This was our welcoming committee, when we went back home to North Carolina
Left to Right: Uncle Ronnie, Craig Daughtey, Gary Lee Daw Jr., Me, Brother Chancey, and brother-in-law Bartek (Bart)
This is my buddy Craig, whom I have known since 1st grade. Craig is over to invite me and my new Polish family for an outing on the Neuse River, near Kinston, North Carolina, should we go?
Yup, we went! With Craig at the helm, we're sure to get somewhere fast! He sure does know that river good, I hope there aren't any floating logs in the channel.
Our first stop along the river was the Nature center in Happersville.
Bart was picking on our native Red Tail Hawk and how small it is in comparison to the Polish National Bird (The White Eagle), but he was only kidding! This hawk was rescued, after suffering from a broken wing.
Our next stop was at the CSS Ram Neuse Historic Park. Here I stand at the old shelter site of the Confederate Battleship, which was excavated from the adjacent river bed in 1963.
I'm pointing at the water level crest marks from the 1999 floods which followed Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd. Flooding which killed, destroyed and left thousands homeless.
At the Historic site, Bart and I pose for the camera by the Civil War Memorial to the Lenoir County Fallen Veterans. One of two wars that the U.S. veterans really had their hearts in to, I strained to choke down the lump in my throat. Contrary to uneducated belief, the Civil war wasn't about slavery!
The inscription reads: "NOT FOR WAGES. NOT FOR GLORY. TWAS FOR HOME AND RIGHT THEY FELL."
Another Memorial, dedicated to the Lenoir County Residents who served or gave their lives in the service of our Country, not to mention the very freedoms that most of us take for granted.
This is the hull of the C.S.S. Neuse Confederate Battleship, which was scuttled in 1865. The CSS Neuse was one of 22 ironclads commissioned by the Confederate navy. This one was built near Whitehall, presently Seven Springs. When completed, the twin-screw steamer was plated with iron armor and measured 158 feet long x 34 feet wide.
After a day on the river, I was glad to be between my favorite women, Monika and Mom. I am thankful that they are both healthy and able to get along together! Love you both!!