July 2018 BEACH TRIP!!!!!

July 22

We were up early and ready to hit the road by 7:00 a.m.  It was a relaxing drive and there wasn't much traffic.  Travelling on a Sunday instead of Saturday may be a new tradition.  On the way we stopped for some lunch.  Nick had recently decided that Bojangles was the best restaurant around.  He wanted to get a Bo Box (6 pieces of chicken, two sides and a large sweet tea).  I told him I would help him with it because I didn't feel like eating a burger and fries.  When I said "yes" you would have thought we had just handed him the keys to a brand new Corvette.  He was so excited.  

Drinking his sweet tea.  He is one happy boy. 

We were in the Outer Banks by 2:30.  There was no traffic on Highway 12 which is a complete change from previous years.  When we have come in on Saturday there is so much traffic that the normally 20 minute drive takes 2 to 3 hours.  Today it was just a 40 minute drive.

Nick's feet in the mirror.  

The kids got comfortable once we hit Highway 12 and could only go 15 miles per hour.  

Everyone had their feet out the window.  

Check in wasn't until 4 so we hit the shops to get Jeremy some flip flops.  He forgot to pack them.  We also needed to get a new rash guard for Nick.  He has grown so much since our last trip.  Once everyone was properly outfitted we picked up our keys and headed to our new house.  

From the outside it doesn't look like much...

...but...

...this is the view from the front door.  Where the red flag is blowing in the breeze is the walkway to the beach.  You can see the ocean!!!

The view from the top deck.  You can see the ocean!!!!

Our new front room and kitchen.

From front door to back door.  It was the perfect size.  

Settled in and relaxing for a minute before heading down to the beach.  

The waves were a little rough, but the kids LOVED it.  FINALLY waves they could body surf on.  

There was some really cool drift wood on the beach.  

Pinecone in the sand???  It made for a cool picture. 

Footprints on the beach. 

After spending a couple of hours on the beach playing in the waves we went back to the house, had dinner and chilled in the hot tub.  Steve and I were tired and went to bed, but the kids stayed up late talking and having fun.  We didn't mind because it was quality sibling time. 

The hot tub was great.  It was behind the house and surrounded by trees.  Very relaxing.  

July 23rd

It rained HARD all night long and continued to rain until 3:00 p.m.  The kids loved being holed up and having time to catch up on their anime series.  When the sun finally made an appearance for the day there was a red flag on the beach which meant "NO SWIMMING".  The lifeguards were out to make sure no one got it and the beach was even being patrolled by helicopter.  We chilled at the house, read books on the top deck.  When everyone wanted to get out, we drove to the top of Corolla to the 4x4 beach.  We were able to drive farther than we had ever been before because the sand was saturated and easier to drive on.  Back at the house we had dinner and sat in the hot tub.  A relaxing way to end a relaxing day.  

Hanging in Nick's room. 

Naomi's room. 

Jeremy's room. 

July 24th

It rained again all night long and was sprinkling in the morning. The kids were still asleep so Steve and I put on our rain jackets and went for a walk along the beach.  Steve had been reading about sea glass and wanted to try to find some on this trip.  We found some really pretty shells and a few pieces of glass.  Back at the house we were wet and cold so we sat in the hot tub to warm up.  Once the kids were up we planned a day of fun doing things other than playing in the water.  Naomi needed a new bathing suit and waited until we were at the beach to shop for one because they have such cute suits.  She also found "the perfect" hoodie (which she wore the rest of the week).  Steve and Nick also found their perfect sweatshirts.  We wait until our beach trip every other year to get our new sweatshirts.  The beach is our happy place and we like our comfy clothing to reflect that.  My new shirt says, "Salt water heals all."  True words. 

Once again we spent the day reading and walking the beach and doing some shopping.  While we were out we rented "Ready Player One" and got some microwave popcorn to go with the movie.  Nick, Naomi and Steve went on a walk on the beach before dinner.  Steve and I went after dinner.  It was just getting dark and we saw some guys swimming in the water.  Two of the guys got out of the water, but the third guy was way out.  We went to talk to the guys to make sure their friend was okay.  They ended up being life guards out for some fun.  While we were talking with them, the third guy came walking up behind me.   His two friends were really laughing and all I have to say is that it was a good thing it was dark.  They had hidden his trunks from him and he was naked.  He was doing his best to cover everything.  I closed my eyes and let him get his trunks on before he joined in the conversation like nothing had happened.  They were really fun guys and we saw them on and off throughout the week.  

Reading at the breakfast bar. 

She wanted to shave her legs where she could see the beach. That's my girl. 

July 25th

It was raining in the morning but it cleared up for a few hours.  We were able to play on the beach, but couldn't get in the water because the red flags were still out.  It started raining again in the early afternoon.  We used that time to bake some more bread, make Steve's birthday cake and tie dye our shirts.  The movie we picked for that afternoon was Valerian.  After the movie and dinner we took one last walk on the beach before heading to bed.  

Looking for sea glass. 

You can see the clouds in the distance.  We were all hoping they would stay far away tomorrow.  

Naomi stepped in this sink hole all the way up to her knee.  

Family photo on the beach.  Beach hair don't care. 

July 26th

We woke up to sun!!!!  The first thing Steve and I did was hurry to the beach to set up our canopy and get everything situated for the day.  Back at the house we woke the kids, had some breakfast and went to the beach for the day.  The red flags were still up so we played on the beach.  We were disappointed about the flags still being up, but at least the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day.  We were optimistic the flags would come down today.  After all, it was Steve's birthday!!  The kids dug holes and looked for shells in the shallow water.  Steve and I just enjoyed the sun and being on the beach.  We ran into our life guard friends and asked if they knew when we could get in the water.  Their guess was as good as ours, but they were also hopeful it would be today.  

Digging holes!

Such a gorgeous day!

Nick took more of an architectural  approach to his hole. 

It was perfectly square. 

Jeremy is happy in the shade with a book.  

The only thing better is in his hole, in the shade with his book.  He called it his "chair hole".

Nick's hole is finally done.  He called it his "square hole". 

Fashion Jeremy-style

At about noon, the red flag changed to yellow!  There was a huge cheer from everyone on the beach. We boogie boarded and played in the waves until 3:00.  It was glorious!!!   You know we were all having fun playing in the water when I don't have any pictures of us playing in the water!  That says something right there.

Everyone is out now.  

This is starting to look like the Outer Banks we remember and love.  

Steve taking a birthday phone call in the shade.  

About 3 we headed back to the house to clean up and get ready for the birthday festivities.  Steve has always wanted to try a little food placed called Outer Banks Boil Company.  You pick the sea food you want in the bucket, they put it all together and send you come with instructions on how to boil it at your place.  Our bucket was full of lobster, clams, shrimp, potatoes, and corn.  While the pot was boiling we rinsed out our tie dye shirts.  They turned out exceptionally well this year.  Everyone was please with the result.  When dinner was ready it was an adventure.  The kids had never had lobster legs before and had to learn how to get the meat out with their lobster forks.  The adventure was a good one and the kids really like lobster and want to do that again next time we head to the Outer Banks.  It was well worth the money spent and lived up to the hype of all the recommendations.

Loving her first lobster experience. 

The perfect birthday dinner. 

After dinner we all took another walk along the beach.  It is so pretty at night.  Back at the house we had cake and ice cream, opened presents and then went to bed.  It was the perfect day in honor of Steve's birthday.

Singing Cannon-style

The perfect gift for a scout master.  

July 27th

We all slept in a little bit today.  Once again, Steve and I went to the beach first thing to set up the canopy and claim our spot.  Steve ran to fill the truck with gas and get a few things from the grocery store while I raised the kids from the dead.  We spent most of the day playing on the beach and in the water.  With the way the weather had been all week, we took the sunny times and made the most of them while they lasted. And now all the pictures of the boogie boarding fun!!!

The perfect waves.  

We tried several times to make it out to the sand bar but the current was just too strong.  

Jeremy floating in the waves.  

Nick taking a break from the sun and waves for a minute.  

I could live here!!!

Oh ya!

When we were done for the day we packed up, headed back to the house, cleaned up and went to a local pizza place (Lucky's) for dinner.  We had heard it got crowded fast around dinner time so we got there a little before 5 and it was the perfect time.  We got seated immediately, ate the most amazing pizza and walked past a line of people waiting for a seat as we left the restaurant.

The kids wanted to check out some of the local shops so we did some browsing.  Naomi had lost one of her earrings in all the wave fun so we went in search of a new pair in order to prevent the hole from closing again.  We also stopped at the grocery store again to find some superglue to fix Naomi's glasses which had come apart.   It was then time for one last drive on the beach.  We got almost to the Virginia line.  There are a lot of houses up the beach that are only accessible by driving up the beach.  At first we thought that would be a fun thing to try in the future, but then realized that we would have people driving on the beach where we were playing.  Also, the water and waves are not as nice up that far.

Tyrone (that is our truck's name) loved being on the beach.  

This is what a beach road looks like.  

Loving it.  

The day would not be complete without a walk on the beach.  The moon was stunning.  In fact, it was so amazing we looked it up to find out what was making it so amazing and found that it was a blood moon.  It looked like a sunset only it was the moon.  So cool.  The reflection on the water made it ever more magical.  

July 28th

The weather was back to its shenanigans throughout the night with an impressive rain and thunderstorm that lasted all night long and into the early morning hours.  It had slowed enough by breakfast time that Steve and I decided to brave the light rain and walk the beach.  The red flags were back up all along the beach.  Because of all the run off from the barrier island into the ocean, authorities were worried about fertilizer and fecal matter in the water.  We would not be allowed back in the ocean until the water tested at safe levels for both.  The kids were sad, but we definitely found some fun things to do.  Nick wanted to go back to the gift shop we visited the night before and buy a horse head mask he has wanted for quite some time.  

This is going to be fun!!  There are more photos to come with the doings of horse head boy. 

Hand fingers.  This could come in handy at some point.  

Nick found several options for his little finger hand.  

Hand beard. 

As we were out driving to our various locations throughout the day, Nick would wear his horse head and wave at people.  Their varied reactions were hilarious.  Some people didn't even notice and one guy almost crashed on his bike. 

We went to the Corolla Lighthouse Park and the Whalehead Club to explore.  There is so much to do in that little village.  The kids fed the birds, we explored the museum and a little book store, we watched a family that was crab fishing and got to tour the lighthouse grounds.  

Feeding the geese and ducks.

Some kind soul took this picture for us.  

The lighthouse in the background and the Whalehead boat house on the inlet in front. 

It is a really pretty lighthouse.  We have visited all three of the light houses in the Outer Banks. 

After exploring around the light house and Whalehead village we stopped at Duck Donuts and the Flip Flop Shop on the way back to the house.  Duck Donuts are made fresh to order while you wait.  They are expensive, but super yummy.  The flip flops we bought Jeremy are a brand we were not familiar with - Oofos - and they ended up being soooo comfortable that Steve wanted a pair to help with his plantar fasciitis.  Steve "stole" them for a trip out to the trash can and was in love with their cushioniness! (Yes, I know I just made up a word).

Back at the house we did a clean up in prep for departure the next morning and then took one last walk down the beach.

Naomi saying goodbye to the waves. 

Jeremy saying goodbye to the birds.

Walking back to the house.  This is the view from where the path starts over the sand barrier to the beach.  That is our house on the right.  It was so close to the beach we could hear the waves at night, when it wasn't raining that is.  

The kids had seen some beautiful pictures of the Corolla horses on the beach while we were having pizza at Lucky's and wanted to reenact them.  

This mask is going to get a lot of use!

One last goodbye. 

July 29th

We were all up early and ready to check out by 8:30 a.m.  The plan was to drive to Emerald Isle on the way home and check it out as a possibility for future beach trips.  As much as we love the Outer Banks we don't always have the time for a full week and the 7 hour drive is prohibitive as well.  Ocean Isle is only a 4.5 hour drive and we can rent houses by the day.  We wanted to explore our options.  It made for a long day of driving, but we now know that Emerald Isle is an option.  

Looking off the pier on Emerald Isle

No matter where we go Jeremy can find a dragonfly that is willing to pose for a picture.  

This is a picture of the root ball of a tree that fell over in the rain storms.  It is about 10 feet tall.  I told you the storms were impressive.  

Although it rained a lot and our time in the ocean were limited this year, we really enjoyed our time in Corolla.  It was bitter-sweet in that this was Jeremy's request before he leaves for Brazil in November.  He wanted to visit his beach one more time before a two year hiatus.  I think that fact alone made this trip so amazing.  We were all together spending quality time.  This will be on my top ten trips to the Outer Banks.  

One last thing to finish out the month of July - NICK MADE THE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!!!!  Tryouts were the day after we got back from the beach.  Congrats, Nick.