Gotta Wear Shades

Needless to say how important it is to protect your eyes against the harmful rays, look at the poor duckie on the left.

Lori Harris Photography

Feeding Frenzy

Lori Harris Photography

Fisher-Girl

On the pier, she walks with hat, her purse, her rod, her bait and a smile. She is FISHER-GIRL, and she owns the pier.

Lori Harris Photography

Fairies In the Garden

The Dr. Heber W. Johnson Rotary Garden – Home of the World’s Largest Rotary Wheel, was host to the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society‘s Secret Garden Tour Ribbon Cutting. Painting the garden were precious, little fairies.

Lori Harris Photography

Twirling, dancing, flittering, skipping and even a little pouting, they entertained the patrons with a sense of innocence, happiness and life.

Lori Harris Photography

Lori Harris Photography

The remainder of the day was caught in the beauty of “The Lesson of a Child” – to not take all of life so seriously, to dance, to flitter, to discover, to twirl…enjoy, foster and seek those things in life that make us smile and utilize our gifts to make this world a better place.

Lori Harris Photography

You may say this is “Polly-an-ish,” no matter! Life is short, So why not be fairy-like and play!

Carolina Carnie

Electrifying, eccentricities, entertainment, flare, and fun – all things Carolina Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park. Britt’s Donut Shop, Frank’s Pizza, the sweet shops, shaved ice, bicycles, bars, rides, and fun! It all begins each May and runs through September each year.

Lori Harris Photography

Local retail thrives on this tourist season. Local residence have a love/hate relationship with the summer season and the wave of tourists who come and go during this time.

Lori Harris Photography

In spite of the rush of the season, the carnival holds a special place in the central business district of Carolina Beach. Families flock as the carnies build the excitement and open for business.

Lori Harris Photography

Lori Harris Photography

Lori Harris Photography

Lori Harris Photography

A Girl At Top Speed

Ladies, start your engines!

My Hubby, Alton, took this photo of me ready to begin.

Lori Harris Photography

Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure was eight laps of pure bliss! Anxiety built while taking lessons and awaiting this truly amazing experience of driving one, #21 to be exact, precision NASCAR race vehicle. Getting fitted in one of their race “jumpsuits” was interesting…to say the least. I am 6′ tall, and a girl! Irregardless they found a halfway decent fitting race suit for me to wear and then I waited again for a few more minutes, smiling bigger and bigger as my adrenaline rushed higher and higher.

Lori Harris Photography

Another Hubby photo – note the smile!

I got the chance to watch others take their laps with a keen eye. My Husband ran with the set before me and I watched with a sense of adventure and excitement for him! As you stand at the pit, the smell of tires, oil, and sweat was odd to my nose, but the sound of the engines and the speed of travel ramped up the spirit and thrill of the moment! Their pit crew will take a moment for photo opportunities and we had a blast with my husband coming in and I was preparing to go out. They surprised me and allowed my Hubby to sneak up behind me and give me a kiss for luck! Whew Hoo! Now I was really ready to go!

Taken with my camera by one of the pit crew members.

Another taken with my camera by the pit crew member.

Once they finished making you feel like you were “one of them” and played with your ego a tad, it was into the car. Not an easy task, especially when you are 6′ tall. There are no doors, so you crawl through the window. There is not much flexibility in the vehicle. To keep you safe, you are “strapped in, with helmet and full gear. Too cool if you want my opinion!

Crew photo.

Getting started I began in the apron merging onto the Charlotte Speedway track. Oh my goodness, was I shocked at the angle of the track and how much POWER these vehicles have! Remembering all our instruction from our earlier classes, picking up speed, laying off the gas, getting down and up the track…all while listening to your pit boss, who is sitting in the passenger seat (Bless Him for wanting to ride with someone like me) and watching for his thumb to say “hey” like the Fonz so I can pick up speed. When he points towards me I was able to go even faster! Each lap picking up courage, taking more risks and gaining speed. Eight laps became not only a lifetime, but a blink in time. Between your concentration, enthusiasm and adrenalin, I definitely exhausted my energy to top it off at 154 miles per hour. That is without any damage done to the car, my instructor, crew or myself!

Me bragging, as I beat my Hubby!

If you ever get the chance to drive one of these buggies, you absolutely, without a doubt, should do it! As my instructor said, “If a 85 year old woman can do it, you definitely can!” So, “Gentleman and Ladies – Start Your Engines!”