What A Difference A Day Makes

Megan woke up this morning to a whole new bunch of possibilities.  You see- she's 18 now so that means she can do many, many things today that she couldn't do yesterday.  For example she can now (legally or without any parental consent): buy tobacco, change her name, get a tattoo, get a piercing, buy spray paint, work more hours, sue someone, be sued, purchase liquid white out, pawn something, get married, or get divorced.  If that's not enough to keep her busy on this birthday of hers she can also get a loan, buy insurance, donate blood, enlist in the military or sign a legal contract.  Fortunately, we had enough on our plate this last day at the beach.  Those other things will have to wait because today there was beach sitting to do, a Frisbee and a kite to fly and S'mores to make as we enjoyed one last beach campfire.

Lucky for Megan she usually gets to celebrate her birthday during our beach week.  In fact, it was only 14 years ago that she announced, on the morning of her 4th birthday, she was old enough to cross the street by herself.

You've come along way Meggie, and I'm happy I've been around for the ride.

Dreaming

You know you're in a beach town when no one around you seems to be wearing clothes- everybody is wearing bathing suits or a combination of a suit and shorts.  Shoes are optional but if feet are covered at all it's only with flip-flops of some type.

Ocracoke Island is that kind of place.  Other than the older gentlemen who ran the ferry service from Hatteras Island everyone else seemed to be dressed in some sort of beach wear.  

Years ago Ocracoke was a favored rest stop for the infamous pirate Blackbeard.  He was killed in the area after being hunted down by Captain Robert Maynard.  Nowadays Blackbeard is big business in the small village found on the south end of the island.  It has also become home to many gift shops selling a variety of t-shirts, artwork, handcrafted pottery and jewelry.  It's easy enough to get around for some shopping either by foot, bike, or golf cart.  Traffic lights don't exist on the island, although traffic may come to a stop to let a mother duck and her ducklings cross the road for a paddle around Silver Lake.

As far as I'm concerned Ocracoke is the perfect place to be.  I was happy to spend the day walking around this wonderful world today.  It's been at least 4 or 5 years since my last visit.  The only problem with a day on Ocracoke is having to get the ferry to leave and go back to the other world.  Today as I walked around I texted a friend who shares my affinity for Ocracoke.  I shouldn't come to Ocracoke- it just makes me want to quit my job and move here.

I know that's a pretty unrealistic dream but it's nice to think about.  There is a school on the island- Ocracoke School- home of the Dolphins...fear the pod.

I like that.

Working Those Legs

Pedaling into a headwind isn't that easy, but as I made my way down NC12 towards the village of Hatteras I found myself enjoying the challenge.  The sun was beating down on my back and my legs were pumping their hardest to move the bike forward in spite of the wind that didn't seem to want me to go anywhere.  Knowing that the return trip would be a whole lot easier and the sound of Jimmy Buffett singing in my ear buds kept me going. 

Before long I started focusing on my legs- I was impressed with their ability to lower and lift, lower and lift, lower and lift and so on.  Don't get me wrong, it was hard work but suddenly I was enjoying the way exercise felt.  I didn't particularly like the way the wind was blowing right at me, but I did like the way my body was dealing with the situation.


And I was right about the return trip.  It was one sweet ride.

We'll Be Back

I've stayed in 6 different houses in this small beach town that I vacation in each summer.  The deal is find the house you like and hold onto it as long as possible.  Tonight I lay my head upon the king size bed in my room at a home known as Sun Dispatched.  

Sun Dispatched has been our vacation home of choice for the past four years.  We happened upon it after driving around to look at what was available.  My sister and I liked its proximity to the beach- it's about a 50-yard walk to the sandy path that goes over the dune and onto the beach.  The porches that surround the upper floors of the house offer a view of the ocean as well as a distant peak at the lighthouse down the highway in Avon.  There are just enough bedrooms to accommodate our group comfortably and there's even a hot tub for everyone to enjoy.  

Tomorrow is the last day that we renters can go ahead and hold the same vacation home for the same week next summer.  So at some point tomorrow Jeen and I will drive down the road for a little shopping and gallery browsing- perhaps we'll have a cup of coffee as well- and then we'll head over to the realty company and sign on the dotted line for next year's beach vacation.  

Once that's done the countdown will begin all over again.

Going With the Flow

Tonight, just when I thought we had all settled in after dinner my brother-in-law announced his desire to head back to the beach to fly kites, throw around the lacrosse ball and maybe even have a bonfire.  My sister had just spent two hours in the kitchen fixing dinner so she wasn't too keen on the idea.  The O's game was on and I was kind of looking forward to seeing how their game against the Nats played out, so I was right there with her.

No matter what we thought or what our other inclinations might be, within 20 minutes we were on the beach with kites diving through the air and a mediocre game of toss going on.  (It took me awhile to get the lacrosse throw going, but in time I worked it out- sort of). It was a windy evening but that didn't stop Michael from getting the bonfire started and before long we were huddled around the pit of flames charring away our soft, marshmallow treats. 

The moon shimmered on the water as low, soft waves broke at the shore line.  One lone surfer tried his best to ride in a curl as we all remarked about shark feeding time.  Down the coast I watched for the shining light of Cape Hatteras Light as it turned to cast a glow for all to see.  Above me I spotted a few constellations that I knew by name and adjusted my sight line to follow the trail of a satellite skimming through the sky. 

Content with the warm, gooey S'more that I had eaten I lay my head back and closed my eyes- happy in the moment.

Nothin' Finer

Is there anything better than the kind of tired one feels after a day spent soaking in the sun on the beach?  I think not.  

This gal is in for one fabulous night of sleep and is quite excited about it.

Beach Time!

I found out about 2:30 this afternoon that Hatteras Island would reopen to visitors at 4:00pm.  By 5:15 I was in the car and on my way.  I'm not usually a night driver, especially if I'm going it alone.  However, after considering the crowd swell that is sure to occur in the morning I thought it best to try something different and hit the road.  My GPS told me I would arrive in Frisco, NC at 11:45pm- almost 6 hours later.  I was sure I could cut some time off that estimate. 

I sailed down 95 and cruised right through Hampton Roads, Currituck and Coinjock.  There wasn't a brake light in sight as I happily zipped along singing to the best of the 80s on the radio.  Driving through Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills I was treated to a fireworks display lighting up the night sky.  It was about 10:30 when I took the left onto Route 12 to take on the last 55 or so miles of my trip.  12 is a two-lane road that winds through the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge before it connects to the many small towns that dot the the coastal highway.

I was safely at my destination by about 11:30- a record setting time for this drive.  331 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes- with two stops along the way.  I may have figured out a new way to beat the traffic to the beach.