Success!

Yes, I slept in a bit this morning. It was nice to enjoy a second and third cup of coffee while watching the surf of the Atlantic dance in the early morning sunlight. It was checkout day, but we were not rushing.

We pulled out of the driveway at 10:13, just a little past the appointed time, and dropped off the key. With nothing but time ahead of us we did a little bit of shopping and filled the coolers with ice. And then, we headed back to the beach.

The sun wasn't blazing as it had been all week, but that was just fine. The lighter beach crowd made for a few quiet hours. A pod of dolphins frolicked about 100 yards from shore. Schools of fish jumped near the water's edge and gulls swept in for an early afternoon snack. The tide was receding, and in the process left quite the beachcomber's treasure.

After a quick change of clothes we were on our way. Stop number one was the local grocer for road snacks. Next, a late lunch...delicious. We pulled out at 3:40, made two stops along the way and I arrived home at 9:40. Six hours...not too shabby.

I therefore proclaim The Escape a success.

The Escape

With the beach week coming to a close we've spent the last day or so coming up with our escape plan. As many may know checkout Saturday can create quite the traffic jam. We love staying in the small town of Frisco, away from the crowds of Nags Head and Kitty Hawk. Unfortunately, when we head north to go home we drive through both beach towns, and a quite a few others. That means we pick up traffic as we go.

The last time we left on a Saturday the usual 6-hour trip took 9 hours. Part of the delay was certainly little Mary's bout of car sickness that lasted pretty much the entire journey. Even with the occasional pull over and puke stop we still found ourselves in traffic jam after traffic jam with heads leaning against the window in frustration. Our goal is to avoid a repeat of the situation.

Fortunately, little Mary isn't so little anymore. She hasn't quite overcome her problems with motion sickness, but she has figured out a way to keep herself from getting sick. So, at least we have one issue taken care of. We've also decided to leave much later than usual.

Sure, the early bird gets the worm, but when it comes to getting off Hatteras Island the early bird still gets to deal with insane traffic as well. Tomorrow morning, instead of getting up and 6:00am and dragging our tired, sunburned bodies to the car we are sleeping in a bit and skipping back down to the beach for a few more hours of sun and surf. We'll pack up about 2:00 or 3:00, shower at a public restroom/shower facility and start home. Somewhere around 4:00 or 5:00 we'll stop for an early dinner. Afterwards, we'll head home; hopefully it will be nothing but smooth sailing.

Reality Check

I didn't expect my car to fail to start this evening. The engine fired up in the end, so that's good. Maybe the starter is going up or something like that.

But really...even more unexpected, was the cowboy that sidled up next to me in his ten gallon hat and red pickup truck.

"Ya need some help, maam?"

I let him know I was fine, I could call my sister for help if needed.

"Well, I just gotta go feed ma' horses and I can come back and help if ya need it."

He drove off into the sunset. I did a quick double-check of my surroundings--Pamlico Sound to my right, the Atlantic Ocean to my left. It wasn't Wyoming; I really was still in North Carolina.

I turned the key and the engine turned over... then it was my turn to drive off into the sunset.

A Gift From the Sea

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach — waiting for a gift from the sea.

These are the opening words of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's novel, Gifts From The Sea. It's a book I've read a few times, although not recently. Nonetheless, my thoughts have circled back to the book several times during my weeklong stay on the coast of North Carolina.

My memory of the book was first awakened yesterday as I sat on the beach reading Barbara Kingsolver's latest, The Lacuna. It's a work of historical fiction that outlines the history of Mexico and the United States from the late 1920s to the 1950s. Lindbergh is just one of the cast of famous characters encountered by the main character as he lives and records his life in Mexico and the US. Mention is made of Lindbergh's father, Dwight, and his life as a US ambassador in Mexico. Apparently it was while he was living in Mexico that he thought to invite Charles Lindbergh down for a goodwill tour. In turn, he introduced him to his daughter. A short time later they were engaged.

So, I guess Anne Morrow Lindbergh was still with me this morning as I walked along the beach at sunrise. I strolled along the deserted beach at 6:00 AM with a few other early risers and watched the sun paint a pink rag of sky along the horizon. I walked slowly with my head in a downward gaze in search of the one thing I'd been unable to locate all week...sea glass. I've never had much luck finding sea glass on the Outer Banks; I think I've managed to locate a two, maybe three shards. Even though I'd already been searching for three days, I still held out hope that I'd find something.

And then...there it was. A sparkle of green surrounded by the blacks, browns and pearls of washed up shells. It was one, very small, gift from the sea. Patience paid off.

Slow Ride

I took a slow ride around Hatteras this afternoon. Mileage wise it wasn't all that far, but I ended up being out for about 3 hours. I started by heading south on Rt. 12 from my current location of Frisco to the village of Hatteras. I did a bit of browsing at some village shops and meandered along the side streets that shoot to the left and right off of the main road. I stopped to photograph the sand dunes and searched a few small beach areas for hidden treasures. I found a few dead fish heads-not exactly the treasure I was in search of.

My last stop was a walk along the shores of Pamlico Sound in hopes of getting a better view of the Brown Pelicans that often rest there. The shell that stood up in the shallow water and moved sideways just a bit amused me. It stopped and drew in its legs after sensing my presence, looking like any other shell on the ground. Yet, another unexpected find.

A Good Day

It was a perfect beach day-- a gentle breeze, calm seas with waves breaking just right for those with a touch of Thalassophobia , water temperature of about 80 degrees and nary a cloud in the sky.

Vacation doesn't get much better than that.

On the Beach

The wind whipped along the beach at about 16 mph today, making for some rather painful sunbathing. It was tough to stay planted in the sand with fine grains of matter pelting my legs. The water was rough; white caps and waves crashed onto the shore sideways. I watched more than a few sea gulls and piping plovers get blown an inch or two after a surprise gust.

My perch for the day was down near the water's edge, where the sand is damp and not as likely to blow around. The ocean roared as a brief of pelicans sailed along in search of their daily catch. Bossy seagulls tried their best to steal snacks from who ever they could. Kite surfers sailed through the air with ease; their backs turned to the wind.

I had two books on hand to read but after 3 hours had read only 3 pages. There was so much else to see.