My legs are burning

My sister-in-law Brenda and her husband David stopped for a visit this weekend. On Saturday we took a drive out to Fort Story and visited the light house there.


Fort Story is an Army base, so you have to stop at the gate for security. We had to get out of the car and then they checked for bombs/terrorists/nuclear waste and other things that might be dangerous. The guards were very entertaining and made the experience as pleasant as possible. One of the men was very helpful.


First guard: "Do you know where the lighthouse is?"

Us: "No. This is our first visit."

Second guard: "Follow this road. It is the large building with a big light on top."

Us: "..."

First guard: [smiling] "That is correct, but there are two lighthouses. The one you want to visit is on the left. The other one is an active military lighthouse and if you go too close you will be detained."

Second guard: [evil grin]

Us: "Ok. Thank you."

I love military humor.

Below is a picture of Brenda and Dave with the new lighthouse in the background. The two lighthouses are across the street from each other and you can get some beautiful pictures overlooking the new lighthouse.

As you can see, the weather was gorgeous. The air temperature was in the high 50s to low 60s and almost no wind. Brenda and Dave left Sunday morning and the temperature dropped 15 degrees by that evening.

We paid our $4 and climbed to the top. Well, everyone but Dearth. He isn't a big fan of heights.

I'm not sure how many steps were in that circular staircase, but it was somewhere between "Are we there yet?" and "Please pass the oxygen.". Even Brenda and Dave were breathing hard at the top and they are runners (I was the one asking for oxygen).

I was in lighthouse style this day. I went for the short round look rather than the tall thin look. You may also notice that D-man finally got a haircut.

On a side note, if you decide to visit Fort story, their is a minimum height requirment for climbing the lighthouse. Children must be 42 inches or taller. The spiral staircase is easy to navigate, but there is a steep ladder just before the very top and small children will have a very tough go of it.

We enjoyed the visit. So, if you are in the area, it is worth a stop.