Charlotte, North Carolina

We headed to Charlotte, NC next after visit with Caleb & Kristin in Virginia. We were able to see our good friends Danny & Annette Mastrogianni and their son Jesse. ~ We also made a trip to The Billy Graham Library while in Charlotte. It is a wonderful tribute to him and heralds the work he has done through out the years. ~ His dear wife Ruth is buried there and he will join her there when the Lord calls him home. He just celebrated his 91st birthday Nov. 7th!

Our welcome sign to North Carolina

We saw cotton fields along the Highway while leaving Virginia.

The cotton fields were so cool! It looked like snow from a distance!

Sonny the bird seemed to really like Vasili!

Sonny was such a funny bird! He was really active and friendly!

These are our good friends, Danny & Annette
We met them while we lived in New York.
They moved to North Carolina a little over 3 yrs ago.

My friend Annette and me!

Nick and Jesse

We went to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC.

The Billy Graham Library is in the shape of a barn, because he grew up on a farm.
Can you see the large cross window on the side of the barn? ~ It's
there so that everyone has to enter through the door at the "foot of the cross"!

This is the actual house that Billy grew up in! His father built it himself!
We were told that it has been relocated and moved - brick by brick - twice!
We were able to go inside and look around!

"Bessie" the cow greets you as you begin your tour of the Library.

Billy preached the Good News of Salvation through Jesus to the nations of the world!

Jesus says, "I AM the Way the Truth and the Life.
No man comes to the Father, except through me!" ~ John 14:6

Virginia Beach, Virginia

After visiting Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia, we drove an hour to Virginia Beach and stayed for 2 nights. We were able to visit with Jennifer's nephew Caleb and his wife Kristin and their beautiful little girl Camilla. Caleb and Kristin are both in the Navy and are stationed at Norfolk, VA. ~ We had a wonderful time hanging out with them and meeting their puppy, McKenzie! Camilla had just turned 1 in October and had just begun to walk. ~ Nicolas had so much fun playing with her and the puppy!!

Caleb and Kristin

Uncle Vasili with Cami

Nick having a blast playing with McKenzie!

We took a walk along the boardwalk of Virginia Beach. ~ 4 days later this beach was getting pounded by the storm from Hurricane Ida!

A beautiful day at Virginia Beach

Here's Nicolas along the beach.

Vasili & Nicolas in front of King Neptune!

Caleb, Kristin and Camilla came over to have a BBQ with us at the RV park. Nick had a good time with Cami!

Jamestown, Virginia

We spent the day at historic Jamestown, VA. Jamestown was settled in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims of Plymouth arrived! We were blessed with a gorgeous day, full of much information and displays! ~ We were pleasantly surprised to find that they have added a lot since we had been here last.

These flags of the 50 states each had a nice plaque explaining how each state came into the union ~ very interesting!

Nick as a Jamestown resident!

I don't know; do you think metal hats and vests are coming back into style?

Here we are in front of 1 of the 3 ships that made the Atlantic crossing from England.

Nicolas gets to feel how heavy the musket was.

Here Nick is scrapping the fur off a deer hide.

Posing in front of the Powhatan Indian home.

The homes are quite large inside!

Williamsburg, Virginia

We had a chilly, but beautiful day at Williamsburg, VA! For those of you who have never been to Williamsburg, it's a historic, 18th century, colonial town where folks are dressed in period clothing and working their "trades" as they would've way back when! They use the same tools and methods and you can stop in and watch and learn how things were done years ago. There is the shoemaker, wigmaker, basketmaker(called the cooper), book bindery, blacksmith, milliner, magazine/guard house, cabinetmaker, . . you get the picture!

They also re-create key events of the War for Independence in America. ~ We enjoyed our time as we stepped back into history.

Fifes & Drums march!

I LOVE horses, for those of you who didn't know!

Here I am with Col. Lafayette right before he rides into town!

I've got these two, right where I want them!!

Nicolas watches the blacksmith make a spoon.

Vasili poses next to authentic colonial muskets.

New York, Part 2 ~ The City

We spent two days touring "The City". Our first day was warm and sunny - the next, cold and rainy. We enjoyed our time! There's so much to see and do! There is always something more we "should've, could've, would've" done! ~ But there's always next time!

Lady Liberty! ~ God Bless America!

The Twin Towers 9/11 site.

Construction is underway for the new building and memorial to those who lost their lives.

Times Square!

We were able to get tickets to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.
The special effects were truly remarkable~!

Rockafeller Center

Central Park is Huge!

New York!

We have finally reached New York! We have been looking forward to this leg of our trip from the beginning! We have dear friends from our 3 years of living there. Point Lookout is a tiny little beach town on the south shore of Long Island. We attended the small Community Church there and were blessed with the friends the Lord brought to us. Eventually we came to love this place even though it was a hard & lonely place at times.

We moved to Pt. Lookout 13 years ago when Nicolas was just 6 months old. We rented a home that was furnished. We only brought clothes, toys, the crib and our cars with us. Everything else was furnished; furniture, kitchenware, bedding and linens. The only catch was we could only live there from Sept. 15 - June 15. We had to vacate the home during the summer months. So, every June we would pack our suitcases and put the rest of our things in storage and go elsewhere for 3 months. Then come Sept. we'd move back in again. We did this for 3 years. ~ Vasili would stay in various hotels back east during those months, working. And the boys and I would bounce between staying with his parents, my parents and my sister. We rented out our home in San Diego during those years.

The bottom line is this, the Lord poured out His love and mercy upon us during those long and sometimes lonely years in New York! He watched over us and kept us together as a family. And in His perfect timing, He eventually led us back home again to San Diego. To God be the Glory!

Point Lookout is the little town

we lived in 10-13 years ago on Long Island, NY

Here's our church, Point Lookout Community Church!
Isn't it cute?!

Our dear friends and pastor,

Tina and Greg Kemper

Some more dear friends, Andrea and Linda!

Andrea, Linda and Tina, came knocking at my door

and befriended me

when we first moved to NY.

Ilissa Kemper was born on Vasili's birthday

11 years ago. She is a real firecracker and kept us laughing!

Here's the gang!

This is Long Beach, NY.
It was a very unusually warm day right then.

See how big and beautiful the beaches are!

The beaches are nice, but too many rules!

Plus, you either have to have a membership ID card

or have to pay to get on them!

This was our view from our home in New York.

Fairfield, Connecticut

On our way from Boston to New York, we spent one night in Fairfield, Connecticut to visit with Vasili's cousin Vicky and her husband Steve. It was a pretty drive through Rhode Island and onward toward Fairfield. Autumn colors were all around us. ~ Vicky had a delicious meal waiting for us and more food than we could handle! Steve is in the restaurant business and owns a Deli/pizza place by the beach with his son John.

Before heading out the next day, Vicky took us for a drive about Fairfield and we stopped off at the Deli to say "Hi" to John and checkout the beach. It's hard for this California girl to imagine beach communities outside of the "Southern Calif." scene. But I've got to say that the beaches on the East Coast are surprisingly big and wide with the prettiest soft white sand! Plus, there are so many rivers, water inlets, coves, bays, lakes, and ponds! It's a nice break from the dry, barren scenery that I'm used to!

Here's Steve, Nicolas and Vicky

Vicky showed us her beautiful church.

They just finished building it last year.

Nick, Vicky and Vasili

This is the house where Vicky's mom and dad;

John & Aurica Zdru used to live.

The beach at Fairfield, Connecticut

Vasili with John as he takes a quick break from work

There's the Deli!

They sent us on our way with 2 whole pizzas for the "road"!