Knotts Island Peach Festival

No Southern summer would be complete without a good ole fashion Peach Festival, and as chance would have it, we happen to have one right here in Currituck County.  So when Kara and I discovered that the Peach Festival was this weekend, we had to go experience all the peachy fun and flavors that can only be had in the Great State of North Carolina.  

There was music, carnival rides, shopping, and peaches.  Lots and lots of peaches.  We enjoyed ourselves some fine North Carolina peach pie served up with some home made peach ice cream.  Everything tasted sublime.  But no matter how good the food was, what attracted Kasia's attention the most were the rides.  It was next to impossible for us to keep our little daredevil off them.

First up was the giant slide.  This has always been one of my favorites, and now it appears to be one of Kasia's favorites as well. 

Another big hit with her was the roller coaster.  Now, unlike the slide, this one was for children only.  There was some hesitation about whether or not Kasia would be able to handle her first roller coaster all by herself and not get scared.  But, with the keen eye for safety that every carnie has, we knew that our daughter was in safe hands

(notice how he dangles the cigarette from his lips so as

not to get ash on the children.  Safety first!)

Fortunately, none of our fears were warranted.  Kasia did not get scared when the roller coaster started, and she did not try to jump out.  All she did was laugh.  She laughed constantly, and when the ride was over, she kept her seat and went again.  In the end, she must have rode that roller coaster over ten times, and loved it the entire time.  

By the time we left, I think that it's safe to say we had a great time.  What I loved about the whole day was the simplicity of it all.  It was simple fun and simple pleasures.  The kids had a great time on the little kiddy rides (and Kasia is too young to thing anything is "lame").  Everything was very relaxed, and very casual.  The bands played off an on all day long, and the peach pie was constantly flying out the window.  It was a day where the fast, and hectic pace of life was slowed down for awhile, and time was once again your friend.  It's strange to say that it made me feel like a kid again during the summer, when there were no worries or concerns to trouble you, but then again, if a North Carolina Peach Festival can't make you feel that way, nothing can.

Worst Golfer Ever

In case you didn't know, we live on a golf course.  To be more specific, we live right off the tee box for the seventh hole, which is a par three.  We see a lot of golfers come and go, but I must be watching the worst golfer in the world right now.  

This guys first hit didn't even make it to the yellow tees, let alone all the way to the women's tees.  His follow up hit actually knocked the ball into our yard, which I always thought was impossible to do.  After that, he got it up to the ladies tees.  His next hit, he drove it to the pond.  To sum it up, he's on his sixth shot and he's not even halfway to the hole.  Kasia hits the ball better than that.

Here We Go!

We're well into July in this "very active" hurricane season, and the first storm to threaten our coasts is coming straight for us.  Or rather, it's kind of skipping along the coast line, and will (if predictions are correct) actually give us some rain.  As you can imagine, we're busy stocking up on water, batteries, and canned goods.  Bring on Cristobal (which has to be the silliest name for a storm ever... I mean, is this supposed to be a tropical storm or some avant garde artist?)

UPDATE:  errr.... never mind.  We didn't even get the rain.

Only The Navy

This weekend, I had to wake up with the sun on Saturday to go to the Naval base to take part in a physical muster.  Essentially, I just had to show up, watch a PowerPoint presentation, and go home.  But really though, 7:30 am on a Saturday morning?  I swear, this is the only job that can ruin my weekend two years after I quit.  

On the plus side, they did pay me for my time.  So that's not a bad thing.

Fun Feeding the Goats

Kasia and I went to the zoo this week, and this time we decided to try something different.  Instead of just taunting the goats and making fun of them, we decided to try and feed them.  As it turns out, they like this much better.  There was a really nice lady there with her grandson, and she gave Kasia a bunch of food pellets to give to the goats.  I just sat back and filmed the whole thing.  Enjoy.

Kodak Moment: Cool or Creepy?

The other day when we were working on the yard, I noticed this strange moth on our driveway.  It blended into the concrete so perfectly that it was almost creepy.  Or is it cool?  What do you think?

Running from the Tide

Kasia and the tide at the beach were battling it out all day.  Today, for the first time this summer, the tide won.  This isn't to diminish Kasia or her courageous efforts.  The tide today was just particularly fierce.  It even kicked my butt a number of times.  

Squeaky Shoes

Kasia recently discovered she has shoes that squeak.  Obviously, she thinks this is the coolest thing ever.  Though, when she saw the camera, she got a little shy.

We Have a Winner!

I think that it's now safe to say that Kasia has a favorite animal.  Just in case the picture didn't give it away, it's the giraffe.  What is it about this majestic beast that she likes so much?  Is it the elongated neck?  The graceful stride?  Or could it possibly be that it's the one animal name that she really enjoys saying.  She loves pointing at pictures and shouting "DRAFF!"  And hey, that's close enough in our book.  Instead of saying "lion" she just says "ROAR!"  Again, close enough.  I think the SAT board will accept that as an answer.

And keeping with the tradition of tall animals, I think her new favorite Sesame Street character is Big Bird.  I see this as only fitting considering that Kasia is also quite tall for her age.