captured and about to die when Pocahontas saved him, it still doesn't make sense. At the time Smith was in Jamestown, the Indians were peaceful with the British, so why would they try to kill Smith? It simply doesn't fit.

Even if the story was true, Pocahontas was Rebecca's age. So why did Smith say that he and her liked each other? John Smith, you've just been proven wrong by an 11 year old. Beat that!

We also saw a digging site where they were still uncovering Jamestown, a memorial for all the people who brought it together, and New Jamestown, the new part of Jamestown. It was a fun time.

This is already long already so... I'm just gonna start a new post and talk about Yorktown.

Blog you then!(:

Andrew

Camp Beth Page

Camp Beth Page is the RV Resort we are staying at. When they said resort, they meant resort! It has a 5 swimming pools,three huge slides, a lake and kayaking, 3 playgrounds, a dog park, horses ,you name it! I will have a fun time staying here!

More From Kitty Hawk

Cute Girl having fun,

Priceless!

Wright Brothers Memorial Park Part 3

Wright Brothers Memorial Park Part 2

Andrew and Orville on Kitty Hawk.

Fun Stuff. What a cool bronze replica. They encourage folks to climb all over it!

Cheering the flight!

My son the actor!

The Wright Brother's Memorial.

We are now in Virginia!

We made it to North Carolina by June 15th. We enjoyed Rapids Jam, The Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk. We saw lighthouses, museums and lots of water. We made new friends and wore out our bikes!

The first state we visited was South Carolina. The state of Smiling Faces and Beautiful Places! That's our rig in the background.

We had a beautiful backdrop to our perfect evening!

The special cucumber from Monica's garden.

One of the many, many, many landings we witnessed.

Our RV set up with The Appletons in Virginia Beach.

Monica, Mom, Andrew and Rebecca in Virginia Beach, VA at Holiday Trav-L-Lodge Park.

The Appletons

Most of yesterday was spent getting from Nags Head to Virginia Beach. It was a two-hour ride, filled mostly with blogging and reading. We were going to Virginia, and Virginia Beach, of course, to see my mom's old friend Monica. They had been childhood friends, and have seen each other at reunions, parties, and even birthday parties. They are also Facebook friends, connecting on the net every day. In other words, they know each other.

As we were setting up camp and everything, putting out the grill (we had chicken and hamburgers), the tablecloth, cleaning inside, the Appleton's arrived. A bearded man with a kind face stepped out and so did a blond with a bag of vegetables. We later knew these to be, Monica and Bob.

Talking over dinner, Bob explained he was a retired navy engineer, who still worked on planes for the navy, as a civilian. He told us that the campground we are is two miles from the base (and sarcastically) "lucky us"! We get to hear and see little jets go across the sky... every few minutes! And the best part is, it goes on til 10:30.

Oh, and did they fly over! You would be talking about basketball or something, and then out of nowhere a jet would zoom across and drown out you're voice.

Conversations would be like: "Do you remember Cathy?" "Oh yes, I did re (plane sound) she w...(plane sound) cool." "What? Did you say she was a fool?" "No, I said she was" (plane sound).

Talking was hard. Even when the planes flew away, you would forget what you wanted to say because you were so agitated at the pilots. It was irritating.

Changing the subject, Monica is a music teacher. I played my guitar, and she guessed the songs. It was a fun game.

The night was fun and filled with conversations of my mom and Monica's days as kids. It was interesting to hear of mom's childhood. It was very cool.

As the Appleton's left, I crashed on Dad and Mom's bead without brushing my teeth, putting on pj's, or even saying prayers. I was more tired than a sloth.

In Virginia,

Andrew.

Kitty Hawk

We spent our last day in Nags Head at Kitty Hawk, the location where the first airplane was built and flown.

It was really cool. As we pulled in, we were met by a guard and we were given a pass for all the national parks. To have that we paid 80 bucks.

There was a bright red visitor's center, a steep hill with an overpowering monument, and a flat field with two sheds. This was my first look at Kitty Hawk.

We steered into the parking lot, parked and walked towards the visitors center. In it were paintings of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the creators and pilots of the plane. I learned interesting facts about the brothers, saw a replica of the plane, watched a small documentary about it, and was allowed to play on the replica. Mom has awesome pictures of that. I am sure she will post them.

I next walked to the field and 2 sheds where the Wright Brothers made and flew the plane.

They ate and slept in the sheds and it became their home away from home. Originally from Dayton, OH, the brothers came to Kitty Hawk because of the soft sand and frequent winds.

I was so interested and amazed that two men's small experiment triggered 104 years of aviation and lunar achievements. It is baffling.

The coolest part of the visit was looking at the monument of the Wright Brothers, stretching to nearly 110 ft. It was rectangular shaped monument engraved with how great the Wright Brother's achievement was. I don't remember the exact words, but they were good ones.

Here are some facts you might not know about the Wright brother's and their legacy:

1: The Wright Brother's were bicycle mechanics and also owned a newspaper.

2: Their father was a bishop.

3: From an early age, the brothers were interested in flight.

4: On Dec. 17, 1907 Orville became the first man on a plane which he flew for 12 sec.

5: For the next few hours, the brothers took turns flying. Wilbur (12 sec.), Orville (15 sec.) Wilbur, (59 sec.).

6: Orville's favorite sandwich was tuna and pickles.

7: The plane broke after the fourth attempt.

8: The brothers shook hands before Orville "boarded" the plane, acting like they wouldn't see each other again.

9: Wilbur liked to golf.

10: Neil Armstrong, first man to land on the moon, took a chip of the wood from the wright's plane when he landed on the moon.

I had a really fun time at Kitty Hawk. That's two states down, 45 to go (not counting GA).

See you next time on Bourne's BIG Trip! (I feel like an announcer).

Loving Virginia,

Andrew.

Camp Hatteras

It’s Wednesday, June 22^nd and it’s our last night at Camp Hatteras, NC. We have enjoyed being in The Outer Banks. It’s like a small ribbon of land in the middle of the ocean. It’s unlike any beach I’ve ever been to. It’s remote and quaint and fun.

We love the RV campground here. There are 400 campsites and we have a site as close to the beach as you can imagine. It’s so cool. The kids are having a blast playing with all of the other children in the rv’hood. It’s a block party every night. Rebecca has ridden her bike more this week than she has in the last year.

We’ve also done some other neat things while we have been here. We rode a ferry to a fishing village on Ocracoke Island. We actually drove our jeep onto the ferry. We had a nice meal and visited a couple of lighthouses and a Civil War museum. It was very interesting.

While we were at the park, we bought our National Park yearly pass as well as Park Passport books for the kids. We are armed and ready to hit a few of the 400 parks spread across the USA.

We’ll break camp here tomorrow morning before heading a few hours up the road to Virginia Beach. By Friday, we’ll be at Camp Beth Page near the Chesapeake Bay. We are looking forward to Virginia Beach because we’ll see my good friend Monica and her husband Bob. I have known Monica practically 40 years. To my surprise and delight, she moved in next door to us when I was in the 3^rd grade. It will be great to see a familiar faceJ

We have been up early every morning. It’s hard to sleep in when you have dogs and 4 people in a 12 x 45 ft. area. It’s actually been a blessing though. Rocky and Emma (our dogs) have helped me meet lots of nice people in the morning. I commented to one woman that you could sure spot the dog owners. She laughed and showed me her mug that said, “If coffee doesn’t wake you up, get a dog”! That’s the truth. This morning I saw a beautiful sunrise. I even had my camera with me. Imagine that!

Thanks for keeping in touch!

Becky.

Sunrise in the NC, RV with a View, Lunch Place in Ocracoke, Rebecca taking it all in, The fishing village

Ocrakoke

Tuesday morning Dad decided we were going to take the ferry to Ocrakoke, an island strip close to Nags Head. It was my first time on a ferry and it won't certainly be my last. It was so cool driving onto a boat with a lot of other cars. I took out my tripod and video camera and starting recording the boats passing by. It was an experience I will never forget.

While my JVC, (video camera) was on the tripod, I took my flip and toured the ship. People stared at me as I shined a bright light all around the boat, and, in their faces (oops)! Lots of boats passed.

Ocrakoke was a pretty interesting place. We saw a civil war museum, a civil war monument, a grey lighthouse, and many other things. It was amazing!

I liked the food! I ate a king mackerel for the first time and it was really good.

I had a fun time! I wish we could have stayed longer but we had to get on the ferry again at 4:00. The ride back wasn't as fun as it was the first time. I sat in the jeep and finished a book.

The day ended with the biking of me and new friends, the playing of my guitar, and the eating of a sandwich. It was a good day.

(Announcer) Next time on Bourne's BIG Trip, we go from crab hunting to girl hunting. See you next time on Bourne's BIG Trip!

(Director) Cut!

(Andrew) Uh, I'm glad that's over. It's hard to write. Hey, are we still on?

(Director) Cut! I said cut!

(Keyboard) Oh, sorry.

(Director) Stop typing keyboard.

(Keyboard) I can't!

(Director) Somebody stop him!

(Keyboard) You can't stop me! You're a bunch of words!

(Andrew) Uh, where is my latte. I asked for a latte! Ahh!

(Keyboard) I can't stop because a big human is typing all of this. Hey, he's typing something.

(Keyboard/Big Human) I am the real Andrew. I am making all of you up. Yes. I am.

(Director) Let's shut the computer down! Go, go, go!!!!

(Start) Hey, what are you guys doing? You can't shut this down. Only the human can.

(Director) Try the cyberspace!

(Employee) Hey, I found a switch that will restart the computer! But it will destroy us all!

(Director) It's worth it! Pull the switch!

(Employee) [about to pull switch]

(Word) [COMES UP BEHIND HIM) No! Why don't you all just come into my word document. You'll just be off of blogspot.com. Come on! [everyone exits]

(Keyboard) That doesn't delete the fact that everyone who reads this will read all of this. Words are idiots!

(THE END!)

Nags Head

Our first full day at Nags Head was really fun. We ate breakfast out at a little beach shack. Then I started to clean up around the house... I mean RV a little. Then, I went and saw the beach and tried to bike on it. FAIL! The sand was too soft and there were too many shells. The next thing I did yesterday was take a long, hard walk to the pier and look around. We all (the whole family) walked down the beach. Rebecca was picking up shells constantly. I observing (spying) on people, Dad eating peanuts and Mom talking to everyone that we passed. (She's a people person!) Very close to the pier, were two girls in the sand. They were about my age. I was wondering about how to surf, and they had boogie boards in their area, so I asked them a question. I started out with, "Are you any of you surfers"?

"We both are," they said at the same time.

"That was weird," I stated under my breath.

"Just kidding", the brunet said. She continued, "We're probably the worst out here."

As I only came to ask the question, I started to walk away.

"What's your name?" The blond asked.

"Andrew", I said, still trying to get away.

"Haley", the brunet stated.

"Halie", the blond stated.

"No, I don't believe that."

"Mom!" Haley (brunet) screamed. "Are we both named Haley?"

"Yes," turning to look at me, "This one", pointing to the brunet, is Haley with a Y.

"This one," pointing to the blond, "is Halie with an i. Goodbye," and she walked away.

"See", teased the blond Halie.

"I stand corrected," I said.

Over the next few minutes they asked me a few questions, found out where I lived, what I liked. I learned they live in Charlotte.

"What do you like to do?" Halie asked.

"I like to make movies and..."

The brunet interrupted me. "Wait, stop right there. What if you could make a movie of us?"

"Well I..."

"That would be so cool!"

"I don't exactly have my vide...

"Ooh! Can you come tomorrow?"

"I guess I can..."

"Alright, tomorrow then. We'll be right here."

"But I..."

"Say no more. Tomorrow it is."

I was bewildered. That was the only time I had been forced into a date.

I guess I'll meet her today then.

The next part of the day included us waiting a storm out that didn't come, riding bikes with two boys, and eating a nice dinner. It was a good day.

Til next time,

Andrew

Sunday, the 19th.

Before I begin with this blog post, I must say something... Happy Father's Day! We really appreciate all the dad's who dedicate their time for our satisfaction. Now to the blog.

Sunday started as all Sundays start. I had a good night's sleep and I was ready for our departure at RR. Our plan for the day was to wake up, have a good but small breakfast, get dressed, and pick us out a Methodist church to listen to a sermon in. Rolling around Roanoke Valley, we came upon a very beautiful church with a stone structure. This was our first look at Rosemary United Methodist Church. It had a medieval appearance, with it's arched decoration and maple wood doors. A plaque on the center of the doors stated it was organized in 1902 and rebuilt in 1949. I thought to myself: I love this place already.

When I pulled the doors opened I was welcomed by a young man (about 18) with strawberry blond hair and a middle aged woman (about 50) holding bulletins. They were kind and considerate and, noticing us to be strangers, asked us if we were moving to R.V. (Roanoke Valley). We told them our situation (the whole US pitch) and they wished us Good Tiding. Taking the bulletins and going into the sanctuary, we found us an empty pew and sat down. I looked around in exhilarating excitement. Here was a church, that was stationed in the rural south, that had more beauty than that of the pope's cathedral. It had 7 stained glass windows (three on the right side and four on the left) with different symbols of God on them. The first on the left side had a goblet representing his blood. The next (0n the left) had a candle on it representing him being the light of the world. After that came a window with a bag full of wheat in it representing him: He's the bread of life. Finally, on the left side was a flower, and I don't know quite what it represented. Nothing was stated above it (like the others) so it remains a mystery. I guess you can make whatever you want it to be.

On the right side was lamb representing... well you have to know what the lamb stands for.

Next was the David Star, saying Jesus was from the family line of David.

Finally, last but not least, was the God, Jesus and a dove - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one.

As I looked around, I noticed a red-head in a white robe walk on the stage. I later knew him to be Rev. James Bell, known to the congregation as Pastor Jim. He announced upcoming programs, Bible studies, vacation bible school, and people to pray for in the hospital. Next we sang hymnal songs, listened to a sermon about going out into the world to preach the gospel, prayed and dispersed. It was a wonderful service.

After church Dad picked out a very nice looking BBQ restaurant called Ralph's. I had a grilled chicken sandwich, Dad had the buffet, Mom had a BBQ sandwich and Rebecca had a RED hot dog. It was a good meal.

After that, we unset camp and left RR. Down the road, I read my book and contacted friends. We drove across a bridge to Nags Head and set up camp there. Well, I didn't actually. I played on my bike with a nice northern kid from Pennsylvania named Holden. We played for awhile.

Nags Head is a beautiful island. It has a beautiful ocean view with magnificently big sand dunes. I really do wish to tell you more.

Surfing the waves,

Andrew

Rapids Jam Part 3

For the third day, we all went at 2:00 to see Kip Moore, listened to a few songs of his and then left the chairs there and went back to the RV Park because it was really hot. We decided to try again at 3:00 when Bucky Covington was scheduled to perform. Dad and I actually went to the RV Park pool, while Mom and Rebecca went to see Bucky. I got to swim elegantly and escape the hot sun. Dad and I later went to a tracker supply store and looked around for the fun of it. After that we drove to a Walmart and got milk and eggs, went to a KFC and ate there, and drove back to the RV Park, where Mom and Rebecca were waiting. We then waited a while and went back to the concert at 7:00 and listened to Colt Ford and Clay Walker. Clay was a cool country singer. I liked him. The next group up was the three musketeers, the three amigos, the magic number, Lady Antebellum. They were awesome.

And so sums up the trilogy of The Rapids Jam.

See you when you read our next post!

Thinking about you,

Andrew.

Rapids Jam Part 2

The second day of the rapids jam had a little more singers I liked. There was Drew Davis, James Wesley, Craig Morgan, Darius Rucker and Sugarland. It was fun to have all of them there, and I liked it a lot. That's pretty much all that happened Sat.

Sincerely,

Andrew.

Rapids Jam Part 1

One word to describe the first two nights of Rapids Jam.... Anawesomefuntimewithcountrysingerswhowerethebestever.

I had an awesome time at Rapids Jam. The singers were great, although I didn't like a song by Lee Brice called "Beer!" or a couple of Willie Nelson's songs about drugs. Besides that, the music was entertaining, (all pure country and NO bluegrass) the food was good, (Papa John's and Helen's Hamburgers) and the security tight (not good for me when I brought a video camera).

Although I didn't enjoy most of the songs Thurs. night (expect for a few songs from Jamie Johnson), I was very attentive Sat. night listening to artists such as James Wesley, a true country singer, and Craig Morgan. I also enjoyed fan favorite, Darius Rucker and the all-exciting band Sugarland. Tonight the performers will be Clay Walker, Bucky Covington and Lady Antebellum.

I will be enjoying them a lot.

Some of the singers Thurs. were southern rock, a kind of music I DO NOT like.

So now, without further ado, I will tell you the story of the first two night of Rapids Jam!

At 2:45, we were about to go to the festival, when, above all odds, it started to rain. After a few few minutes of pouring water, it stopped raining.

Yippee!

We took the jeep and drove to the festival.

The plan for the night was that Mom would drop us off and we would walk to the outdoor stadium, get settled and set up our chairs and wait for Lee Brice to come on. Mom would find a parking spot and then join us at the concert.

That was when all the balloons broke lose.

First, as we came into sight of a cross guard, he told us to go through the camper line.

"I'm just going to drop them off and and go park", Mom said as she started to pull over.

"You have to go through there."

"I'm going to go through the front gate."

"Suit yourself." We pulled around and saw a police man, who told us to go all around to the other side of the park. When that was done, another man, a staff official, told us to go back around. It was a game of connect the dots. One man told us to one way, another telling us to go back. It took us a long time to connect the picture.

Finally we were dropped off where the stage was 500 yards away. We also had to stop and get scanned by a metal detector. That was the bad part. Rebecca and I got through easy; it was Dad who was stopped.

"No SLR. Sorry sir, but we can't allow you to have that kind of camera."

As Dad went back to the car, we sat down in our chairs, by the security guards and waited for Dad to come back.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to a half hour. As Dad came back, with Mom, we went inside.

The concert stage was as big as the moon. The countless stands and booths numbered to thousands. The many, many rows of chairs made people everywhere know the magnitude of this event. I was blown away.

We took a spot where we had direct seeing access to the jumbo screen. We also sat by four ladies, three of them 17 and younger, one of them being the mom.

My mom got to know the lady, known as Melissa. She is a teacher who could be reading this blog right now, since my mom gave her the link. She was a very nice lady to talk to.

As Lee Brice came on, everyone moved their eyes to the stage. He was a very interesting artist, but I don't like the kind of music he sings. Next was Randy Houser, whom was a pretty good singer with an interesting swing. Then a man named Jamey Johnson came on. He was really cool. I had heard his songs on the radio but never knew who it was. He sang a song called "In Color" and "Play in the Park" .

Finally, a 78 year old man came on the stage. Can you guess who?

Yes, it was the one, the only, Willie Nelson!

He sang songs like there was no tomorrow. My favorites were: "Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" and "On the Road Again" and no one could forget "Crazy". Willie was pretty good.

Out of all the things that happened that night, the highlight and the funniest thing, would have to be... a shirtless man who was dancing around. He was a beach boy looking blond. He wasn't exactly... I don't know how to say this nicely... sober. Anyway, he was dancing and twirling his feet around and doing cartwheels. He looked like a crazy monkey with a little too much coffee.

All in all, I had a great time. There was no bluegrass or old timey country. It was true country which I like. Since I don't have room to fit the whole second night in here, I'll need to write a new post.

See you then,

Andrew

The gushing fire hydrant

So far the trip has been really fun and relaxing. Getting ready for the trip was so exhausting that when the time came to leave, I was even more ready to get underway.

Some of my highlights so far have been the trip back to PC. My college years were tremendous. I loved the friends, my classes, the professors, the campus and or course playing basketball and volleyball. It was so much fun to reconnect with some of the people there after being gone for such a long time. The campus was beautiful. To me it has the look and feel of what every campus should possess. I love the cohesive architecture and the walking campus. I like the friendly people and the college-town feel of Clinton.

My former basketball coach is now the mayor of Clinton as well as his many other roles at PC. He welcomed us all to the campus. Andrew actually “interviewed” him with video camera in hand. It was cute. Andrew was so impressed with the college that I could see him choosing a similar campus.

Another highlight has been watching Andrew and Rebecca connect with their friends and family back home through Facetime, Video Chat, email, blogs, and traditional phone calls. Technology is making all of this a little easier. We bought the kids IPhones before we left. That was a good investment for sure. We love this adventure, but it was also hard to leave home.

Andrew is having fun with the blog while Rebecca is keeping an art journal. It’s beautiful. Maybe I’ll find a way to post some of her drawings. Andrew’s writing is a lot more exciting to read than mine…I’ll just make a guest appearance every once in a while. Who knows, you may also hear from Rebecca and David.

The Rapids Jam concert is a lot of fun. Last night we saw Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson and others. Of course the kids liked people watching as much as anything. There were some funny characters out there. Tonight we’ll see 6 artists including Darius Rucker and Sugarland. Tomorrow night the headliner is Lady Antebellum. On Father’s Day, we’ll pack up camp and head to The Outer Banks.

One thing about this RVing, David has the brunt of the work. He drives, he sets up camp and for the last two nights he has grilled out. Okay, so I could get used to this!

Thanks for tuning in….Becky

I like country.

For the people who commented my last post(not naming names) I like country music a lot but am not a fan of traditional or bluegrass country. My dad recently said no bluegrass or traditional will be included so now I'm excited. Actually Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, and Willy Nelson are performing . I like them. Sorry for the confusion.

Liking country,

Andrew.

(P.S.I'm seriously a fan of country,just not bluegrass and traditional. Okay, do we have understanding...)

Roanoke Rapids

Mostly all we've been doing is riding down the road from Clinton, to Roanoke Rapids. I now sit in our parking section in an RV park right across the street from the Country Music 'Woodstock' or Rapids Jam. As I have said before, my dad likes old country music and is very excited about the festival. To speak for myself, though, I won't be interested in the bluegrass section. Although I usually enjoy a little Tim McGraw or Brad Paisley, the old, hillbily kind of country music is not my thing. Who knows, maybe I'll start liking traditional country music, start wearing overalls, grow two buck teeth and begin to talk like Larry the Cable Guy on "Only in America"(. I hope I didn't offend anyone with the last remark. I'm only kidding) But maybe not.

Changing the subject, I am enjoying North Carolina. The people are nice and...(any of this sounding familiar. South and North Carolina are like twins.) you know where I'm getting at.

Anyway I look forward to the 'jam' tomorrow and all other things we might do. See you guys later.

Rocking in NC,

Andrew.

Me

Big Trip: Leaving and First Day

Yesterday at about 11:30, the family and I were grief stricken as we were leaving Roswell. I (Andrew Bourne) was in tears as I walked through the house one final time... Later as Julie,(my sister) took a  photo of us,we disembarked. Leaving Roswell and friends and family was really hard to bear. The only thing that would look familiar for the next several months  would be friends and family through FaceTime, Skype or VideoChat. Even a phone. The slightest communication with our loved ones would always make our day. Although my dad seemed optimistic of our new adventure I remained a bit skeptical. What would touring the country be like? How about homeschooling? Missing a year of school? Thousands of questions rolled through my mind as we rolled down the highway.  Now in South Carolina, the land of boiled peanuts, I'm warming up to this new kind of life. Earlier today we went to my mom's old college, PC.(Presbyterian College) It was a beautifully fashioned set of buildings that shined  like crystals. I really liked the place with its red brick design with a modern twist. As we arrived, we were welcomed by a gray-headed man known as Randy Randall, my mother's old basketball coach and now current Mayor of Clinton,SC,Executive Director of Alummi\Greek and Community Relations, and a father of two! Such a busy man! Anyway we talked with him for a while and I recorded with my video camera a few funny stories he mentioned.(available on YouTube) He was a very fun and interesting character who had a hobby of acting.(my hobby too) After seeing him we went around the campus and saw my Mom's old dorm, her many classes and even a pool area turned into a  weight room. Her college was awesome, and I will never forget it.

Later in the day we drove around Clinton Square and had a very satisfying lunch at Steamer's Cafe and Ice Cream. We also went to a PC owned bookstore where I got a blue hose football jersey.(weird mascot name) At about 2:30 my Mom went into an assisted living home in Clinton to pay a visit to one of her professors named Dr. Skinner. As she went in we drove to the Clinton Museum, a museum dedicated to Clinton's (and South Carolina's) fallen heroes from the Civil War. When we drove up, it was closed for personal reasons of the owner. (Maybe a family member of his died) So as we had nothing else to do, we toured around Clinton. We saw a train go by,saw  nice and shabby houses alike , we even saw  a dead bird. But the weirdest thing I saw while riding around there was a fire hydrant gushing out gallons of water.(will be shown on YouTube and Facebook) My dad said the Fire Department was filtering out the bad water(good I didn't drink any!)  About an hour later we picked up Mom and drove off. I now sit at Magnolia R.V. Park outside the R.V. typing on this computer. Tomorrow we leave to Roanoke Rapids to see a Country Music Woodstock(dad's choice not mine. Country Music isn't really my thing. I guess it could be a Father's Day Present. Although, he did pay for everything... Never mind. Back to the story) Anyway I hope you guys are doing good and I hope this trip will be fun.

And so ends the first blog post of many.

Sincerely,
Andrew Bourne.