Monday (April 26) was another short day from Swansboro to Morehead City. But first, we had to visit a favorite dining establishment for breakfast. Yana's doesn't have particularly amazing food, just good southern cookin,' which means eggs, grits, biscuits, and pancakes (with bacon for the meat eater in the family). But what Yana's has is a quirky panache. It is liberally decorated with Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Lone Ranger memorabilia. The walls are covered with posters, game boards, souvenirs; the counters have figurines; there is a old 1950's juke box, and more. The visit wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the restroom to see the cardboard, life-size talking Elvis. Evelyn and Leslie insisted that Colin visit the men's room and report back. Apparently there is a life-size starlet, but she doesn't talk. Too bad.

We arrived at Morehead City in a sunny patch between storms. We saw storms ahead of us as we motored along, but had only wind where we were. We docked before lunchtime again, and later in the afternoon there was a downpour. Glad we were tucked in.

Yesterday, after picking up a rental car, Evelyn, Leslie and I visited the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knolls. It takes one from the mountain streams of the state, through the estuaries and marshlands, into the ocean in a well organized series of displays. It even includes a half-mile nature trail through coastal woodlands with boardwalks to overlook the tidal marshes. Despite the mugginess and bugs, it felt restful to walk amidst trees and hear song birds - still not northern, but less exotic than further south. The staff and volunteers were knowledgeable and helpful.

This morning, Colin and Evelyn headed off for a road trip to Washington, DC, where Colin will attend meetings. Evelyn went along for the ride, but also to pick up her new computer, which was shipped to a friend of ours in the DC area.