Monday, March 17, 2008...Hyde County...In certain portions of the outer and inner banks there are long stretches of road where no one but bugs and sea creatures incubate in the estuaries along the road way. They're like oversized water drainage ditches and, if you'll allow me, it's monotonous to drive through them except for the occasional blue heron or snowy egrit that pops into view. Along the stretch of 264 from Nags Head to Engelhard in Hyde County, we never saw another car until we happened upon a special project prison crew working. We passed the Navy Bombing Range, the Airforce Bombing Range and nothing else but marshy byways. The desolate feeling - no house, no people, no cars and the same scenery made me think about how people respond to driving through the cornfields in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska; just miles and miles of nothing but the same thing. And then...a reduce speed sign. We cruised through a fishing outpost and a few miles later - Englehard. We went slowly not to miss the Far Creek Baptist Church. Preacher Charlie Reber met us outside and gave us a tour of the building which has seen many lives and is being tenderly restored by this congregation. Our team set up and we awaited our guests. Fred and Bill went first to Swan Quarter to visit elected officials. GOP Chair Iris Faulkner brought them back to Far Creek. Fred's message seemed slightly modified to me in his presentation but all the relevant points were made on education, roads, bridges, illegal immigration, safety, and healthcare, He shared his childhood story of how he learned about the difference between good and great from his dad and enjoyed personal visits with many of the guests as they thanked him for coming. Fred visited with a group of pastors, a group of business people and then made his way back to Dare County. Driver and I mailed a batch of Fred's thank you notes and our son's birthday cards at the Englehard Post Office and headed back to Dare for the evening BBQ.