POST 532 - 12/29/11; OUTER BANKS - COLUMBIA, NORTH CAROLINA

I have been very fortunate to be invited to share the Christmas Season with Pastor Steve's family and friends in SALVO, NORTH CAROLINA...and with the family and friends of Karen and Craig in COLUMBIA, NORTH CAROLINA.

As Christmas has come near, the Food Bank has been busy receiving, sorting, stocking and delivering all manner of fresh and frozen foods. Open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, food is made available to EVERYONE with a need...at no cost. Needless to say, the constant rush has kept Pastor Steve's family, Terry, and I - not to mention a number of additional long-time volunteers - busy.


As a special event, Pastor Steve arranged to receive and distribute gifts to young boys and girls...boys and girls who would otherwise not receive gifts this Christmas. The OUTER BANKS has many families who have lost everything - home, vehicles, clothes...just about everything...to the September hurricane.

I was put to work to pack away the hundreds...yes, hundreds...of gifts into the "playroom" beyond the door pictured behind Betty. I was visiting Karen & Family in COLUMBIA when the gifts were distributed.


On December 21, 2011, Pastor Steve's family and friends met in his tiny church where the children put on a rather complex and entertaining Christmas play. They did such a good job that an encore was requested after cookies and drinks.




The meeting room after the Christmas play.

Betty has a pot of coffee brewing most of the time...

Arriving at Karen & Craig's home in COLUMBIA, NORTH CAROLINA...my third visit in two months..., the Sun Room was completed. The front entrance into the Sun Room welcomes guests.


Sons, Carson (left) and Noah ponder the gifts waiting under the tree.


Craig opening his gifts.


Noah flies his remote controlled helicopter to a good vantage point to look on as his Mom, Karen opens one of her gifts.

On Christmas Day, Karen's friends Roy and Elva arrived from MADRID, SPAIN. Roy not too many years ago lived and worked in COLUMBIA, NORTH CAROLINA...Elva is native Spanish, working with the BASQUE community. Should I proceed with my planned walk from EUROPE to BEIJING, CHINA, will certainly spend a bit of time visiting in MADRID.

Roy and I spent many hours in conversation on lots of like-minded subjects.

Have returned to HAPPY CLAM in RODANTHE, where I have continued to fight off a very surprising complex sore throat...fluids have invaded my lungs, giving me a bit of a difficult time. Tonight - Thursday, December 29, 2011, will take a long soak in HOT water, bundle up in Karen's gifted comforter, and watch U of Washington battle Baylor U.