Sunset Beach

We've had relatively few vacations in our marriage, until the last few years.  The beach is always a draw for us - we tend to want to go there the most.  Our favorite of all the beaches we've been to is on the east coast.  We love that it is a quiet family beach, people take generations of their families there on a regular basis.

Being that it is off the beaten path, it is a teensy bit more complicated to get there, but the laid-back lifestyle fits our vacation requirements to a "T".  I've learned that I can go an entire week without make-up or curling my hair.  I don't die, I'm just not comfortable. Don't like looking less than my best for The Husband.

Here are a few of the stand-outs from this last week:

We ate: hushpuppies (though not enough of them), b-b-q, seafood, and more seafood, Carrabba's Italian for our anniversary, snacks on the beach (wheat thins remain my favorite cracker), homemade ice cream from the Calabash Creamery (a solid tradition), Smoothie King (no Jamba Juice in the south) and Cocoa Krispies (a rare indulgence). (I still don't understand how we went for a week without any real chocolate.)

We slept in some but also got up early enough for the sunrise.  (The morning light is my absolute favorite light of the day.)

 We went to church in Shallotte - had to take a picture (hurriedly, that's why the blur) of this sign above the toilet paper in the restroom .  Haven't seen one like that.  And I agree, little things make a big difference - especially paper towel dispensers that actually have paper towels in them for when you wash your hands. (Obviously, this bathroom was missing the towels.)

 We had:  all kinds of weather which made the week interesting.  Sunshine, clouds, storms - which meant rain - more sunshine, more clouds, and more sunshine.

The storm made for some big waves, lightning w-a-y off in the distance over the ocean that woke us up at night and also made...seafoam! Don't recall seeing this before.  Tickled my fancy.

We learned we could leave our sandals by the steps and no one would bother them.  Walking in the sand barefoot is sooo much better.

And noticed that the steps have had to be replaced in a few places because of the encroaching beach. This particular stair-over-the-dune (or if you prefer, a stile) was the one right next to our house.  We figured there are about 5 steps buried under the sand.

 My distaste for stairs remains firmly in place after this trip.  The houses are built on stilts because of the proximity to the ocean, so there are stairs up to the house, stairs inside, stairs to the beach, stairs back from the beach.  If I lived there my backside would probably be in better shape due to the stair-exercise.

We saw:  countless seagulls, egrets, herons, some deer (we weren't aware there were deer on the island) giant turtles, a couple cockroaches (thank heavens only a couple), people, beautiful houses, a fair amount of beach umbrellas, 50 pound watermelon being sold from the back of a pick-up parked by the side of the highway, handwoven baskets similarly marketed, wandering rabbits, jumping fish, and an alligator! (Little Jimmy, as opposed to Big Jimmy.  They both spend their nights in the ocean marsh on the east of the road and then traverse to the pond of the golf course to spend their days amongst the golfers who park their carts right next to the alligators without even a hint of reaction.)

I learned that even with prodigious application of sunblock (and then careful avoidance of water and rubbing so as to not remove the sunblock) I still get sunburned on the tops of my feet.  Never fails.  Although this time it doesn't seem quite as bad.

Lesson 2:  the most important accessories for me for the beach are my hat and my sunglasses. (An easily removable shirt over the swimsuit is also helpful.) Also decided that $16 chairs from Wal-Mart are better than the $20 ratty chairs we've rented in the past.

 We also learned that the distance from the west-most stair-stile to the west end of the beach is just barely under 2.5 miles so the round trip was about 5 miles that took us roughly 2 1/2 hours. Perfect pace, perfect to be out as the sun rose, not too many other shell-seekers out and about and apples eaten as we walked made a good breakfast.

Beach activities included reading, sitting, walking along the surf, reading, napping, eating, shelling, and more of the same - over and over.  The beauty of our surroundings seeping into our souls seems to be a kind of therapy. And for me, even more so with my favorite person in the whole world.

This was a grand way to celebrate our 42nd anniversary.  Heavenly Father receives my eternal gratitude for helping me to find this man - the one who isn't afraid to work hard, and has never complained about doing so, who treats me as though I am someone extraordinarily special, who never seeks any recognition for all he does - always "above and beyond", and who would rather still be at the beach.  I'm sorry a week wasn't quite long enough, we'll go again.

I read a quote this morning (by Andy Rooney I think) that said something along these lines - "If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it."  I did that this last week, more than once.  And yes, I think I really did mean it.

Our biggest surprise:  being met at the end of a long flight by The Daughter and Grandson! Hugs, smiles and frozen custard - a delightful way to complete our trip.

And now.... in spite of the mountains of laundry, the stacks of mail and the pile of bills to catch up on, I'm grateful for our safe return.  For me, there will never be any place like Home.