Today, I woke up at 6. I wasn't comfortable because the tent was stuffy and my entire back was flush against the side of the tent, soaked from last night's super storm. I decided the earlier we left this soggy camp, the better. Too bad though because the natives LOVE us, and by natives I definitely mean mosquitoes.
I started loading up the car with mostly saturated bedding and camp supplies. When David woke, he worked diligently with me to get us out of there before 9. When it came time to wake up the girls, we just transferred them immediately to the car, where doors were shut and the A/C was running nice and cold; because somehow, a night of drenching rain didn't improve Charleston's heat index and actually made the mosquitoes multiply overnight.
A nasty, ominous cloud followed us all the way to Winston-Salem. but it never rained. Everyone was in a good mood because North Carolina held the promise to a warm bed in a HOTEL and a shower.
When we got to the city, we went in search for a Morovian church that one of David's ancestors, on his father's side, helped to build in the 1700's. The church is still in excellent condition, and, surprise! It was on the site of a restored Morovian settlement. The Morovians were a sect of the Lutheran church who came to settle in the New World for religious freedom. After coming from Germany, they migrated from Bethlehem, PA (another stop on this journey) and attempted a settlement in Savannah, GA that didn't go over so well. David's ancestor was a miller at the settlement here in Winston-Salem.
We talked to a tour guide for a long while, she showed us a movie about the site's history and sent us to discover the property. After exploring the palisades and walking into the still present cellar foundations of various homes and buildings, we met the guide at the church. She gave us a very detailed tour of the church/minister's home, various artifacts, and furniture pieces. It was so incredibly cool to peer into the life of one of the 1st Americans in David's lineage.
Thanks to David's grandma Pete, who put excruciating effort into researching her family's history in as much detail as possible, we were able to share a piece of personal history with our children. David kept saying that he wished his grandmother could see this place. I am sure she'd be impressed and she might even be able to one up the curators with some of the things she knew! Isn't it exciting that my children have American roots that date back before the Revolutionary War and French and Indian War? Heck yeah!
Once the rain finally caught up with us, we reluctantly left for the hotel. The night was spent in a dry hotel room with a blasting TV and hot showers to go around. Ahhhh, relaxing!
Tomorrow- Baltimore, here we come!
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