that's

Thomas L. "Lew" Grimes and Dorothy F. "Dottie" Grimes

 are easy to find and track here:  contact information

 ••  2011 events        ••  2010 events

our current contact information

essentially same info in a PDF file: best for printing and saving

directions to our house keep changing  Our routes home will change and has changed several times as new segments of the Apex Peakway are completed. Also the completion of the Western Wake Expressway (an extension of I-540) will change the game for those arriving in Apex from the west via I-40 West and all points north especially the airport.

NOTICE:  Phone calls are blocked  from those hiding their identity and/or phone number.

NOTICE:  Text messaging is disabled  on our mobile phone!

directions to our house: Our recently updated Garmin GPS still shows us  "off-road" while traveling in our neighborhood on Apex Peakway and Ambergate Station, which are often-used, principal, paved roads to our home (April 8, 2011).  Google-maps is the only internet site that shows  all entrances  to our neighborhood and one of them is shown incorrectly (May 28, 2010);

hence, our own internet directions.

Did you know that when the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska in June, 1942, an enemy was occupying American soil for first time since the War of 1812?  

map: Major WWII Military Sites in Alaska      

more: Aleutian World War II (NPS link)

           a brief description of events, a few photos, many references

map our Alaska - 15 plus years

Beginning in 1980, we lived and worked (taught) in the Eastern Aleutians for 13 years: employed by the Aleutians East Borough School District and its predecessor the Aleutian Region SD (now only in western Aleutian Islands.)                

School Aleut dance group

In 1976-1980 and again in 1999-2002 we lived and worked (taught) on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation, in and near Sells, Arizona: employed by the Indian Oasis-Baboquivari Unified SD.

We also lived and taught in Nulato, west of Fairbanks, just feet above the Yukon River for one year.

bits and pieces from here and there

map our Alaska - 15 plus years

Review item.  July 1, 2010 - we put house up for sale; we are looking west, maybe way west! More at  house for sale  

January - celebrated new year's quietly

We continue to visit (spend time with) Lew's brothers and spouses locally and around the state and other locales.

Dottie continued to work for the first few months of the year for Lew's brother Don in his law office.  The job started October and was expected to last only a few weeks.  It lasted until April.

We went to several went to a NHL games: Carolina Hurricane games. They won the Stanley Cup a few years ago and were in the finals one other time recently.  They didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. On a reasonable sized TV, hockey is not much to see, but it's dynamic and dramatic live and up close.

Lew has continued to be active in the Spring Green Preservation Fund, Inc. non-profit.

March 15 - Dottie's birthday

March 16 - Our 48th anniversary.  We went to a NHL Hurricanes game; they play in the same building that N.C. State U. plays basketball. 

March 25 drove to Knoxville and Dandridge, TN for a quick look-see for possible re-location.  Rain diminished our effort.  Both locals have potential but we had thought Knoxville was closer to the mountains and would have a higher elevation.

May 25 for 10 days in Reno-Carson City.  Took in the area's current scene and western pioneer and gold-rush history (Silver City, the Donner Pass et al) including about a half a dozen museums in Nevada and California.  We stayed at Circus-Circus at an inexpensive rate in a comfortable room.  Lost about $5.00 on the slots.  Dottie fed nickels while I was watching a ball game in the sports bar.  We also evaluated the area for possible re-location.

June 26 - The annual extended Grimes family reunion of the descendants of William Grimes II (1813-1902) in Martin County always on the 4th Sunday of June; in recent years have met at the Ruritan Club building in Everetts.

July 12 for 10 days in Columbia River valley of Washington and Oregon: from Walla Walla to Corvallis. We met friends and missed friends.  We also evaluated Walla Walla, Portland, and Vancouver for possible re-location.

During the spring and early summer Lew was bicycling 5 miles 5 days a week about light to beat the heat and the traffic.  When we returned from Washington-Oregon in late June the Apex Peakway segment was completed through our sub-division introducing more vehicles earlier and even at 6:00 AM it was sometimes near 80 degrees F.  So Lew has moved back indoors and using the "dread" mill for 2-3 miles 5 days a week.

We've been to several Durham Bulls games; they are now Tampa Bay's AAA team. A few years ago they won the minor league championship and are usually in the mix during the playoffs. 

Lew will be 70 in September.

We are planning a trip to Alaska.

January - celebrated the new year with family

March 18 - April 18  Our almost annual trip to Alaska. Stayed in Anchorage Grand Hotel in Anchorage.

March 29 - Lew broke his ankle; modified our Alaska travel agenda: remained in Anchorage but cancelled trips to Fairbanks and Homer. 

Within seven months Lew's was power-walking 4 miles on the treadmill without ill affects.

June 27 - The annual extended Grimes family reunion of the descendants of William Grimes II (1813-1902) in Martin County always on the 4th Sunday of June; in recent years have met at the Ruritan Club building in Everetts.

July 1 - put house up for sale; we are looking west, maybe way west! More at  house for sale  at the bottom of this section.

August  - Professional Bull Riding and a little country music in Nashville, TN.

Fall - attending NC State U's home football games (all but one)

       - Dottie did some limited substitute teaching at nearby public schools.

September 8 - Lew's birthday, big 69

September 14-19 - Visited dear friends in Pendleton, Oregon and attended the 100th Pendleton Roundup (rodeo): our third or fourth.

Pendleton Roundup Daily Show Schedule Sep-15-2010 (PDF)

September 20 - Visited dear friend in Portland, Oregon and toured the Widmer Bros. Brewery where he works: quality control

October - A visit from our Portland friend: agenda was a state-wide (Asheville to Wilson) plus Charleston assault on breweries, beer, barbeque, and historical sites

November - Dottie began working in Lew's brother Don's law office as a temporary.  Don wanted/needed both of us, but only Dottie accepted. The increasing volume of home refinancing as the year winds down created the temporary need.   Thanksgiving with Don's family.

December 22-25 - Christmas at Myrtle Beach, SC

December 26-27 - Visited Lew's other brother's family in snow-covered Asheville.

December 31 - A much appreciated quiet year end at home.

  pictures   Roundup & Widmer Bros pictures from our Sep 2010 visit.

 house for sale  We have now purchased our last home three times: in Tucson, AZ; Wilmington, NC; and Apex, NC. We have no idea where we will land; we are pulled in several directions for different reasons.  We've had about forty (40) addresses in our 49-year marriage; twelve (12) were summer/school addresses usually in Tucson, Arizona when we lived/taught in the Aleutians East Borough, so it's not surprising we get the itch to try something else. Where we land depends on what presents itself after we sell. We have/are checking out several places. We compromised when we bought in Apex because we were tired of looking: 5 months. The house proper and its location have many positives, but we want a one story in a much smaller metro area: less 200,000. Driving in Wake County and surrounding counties is not fun: sometimes really intense. Wake County is now the most populated of North Carolina’s 100 counties, and the fastest growing in absolute numbers. Also we would like a small garden: no more than 10 by 10 feet. Plans are on the table for Town of Apex to triple in population in the next 10 years. That’s nothing compared to next door towns of Cary and Morrisville. When our families moved to Cary in the 1950’s, it had a population 2,500 (twenty-five hundred); it now has a population of over 139,000 (one hundred and thirty-nine thousand).  Several homes are being built in our neighborhood/Villages of Apex development.  A super highway (I-540) through Apex to the regional airport will be completed in August, 2012; it will also provide Apex quick, easy access to I-40 West.  Other in-progress road construction will make travel to and from our neighborhood super fast.

But we hope to sell:   brochure   for virtual tour begin here

2010 pictures

May 2009 visit to Nelson Lagoon, Cold Bay & Anchorage, Alaska

April 3-4, 2009 the bi-annual reunion of former (Scout) Camp Durant staff members at the new Camp Durant in Moore County.

June 13, 2009 Cary High, Class of 59's 50th anniversary was celebrated at the state fairgrounds. (Lew's class)

June 28, 2009 The annual extended Grimes family reunion of the descendants of William Grimes II (1813-1902) in Martin County always on the 4th Sunday of June and recently have met at the Ruritan Club building in Everetts.

December - visited the Vicksburg National Monument (battleground) and the Natchez Trace (trail) in route to Christmas in New Orleans

Travel opportunities to observe and appreciate natural and manmade wonders and particularly to renew old friendships is high on our agenda.  Our recent/distant travels are in a section below.

2008: In mid-December we bought a new home in Apex, NC (borders Cary where our families lived when we attended high school).  We hope that we have finally settled that part of our life; this is the third time we made "our final home purchase." 

June 1, 2007: we put our Wilmington, NC home up for sale.

We had hoped to sell our home, and, for at least awhile, months or years, live in Alaska again before buying a home in or near North Carolina.  We anticipated that each state-to-state move would entail several "moves." 

Once we were zeroing in on Kodiak, Alaska as a possible final home.  Select Kodiak pictures during our visit Dec 22-26, 2007. 

2007-2008: from mid-October through the first week of June, Dottie had a long-term substitute teaching position at Snipes Academy (a New Hanover County public elementary school in Wilmington.) 

(Dec 22-26, 2007: Kodiak, Alaska & other Dec dates in Anchorage)

March 2008: the 15th of March was Dottie’s birthday, and the 16th was our 45th anniversary: quite a feat for two strong-willed people.

Late August 2008: we accepted the only offer for our house.  When the deal was set, we only had two weeks to vacate.  We had had planned to attend the Pendleton Roundup in early September.  We decided to go anyway, with or without a life plan or a house.

Later we decided that we had to buy in the same market in which we sold.  We are still hoping that we can periodically rent in Alaska (but now simultaneously with home ownership.)

2008 highlight: we sold our Wilmington, NC home in late August and we bought a new home in Apex, NC in mid-December.  It is about eight (8) miles from where we attended high school.

Exercise is high, very high, on Dottie's daily "to do" list.  We selected our home here in part because there is/will be a walking trail around this huge development (already in place in our area) and an exercise facility/pool within a couple blocks of the house for homeowners. The walking distance from the house to historic downtown Apex is an easy 1.2 miles; Lew's brother lives only anther one tenth mile beyond. 

Our almost daily 35-minute, nearly 2-mile morning "power walk" starts in front of our house.  Usually there's another 2-mile afternoon walk on the "dread-mill" and/or weight training.  Actually I handle the treadmill fairly easily if I can find something on the TV in front of it.

We use two sets of bicycles: one set for trails and parks in the area that we try to maintain in top condition and another set, beach bikes, we take less care to secure and maintain when we travel.  We also kayak a little; we hope to get more into kayaking next summer.

Daily and specialty shopping is to be within "walking" distance in this mixed-use planned community. 

We plan to re-learn how to fish in NC and get involved with local walking, environmental and/or preservation groups.

We are already very involved with the Spring Green Preservation Fund, Inc.

Dottie does occasionally work/substitute teach. Dottie has occasionally substituted in nearby schools in the Wake County Public Schools system, and when there were screams for help, she has occasionally helps in Lew's brother's law office.

Lew has 5 websites to "waste" away endless hours.

 We plan to travel. 

History and culture based travel, both foreign and domestic, is our favorite pastime. 

And we always consider travel within the year to visit dear friends in Alaska, Oregon and/or Arizona and others along the way; and to visit  Alaska 's wilderness seashores.

March-April 2010  Our almost annual trip to Alaska.

August  2010  - Professional Bull Riding and country music in Nashville, TN.

September 2010 - Visited dear friends in Pendleton, Oregon and attended the 100th Pendleton Roundup (rodeo): our third or fourth.

September 2010  - Visited dear friend in Portland, Oregon and toured the Widmer Bros. Brewery where he works: quality control

May 2009 - Nelson Lagoon, Cold Bay & Anchorage, Alaska visits

Our Alaska Flight Itinerary

December 2009 - visited the Vicksburg National Monument (battleground) and the Natchez Trace (trail) in route to Christmas in New Orleans

(late Sep - early Dec 2008: all over NC seeking a suitable home)

Sep 2008: Pendleton Roundup and other Oregon adventures

Dec 22-26, 2007: Kodiak, Alaska & other Dec dates in Anchorage

Sep-Oct 2007 (about 3 weeks): a Tucson, Arizona visit

April, 2003: We celebrated our 40th anniversary for two weeks on Hawaii, the big island, with dear friends also celebrating their 40th. 

We have traveled throughout much of Australia (2+ weeks) and New Zealand (2+ weeks, 1992), the Caribbean (2 weeks ~1978), The Gambia (west Africa, 3 weeks, 1987), Thailand (twice in 1998, 3 weeks), and had lengthy stays in Mexico (the summer of 1978, other times), Europe (several times), Burma/Myanmar (twice in 1998, 9 weeks), and Canada: traveled the 7670-mile round trip between Tucson and Anchorage by private vehicle.  Traveled across Australia (and the outback) shore to shore (Perth to Sydney) by train (1992).  Visited Eastern Europe and Finland in May and June 2005.

London is our favorite overseas destination: visited in 2003, 1987, 1982, other.

Locally we visit museums and Revolutionary War and Civil War sites and battlegrounds.

We have visited all 50 states: camped in many.  We've lived in NC (25+ years), AZ (20+ years), Alaska (15+ years), and while Lew was in the USAF, N Dakota (2+ years), Louisiana (Dottie almost 2 years), USAF schools in Texas (~3 months), CA (~2 months), and FL (~2 months).

1964-2002 we visited family in North Carolina almost annually.  The closest we lived to NC during those years was Homer, Louisiana (about 60 miles WSW of New Orleans).

March 18 - April 18  Our almost annual trip to Alaska. Stayed in Anchorage Grand Hotel in Anchorage.

September 14-19 - Visited dear friends in Pendleton, Oregon and attended the 100th Pendleton Roundup (rodeo): our third or fourth.

Pendleton Roundup Daily Show Schedule Sep-15-2010 (PDF)

September 20 - Visited dear friend in Portland, Oregon and toured the Widmer Bros. Brewery where he works: quality control

Pictures & descriptions some day.     A few Alaska pictures here.

Our Alaska Flight Itinerary

As stated in late August we accepted the only offer for our house.  When the deal was set, we only had two weeks to vacate. 

We already had plans to fly on Sep 8 (Lew's birthday) to Pendleton, Oregon to visit with dear friends and go to the Pendleton Roundup (rodeo and associated activities.)  We had made those arrangements in early March.

Temporary living arrangements had to be made fast!  We moved into Lew's youngest brother Jan's second (recreational) home in Oriental, NC.

September 2008: So, as planned and hurricanes did allow, we flew from Raleigh, NC to Pendleton, OR  to visit and enjoy the Pendleton Roundup.  We also saw Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose and a real Titan II (ICBM) and much more at the

         Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Lew, as well as his Pendleton pal, was a Titan II missile crew commander & held other positions supporting the Strategic Air Command's around-the-clock  nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile operations at Davis-Monthan AFB 1970-1976.

Pendleton and other Oregon pictures will be posted some day.

Once we were zeroing in on Kodiak, Alaska as a final home. 

Our select Kodiak pictures during our visit Dec 22-26, 2007

Our wildlife in the city (9 pictures) Alaska in December 2007.

                         More Kodiak pictures

 single   Alaska pictures from our December 2007 visit

 singles   Arizona pictures from our Sep-Oct 2007 visit

Katherine Grimes & Andy Crum said "I do" on June-21-2008

Scenes from the  Grimes-Schell  2007 Thanksgiving at a Rodanthe beach house (Hatteras) Outer Banks, NC 27968

2008 Thanksgiving - most of the same cast had a return engagement.  As children, Lew and his brothers lived very near the Otter Banks.  More about the Outer Banks?

mapping our Alaska

Jim Tyson's posting regarding our doings and others' leading to the 2004 reunion of Cary HS Class of 1959 at www.jimtyson.com

(the class's 50th anniversary reunion on June 13, 2009)

1985 Nelson Lagoon, a student-produced community profile.

  Our world for 9 years  ( big file,  1.76 MB pdf adobe)

Text only 1985 Nelson Lagoon, a community profile

  Our world for 9 years  ( tiny file,  96 KB pdf adobe)

more Alaska wildlife sightings

Use Internet Explorer or recent Safari for all!

Descendants of my fraternal great-grandfather were active members of the Spring Green Primitive Baptist Church.  Now his descendants are active among the other preservationist seeking to restore the now vacant Spring Green Primitive Baptist Church.  It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

www.joinspringgreen.org  the Spring Green Preservation Fund, Inc.,

preserving (vacant) historic Spring Green Primitive Baptist Church

My fraternal great grandfather was William Grimes II.  His descendants have an annual reunion in Martin County on the 4th Sunday of June at the Ruritan club building in Everetts, NC.

www.grimestree.net  the Grimes (family) tree connection

hosting the Annual Grimes Family Reunion & directory of the living descendants of William Grimes II (1813-1902), and an online family tree and genealogy  (Jamestown colony, 1635 forward), and more

 Scenes from  the extended Grimes Family Reunion, Sun June 24, 2007.

We listed our Wilmington, NC home for sale on June 1, 2007.  I created a website to show the home and announced it the as most detailed residential property listing in the zip code.

Former  www.3305raynor.com   view/buy our  home   is now at www.demo.grimestech.com.  Happily the site was helpful in selling our home.

Planned to be temporary, it will be deleted unless, as has been suggested, it generates interest and income for my developing other websites to sale homes.

website specifics, history, plans, and more

 T. L. Grimes