CapeHatteras

For Christmas in 1998, Jerry took me on a surprise tour from Florida to Philly via all the lighthouses along the way. It was the most incredible (and romantic) vacation ever. He drove 521 miles from his house in Gulf Breeze, Florida, to mine in Cocoa Beach, Florida; accompanied me to my work Christmas Party, and then we started out on our journey the next day. We stayed in Charleston, South Carolina, walked along the river walk and toured historic downtown; drove along the Outer Banks of the Carolinas, where we missed the last ferry and had to stay in the tiniest hotel ever--the hotel clerk was the cashier, game room attendent, waitress, and chef--we had an absolute blast, playing pool, drinking hot chocolate, and writing Christmas cards; the next day we took the first ferry to Okacoke Island and had lunch in the only place opened for the freezing winter; then we stayed in the most beautiful restored Victorian B & B in Wilmington, North Carolina, where we exchanged Christmas gifts, before taking a walking tour of the town and going to the Art Museum. This could only be topped by a drive through Virginia in a blinding ice storm before our very surprise arrival at Jerry's family's house on Christmas Eve. However, Jer's Mom gave him the biggest hug ever (after she yelled at him for not telling her he was coming home.) I got to spend my first Christmas with Jerry's family, who are definitely the happiest, most wonderful family I've ever met. It was absolutely awesome. For one of my gifts, Jer got me tickets to see Les Mis on Broadway--he came along also, of course, we drove to New York after Christmas and walked around Time Square, went to Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and FAO Swartz before the show. For New Year's Eve, we went to Atlantic City with Jerry's lifelong bud, Don (as pictured on the Links Page).

Along the way we saw Okacoke light, Bodie Island Light Station,Cape Hatteras, Currituck Beach, Cape Lookout, and more. We arrived at Cape Hatteras (the tallest lighthouse in the US) the day they closed it to move the 4,600-ton tower approximately 2,900 feet to the southwest into a postition 1,600 feet from the surf, the same distance as when the lighthouse was completed in 1870--at the cost of $12 million.

By the time we returned home, we (okay, Jer) had driven over 4,000 miles.

On our vacation to the Keys in August 1999, Jerry took me to Key West Light and Jupiter Point. We've also visited Cape May, New Jersey, and last summer Jerry took me to Saint Augustine, Florida.

Gosh, I love that guy!!!!!!