Quest for Folly

Bodie Island Lighthouse is an unmissable attraction on the Outer Banks. There is currently an effort to restore the tower so that visitors may climb to the top. Currently, they can go in the bottom and get a feel for its height as well as explore the keeper’s cottage.

My grandfather was the son of the last keeper of Bodie Island Light. I grew up hearing many stories of his adolescence there. In the summer he volunteers for the park service telling tourists those same tales. Not bad for a 90 year old great-great-grandaddy!

William Jewell is a small liberal arts college with a beautiful campus located in Liberty, Missouri.
My favorite spot is the old cemetery where you can find great examples of nineteenth century funerary art.

http://www.jewell.edu

I love college towns, and Columbia certainly has all the requisite hallmarks associated with a large state university city. But if you’re in this part of the country and you’re looking for a good time, I’d recommend Lawrence, Kansas the home of KU. Lawrence has more to offer in the way of charm, and it has a more laid-back feel.

When I was there (10 years ago) it was the largest mall in the US. I’m not sure if it still is. Large or small, it’s still a mall. If you like shopping and the kind of spectacle involved with indoor rollercoasters then this is your kind of place. I have nothing against it, it’s just not my kind of thing.

And true story. Our heorine is newly 18, wide eyed, innocent and inexplicably prepared to travel to Las Vegas with a 20 year old boy she has only known for nine daysto get married. Please note that, according to Nevada state law, neither party is actually mature enough to gamble in a casino or have a cocktail in a bar. They are however, considered perfectly qualified to contract a legally binding lifelong vow of matrimonial fidelity.

Does this sound like a good idea to anyone? Of course not. Fortunately, our happy couple escapes the usual ravages of such an impetuous action and remain married for 12 years, thereby beating the odds by a long shot. (Their divorce, however, is as full of as many marvels and mysteries as their betrothal. But alas, that is a fable for a different geographical entry.)

Moral:
Beware, Beware to Bewitching Bright Lights of Las Vegas! (And Marriage.)

Oh…but the hotels and various entertainments seemed kind of cool.

The first English settlement on American soil didn’t turn out well, but it made for a great not-too-touristy location for learning about American history. Also, it’s very close to the beach and lots of famous lighthouses up and down the coast.