A week at the beach. Ahhhhhh.
It worked wonders for every one and everything...except sleep. There was too much to do: nighttime walks on the beach to sneak up on ghost crabs, and puzzles or social time, or movies or swimming in the beach house pool. Bedtime was the furthest thing from our minds. And that's a vacation.
We enjoyed some fun & sun on the surf.
Then we enjoyed some fun in the pool.
Maisey applied her own sunscreen.
Well, some of us enjoyed a view of the pool from the tiki bar. With a margarita. And friends.
Got a little Captain in ya?
The fishers went fishing. We waited on the dock for our ship to come in.
Catch of the day? Mahi mahi. The kids were all over it.
Maisey had birthday money to spend, so we did a little souvenir shopping. The girls aptly chose mermaids for themselves. Maisey's is named Ariel, and Eveie's is named Antennae.
More fun at the house. Maisey and Alex piled on the pillows.
Ethan, Alex and Maisey work on a 3D puzzle.
Then we all went to the beach.
Maisey helped Daddy return his first catch to the ocean.
All the world's a sandbox.
They fed the seagulls.
I had fun flying Maisey's kite.
More fun poolside.
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On to the lighthouses (Hatteras and Bodie Island) with a little mini golf in between (Frisco, and Nags Head).
Girl's Adventure Day
Six of us took the whole day to travel all the way to Cape Lookout. It was quite an adventure that began for me at 4:25 am, when I awoke, groggily dressed myself in the nearest laid out outfit, and staggered out to the car to depart at 4:30 am. Needless to say, my girls didn't come with me on this trip. We drove to the Hatteras Island Ferry to cross to Ocracoke Island. It was too dark, and I was too tired to take any pictures on that ride.
From Ocracoke Island, at about 7 am we were told the ferry might not depart, but after an awful, but much needed coffee, and some time to study a mama duck and her brood, a maintenance crew departed the ferry, and we were allowed to board for our 2 hour ride to Cedar Island.
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On the way to Cedar Island we saw a sailboat stranded on a sandbar. We napped, had our breakfast, thanks to Matt for making us all food! As we approached Cedar Island, we discovered surfing cows, and a laid back island with many more churches than houses. Must be a lot of sinning going on at Cedar Island.
Anyways, the drive was pretty marshland, forests, sleepy gas stations and souvenir shops, little houses on sandy grasslands.
And then we made a wrong turn and found him.
These islands were teeming with pirates a couple hundred years ago, and while we were on a quest to the lighthouse, we were excited to spend a little time with a real, larger than life pirate. So of course, we had a little fun.
Reluctantly, we left our pirate friend and his booty and made our way to Calico Jacks Ferry for the final sea leg of our journey: the ride to Cape Lookout.
We saw the Shackleford Banks ponies, but they looked like tiny brown dots on the horizon in my pictures. It was only a short 15 minute ferry ride navigating sandbars in a water depth of only 3 feet, but when we docked, it felt like a deserted tropical island. Well, except for the other tourists.
Only 3 of us bought tickets to climb the lighthouse. I figured after such an arduous journey to get here, I should do it. 207 steps inside the lighthouse, and 15 more steps leading up to the entrance. It was quite an experience, considering I'm afraid of heights.
A photo op with fellow climbers Danielle and Lindsay.
Ah, a nice breeze from each of the lighthouse windows kept us from overheating. It was hot in that tower!
More stairs.
The light room.
Lindsay & Danielle at the lookout. I was a little nervous about looking beyond the railing. The staff had blocked off half of the lookout tower walk because winds were approaching 40 miles per hour, and at that height, we could be whipped off balance.
But they talked me into it. A view of the caretaker's house from the top.
Photo ops at the lighthouse and keepers grounds.
Been there. Done that. Now what?
Souvenir shopping of course, all the way back to the ferry--well, back to Hatteras Island, really. We found a decrepit old pirate, and caught a captain in the outhouse.
We had lunch and took a few scenic shots and made it back in time for the 4 pm ferry to Ocracoke Island.
Shrimp boats.
The view from the ferry. Bye bye surf-loving cows.
Ocracoke Lighthouse from the ferry. Maybe I'll climb this one on our next beach trip.
Kind of scary having the sand dunes blow all over the road. But the bulldozer was keeping up with it.
Has anyone seen these tourists on the dunes?
I loved the sunset waiting for the Ocracoke Ferry to Hatteras. Some beautiful sunsets on the sound.
Our last day here was a day at the beach, followed by some family fun.
We went to the local pottery shop Studio 12 and painted some souvenirs of our trip.
Then we visited Hatteras Lighthouse again. The girls fell asleep, so no climbing for us this trip. We'll be back though, I promise.
Of course Maisey lost her second tooth on our last day, thanks to Shane's gentle prodding. She was excited to see if the Tooth Fairy would visit her so far from home. She did, of course. Those Outer Banks fairies wrapped her gold dollar in shells, tied with seagrass. It was a special find for Maisey the next morning.
Then, while the family did this:
I was here, walking, sea shell hunting, and enjoying the views:
And here's proof.
What a relaxing week.
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