winding down

I knew this would happen. we would get lazy posting to this blog. But there hasn't been much to report, other than wonderful weather and great beach days. Worked in some bike rides, North eastern Carolina BBQ (yum), and the sighting of 2 foxes outside the cottage last night, and that about sums up the excitement. which I guess is the point. Blissfully quiet. Watched a guy fail to fly his kite on the beach - that was somewhat amusing. No fist fights with my in-laws, although the battle over control of the a/c may do me in eventually. Will hopefully get in one last beach day tomorrow before driving up to Norfolk to fly back to LA. Very sad. But will be happy to see the cats and Daisy. Hopefully they will remember us. cannot bear the thought of going to work on Thursday after getting in late in LA tomorrow night. what was I thinking!!

Life's a beach

Well, today was day 2 of good beach days. Yesterday we lazed in the morning and then hit the beach. Katy and I hopped on our bikes to get some provisions (booze and veggies) at Tommy's Gourmet Marketplace, sweating my yarbals off. But we got our exercise in.

Dinner was handled by the grillmeister, yours truly. The place where I am most comfortable, in front of the grill (and the beach). The grill was charcoal, which is old school to me. I'm a gas man. My wife can attest to that. Anyway, turkey burgers were a hit and the fam damily was pleased. Evening ended with watching Cesar and the Dog Whisperer reminding us of all the things we are doing wrong with Daisy. Highlight had to be the neighborhood fox that likes to hang around our cottage. I spotted her silhouette in the twilight, after grilling. I ran inside to grab some bread to feed her. Not sure if this is a good thing or not with wild animals. She was timid, but when I backed away she came in for the bread pieces.

Today we spent the morning watching Nobody's Fool while having a late breakfast. Lazy slugs. Then we managed to muster the energy to walk over to the beach. Kathleen and I boogey-boarded on waves of hell. Andy (my beloved father-in-law) lost his sunglasses in the waves as they punched him in the jaw. Ow. This completes the trifecta of sunglasses loss. Kathleen continues to assure me of how calm the surf here is. Right. These are waves of doom. I've been to other beaches. Was able to treat my tanorexia today. Yeah.

Dinner tonight was at the Sanderling Resort's Restaurant, which was a historical lifeguard station from the late 1800's. Not as cool as I had hoped, but the food was delicious. sorry, no pics. I had the flounder and spicy sweet potato fries. amazing. And KK and I split a corn/shrimp/bacon chowder. Delightful. Judy (my beloved and favorite mother-in-law) broke a tooth on her fish. Ouch. she's not in any pain, and we got her some temp. wax at the Rite-Aid. Seems to be doing ok. I can relate to dental issues.

I snuck a piece of bread into KK's purse for Foxy Brown tonight. Did not physically see her eat, but the bread has apparently disappeared.

Watching US Open and keeping an eye on Gustav. We will be outta here by the time it moves this way. Hopefully more beachtime tomorrow.

Trip to our Blog's namesake: Okracoke

So another ill-fated beach day. Cloudy stormy weather prevents me from working on my tan today. Boo hoo. But, that opened up the opportunity to partake in other island activities. Today, we decided it was time to take our pilgrimage to Ockracoke Island. It's about an hour and a half drive south of where we are staying in Southern shores. You drive to Hatteras Island and then take a 40 minute car ferry ride over. On the drive down, we encountered rainstorms from Hell, but we managed to make it anyway thanks to my expert driving and positive attitude:



My pics of the ferry ride didn't all turn out due to a smudge on my lens. annoying. any way, here are a few other highlights:

Cap'n Clam's Boat -


All along these islands, German submarines and ships prowled during WWII. In Ockracoke, there is a cemetery that has the bodies of 4 British Sailors who washed ashore after their ship was attacked by Germans. I was hoping our ferry would not be attacked by Germans or Blackbeard the Pirate, who met his fate on this island as well. Here's a ferry like ours:



We survived sans pirate or Nazi attacks.

One of the highlights had to be our wonderful lunch at the Creekside Cafe. Who knew former Pittsburghers from the North Hills would be living down here and running a restaurant:





And they were serving ice-cold Yuengling beer on what tuned out to be a mostly sunny island visit - nectar of the Gods, and Kathleen approved:



And the food was amazing. Fish called Drum was freshly caught and served with a homeade tartar sauce, fries, and cole slaw. Something about this kind of food and hot weather just kinda go together. The fish was mild, meaty and TASTY. Pictures don't do it justice, but judge for yourself:


Didn't know Ockracoke's beaches were rated #1 - sorry California. But they were really beautiful.






The drive back was relatively uneventful, except for the skies opening up again. awesome. But a few final highlights. An old timey gas pump - read, not digitial, but dials. back when men were men, and gas pumps were gas pumps.


And what trip to the Outerbanks would be complete without a stop at a brew-thu. Thanks to Jesse Helms and co., you buy your beer in a drive through type building. Weird state laws. And you have to buy your hard liquor at a state ABC store. Awesome:





Judy's Peach Cobbler tonight. Notice a food and booze theme? Libras are known for their love of all things delish - unfortunately usually to excess. Get in me belly!!

Steelers pre-season game against Carolina Panthers tonight, for what it's worth. Obama at the DNC - hooray.

Lazy Morning

well, thanks to Fay (you bitch!), we're actually under a TORNADO watch this morning. Judy is trying not to freak out, and we're all wondering where we would go in our beach house that is UP ON STILTS? Any ideas, oh dear people out there? I'm not concerned. I don't think that I have ever heard of a tornado ravaging the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but I'm sure that as I say that...well, we'll just wait and see.

In the meantime, I've had some time this morning to catch up on some of my favorite blogs. Check out this review of the famous Pittsburgh Primanti's sandwich:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/08/primanti-brothers-pittsburgh-cheesteak-pastrami-sandwiches.html

Afternoon post:

Very exciting day today. All of us had to muster all of our energy to get in the car for an outing to Corrolla (pronounced ca-rah-lah), home of one of the lighthouses on the island. It seems the smallest thing is exerting. I think we are officially on vacation! Highlights include a visit to the Currituck Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve. What the hell is that you ask. Well, shorthand description is that an estuary is formed when freshwater meets saltwater. we wandered through the maritime forest and here were a few of the sites:

Nice to ask the hunters to be mindful of the tourists.


a maritime forest inhabitant.


a Blue Heron hanging out.



willing to have pic taken.



not willing.



The much anticipated (and ridiculed) Harris *hairy* Teeter market. Bad name, great store. They even had sushi! How Left coast did that sound. Lame.

just another day at the beach

Woke up to a mostly cloudy day - thanks, Fay. Or as willy Nelson calls it, a mostly uncloudy day. So Kathleen and I were really industrious this a.m. and decided to get up *early* at 8:30 and go for a bike ride and get breakfast. so we were on the road by 9:15 - not bad. We tooled around some of the sound side neighborhoods and then meandered our way toward the town of Duck Just north of us a couple/few miles. We hadn't really planned ahead on where to eat, so we pedalled and pedalled and after some false promises, we hit hit breakfast paydirt at the Duck Deli. Oh yeah. Biscuits as big as my head (yeah that big) - fluffy, but with a nice crust; creamy grits, and toss in some eggs and pig bacon goodness. Oh yes, this was a carb bomb. and we savored every last delicious bite. This place is actually known for it's BBQ (which I'm destined to get my hands and mouth on before I leave as it is a local specialty here in the NC), so the place had a nice smoky scent to it when we walked in; then the bacon came as it hinted and teased me with its delicious smell and taste. after breakfast we had to muster the energy to hop back on the beach cruisers and pedal back to the beach cottage. Bummer. But at least we burned some of those evil carbs off!

So, we debated if we head to the beach or go on an excursion - spoiler alert - we are going to check out the wild horse preserve one day and then we also are planning a trip to Ocrakoke (get the obvious tie-in?). After watching a little Price is right, I put on the Weather Channel. Forecast does not look awesome for the week. We decided today might hold the most beach promise with the lowest probability of t-storms of the week - 20% vs. 60%. So, armed with beer and snacks, we walk over to the ocean.

The day could not make up its mind if it wanted to be sunny and hot or cloudy and cool. We camped out and enjoyed the vacillations. Highlights included a hungry, bold, and large seagull; various sanderling activity to and fro around the surf; and Kathleen losing her $15.99 Target sunglasses in the heavy surf. I lost my old but expensive Smiths on day one. No wonder they call this area the Graveyard of the Atlantic.




Tonight we will be treating ourselves to a local tradition - Owen's Seafood House. Two words - Hush Puppies. Can't wait.

OK. The meal was beyond amazing. Don't know if I can upload my phone pics. Had Grouper with amazing sides. crackers and cheeze. rightous.

night ended with a yahtzee playoff and a spotting of the local fox. he/she stared at me. she/he ran away before household membes could see. Katy saw.

Now watching Hill and DNC convention, goodbye for now...

P.S. Anyone watch the start of the DNC convention last night? Thought Pelosi was weak sauce; Michelle Obama was AMAZING. I will leave it at that. Hill speaks tonight.

mondays should be more like this

so, after sleeping in to 9:30am (ah!!!), we got our lazy bums to the beach.

it was a beautiful placid day. just a little roller coming in every few minutes. Scott and I spent a lot of time swimming, lazing, and just enjoying the lovely surf.

I'm reading "amagansett," a lovely book--a murder mystery set in the Hamptons after WWII. and Scott is working his way through Obama's "audacity of hope." We continue to play Scrabble at a furious pace...I dare all of you to a challenge when we return.

Another lovely re-discovery...Yuengling Beer. My god, I haven't had a beer in, what is probably TWO OR THREE YEARS, and we can't get enough. My wonderful father was kind enough to bring a case down from PA, and I'm drinking one or two per lunch (which makes for a delightful, woozy, hazy afternoon). DE-LISH!!! I've forgotten the joys of beer when it is really, really good. Plus, I think there is something about being at the beach when it is warm, the sultry air...it just makes you want something as refreshing as a beer. Do I sound like an ad? eeeek.

OK. For today's pics:

The GORGEOUS tomatoes my father grew in his garden and brought for us to eat:


a little toad who found his way into our vestibule:


the delish Yuengling lager:


our totally scrumptious crabcake dinner (this one's for you, Patrick!!!):


tomorrow is another day of sun, surf and beers. Hopefully, we'll share with you some of our photos of our bike tour around the neighborhood, and other adventures. after only 3 days, we feel relaxed and wonderful. can't believe that there are 10 days to go!!!

a wonderful day...sunday, August 24

sea oats


our house


today was our first real day on the beach.

yesterday, we spent about an hour playing around, but were sent home by unexpected clouds and rain. still, clouds and rain are wonderful here. we're not at work, we're with our family...it's ALL good. we had quite the Scrabble tournament, with even my reclusive mother participating in 3 rounds. I tied with my dad once, who managed to dominate the rest of the play. grrrrr.

true to form, North Carolina's beaches do not disappoint. The water is lovely, the surf is gentle, the sand soft beneath your feet. I get that age old thrill walking on the path to the beach. even before you see it, you smell the salty air, you see the sea oats, you hear the roar of the surf. I never fail to fall in love with this place all over again, when I first spot the beach.

some pictures of our day:



scott carting stuff to the beach:


mr. crabby


a sandpiper


talk with you tomorrow!

Day of Travel

Katy and I got up at the crack of dawn to get to LAX. Had a connector in Dallas FW, then onto Norfolk, Virginia. Katy met a friendly lady in 1st class who whispered discreetly that her zipper was down on her shorts. Unfortunately, Kathleen had trouble hearing the nice old lady and repeatedly asked her what she was saying. finally the woman more or less yelled it to her and she (and the rest of the passengers on the plane) became aware of her embarrassing predicament. Oopsy.

Picked up rental car, a no frills Dodge Avenger (I haven't had crank windows on a car since like the 80s). It was more than adequate to get us to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but not without a quick stop at Costco first to stock up on supplies (basically food and wine). It was so beautiful flying into Norfolk and seeing green trees and woods as far as my eyes could see. also saw some cool Navy ships in port and fighter jets flying low overhead in formation The drive from Norfolk to the Outerbanks (aka OBX) is a little over an hour away. You drive through mostly rural area to get here. Lots of modest homes or even shacks, produce stands (can't wait to eat a good melon), and farmland dot the landscape. But there are also the funny billboards, advertising stores with funny names like Teeters, and trymynuts.com. Yes, I'm perpetually 12. The sun had gone down by the time we got to the island, but we navigated the darkness to find our fat cottage on 3rd street. This place is 4bdm/4bath that has ocean views, amazing screened in decks all around and a nice big kitchen. Also 2 outdoor showers. We are only here with Kathleen's parents (another couple had to cancel) so we have way more house than we need.

Have been reading previous guest comments. Many report seeing wildlife around - mostly fox and rabbits and a Pialated woodpecker (think Woody). Will see if we have any sightings. still on LA time, so staying up later, but I think I'll be able to squeeze in more than a couple cat naps tomorrow on the beach. Looking forward to the downtime.

welcome

hi there. check back frequently to get updates from our fun vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We'll begin blogging over the weekend!