A Weekend at Fort Fisher

Friday, November 6 - Sunday, November 8

I've had a guage to go bad on the motor home (the secondary air guage) and the best place to get it replaced is the Freightliner Service Center in Wilmington.

We're using it as an excuse to spend the weekend near there.

The work was completed Friday afternoon.  Afterward, we decided to check and see if we could stay at Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area, which is South of Carolina Beach near the Fort Fisher Aquarium.

The Recreation area is a part of Seymour Johnson AFB.  It's a place for base personnel to be able to spend some relatively inexpensive time with their families at the beach.  And they have a small RV park.  So here we are.

Saturday morning we decided to take the Fort Fisher - Southport Ferry across the Cape Fear River to Southport.

The park on the river was really busy today with the wonderful temperatures.

The last time I was in Southport was several years ago with Joe Barwick on Eureka.  We had decided that February would be a good time to take Eureka South for a while.  Turned out to be one of the coldest of winters.  After we decided in Georgetown SC that we probably going to freeze to death before we reached Miami, we decided to turn around and head back home.  On the way, it got colder.  We ended up leaving the boat in Southport, renting a car and going home, coming back when it got warmer to pick up the boat and take it home.

Quite different today, with temperatures in the 80's

We had a nice day just relaxing (and Clara shopping) with a really nice lunch at "The Pharmacy"

A Pleasant Weekend

Friday, October 23

This weekend, we're going to try something a little different.  We're going to be tourist in Eastern North Carolina - or more specifically, Northeastern NC.

Clara has often mentioned that she has a cousin who lives on the Pungo River near Belhaven.  A few weeks back she made an interesting connection to Sally.

Sheila and some of her friends often travel the 2+ hours to a friends house on the Pungo River.  In a remarkable conincidence, her friend, Valarie Forbes home is next door to Sally's home.  They called Clara while there and Clara and Sally talked about getting together. They haven't seen each other in 40+ years.

This weekend is the perfect weekend to do that.

We loaded up the motor home Friday morning and drove to Riverview Campground just outside Belhaven, set up camp and drove to Sally's home.

As soon as they saw each other, they started talking and reliving the past - and 4 hours later, after a delicious dinner at Fish Hooks restaurant in Belhaven, they were still talking.

Sally has a beatiful home right on the Pungo River and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Saturday, October 24

After a slow, lazy start to the morning, we decided to drive the hours drive to a State Park we had never heard of - Pettigrew State Park

It's on the banks of Lake Phelps, the second largest natural lake in North Carolina.  The lakes' only source of water is rainfall.  It averages 4.5 feeet and the maximum depth is 9 feet.  No one knows how the lake was formed.  Some of the ideas are underground springs, wind and wave action, meteor, peat burn and glacial activity.

A part of the Park is occupied by an old plantation home known as Somerset Place Historic Site. The house was built around 1787.  The original owner/developer, Josiah Collins, developed the 100,000 acres and it become the home of over 800 slaves.  It was one of North Carolina's most prosperous rice, corn and wheat plantations.  After the Civil War, the home and properties fell into disrepair and was finally acquired by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and became North Carolina's 6th State Park in 1939.

Somerset Place

On the banks of Lake Phelps - 5 miles wide and 7 miles long

Tonight we went to the Spoon River Restaurant with Sally, Dew and Valarie Forbes (who live down the street from us in Beaufort and have the home next to Sally's).  We had been to this restaurant before when we sailed to Belhaven last year.  It seems out of place in this small town, but they are obviously doing well.  Belhaven is blessed with a number of great restaurants.  Unfortunately, the restaurants are about all there is in downtown.

Sunday, Oct 25

We had a pleasant drive back to Beaufort, crossing the Pamlico and Neuse Rivers on ferries.

We took up quite a bit of space on the ferry.

Dad celebrates his 100th Birthday

 Sunday, October 18

On Tuesday, October 20 Dad celebrated his 100th Birthday.

We had his birthday celebration on the Sunday prior to his birthday so that more friends and family could celebrate this milestone with him.

Clara has thoroughly enjoyed planning this celebration, with the assistance of Catherine Gupton, my first cousin.  It's been difficult finding decorations that are appropriate for a hundred year old.  She did manage to find a few, but mostly made it up on the go.

Dad is in remarkable physical and mental condition.  He walks with a walker and gets around well. His memory is excellent, although he tends to tell the same stories about the past.

Dad at 100 years old playing corn hole with his Granddaughter, Olivia

We had his birthday party at Rock Creek Baptist Church Sunday afternoon.  Clara had planned and prepared what she calls "an old fashioned cake and ice cream" party.

Over 100 friends and family dropped by to participate in the celebration.

And Dad enjoyed every minute.

One piece of ancestrial information that we realized as we talked this weekend is that Evan Inscoe (Slade's son and our Grandson) is the only male blood relative that will carry the Inscoe name forward from Dad's father, William D. Inscoe and his eight children.

Saturday, Dad's Grandson Christopher and his wife Tara and Great Granddaughter Olivia spent the day with Dad.  Anthony and Christopher are my sister's sons.  Willettie passed away in 2004.

Great Grandpa and Olivia Gagnon

Clara had ordered two large cakes at Sams for the birthday party.  They weren't ready Saturday night when we went to pick them up, so Clara donned a hairnet and went back into the bakery to help the staff get them ready.


Family

John MarshallWortham - Nephew (Son of Lorene Inscoe Wortham and Charlie)

Bob and Rose Marshall  - Nephew (Son of Idalene Inscoe Marshall and Robert)

Joyce and Sandra (Fisher) Nieces on mothers side of the family (Daughters of Lena Wester Fisher and Ossie)

Martha Wester Derbyshire Niece (Daughter of Kate Inscoe Wester and Ned)

Phyllis Manon Niece (Daughter of Douglas Inscoe and Ida) and Pruitt

Sarah Strickland, Niece (Daughter of Douglas Inscoe and Ida) and Rudy

Lynda Tyson Niece (Daughter of Tom Inscoe and Wyvette) and Robert

Stanley Inscoe - Nephew by adoption (Son of Douglas and Ida Inscoe) and Mary Edna

Tommy Wester - Nephew (son of Katie Inscoe Wester and Ned) and Betty Lynn and Tyler

Violet Pierce Landreth (cousin) and Bob

Catherine Wester Gupton  - Niece (Daughter of Katie Inscoe Wester) and daughter Robin

Anthony Gagnon - Grandson (Son of Willettie Inscoe Gagnon)

David Slade Inscoe - Grandson (Son of Willard David Inscoe)
Candace Inscoe (Granddaughter in law )
Anna Inscoe - Great Granddughter
Evan Inscoe - Great Grandson

Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Others

Clara, Jean and Ada

Four Generations

Mom and Son cut the birthday cake

Slade and Candace took care of serving the ice cream and cake

Slade and his Grandpa share a humerous moment

Anna was the photographer.  She made sure nearly everyone was photographed with Dad

Madelyn and Jean Speights, our neighbors in Beaufort

Dad's buddy, Leroy is always there to help Dad get to church and meetings and anywhere else he wants to go.

Barbara fills in when Anthony isn't available.  He loves her like family and she is an important part of his life.

Barbara's daughter (Bonnie and Randy) and family have adopted Dad as their Grandpa.  He truly loves each of them.

Pastor of Rock Creek Baptist Church, Blake Dempsey and his daughter, Anna Carson (4 years old) who also shares Dad's birth date, October 20.

P. C. Williams, a fellow church member made this replica of the type of school bus that Dad drove when he was 15 years old.  Dad was overwhelmed by his generosity.