(Editor’s note: I know a few of you are going to have heart attacks when you see an actual story in addition to the real reason you visit this web site. All I can say is that any myocardial infarctions are completely my fault but if you’re of the mind to take an aspirin or two on a regular basis…now might be a good time! 😉
Today was our annual pilgrimage down to Ocean Isle for a bit of rest and relaxation. A couple of weeks ago, Mommy and the kids went to visit with our Ohio cousins when they here during their week down at the beach house.
Well, the wait was certainly worth it. The beach has changed quite a bit starting with the landmark that let us know where to turn to the left to head to the east end of the island. The water slide is gone. They’ve done a nourishment project on the beach to build up this side of the island but that’s not done anything to stem the tide of for sale signs out here.
After a quick unloading of the cargo and lunch, it was time to get ready to see the beach. We had arrived at the right time as the tide was going out and there was a nice tide pool for the kids to do their usual splashing and digging. Getting there is a bit of an adventure as Ocean Isle is a typical North Carolina beach which means it is not hard-packed sand like Daytona Beach.
But the jogging stroller does a good job as long as you remember that when you commit to moving…don’t stop until you have to! Then there is the ridge created by the nourishment project to negotiate and then it’s easy going on the small bit of hard-packed sand to be found out there.
Once we got to the tide pool, it was time to splash and carry on… and capture those memories on the digital camera. There is plenty of sand to dig in (and occasionally eat if you’re Katie!), tons of shells awaiting sifting, and water for just plain running.
One thing you notice quickly is that Kathryn seems to have no fear of anything. Don’t be surprised if her nickname goes from Katie to Princess Bruiser. Seriously…a big wave knocks her over and she’s right back up again and ready to go. She stands up and takes a couple of steps…then it’s down on her butt and just as quickly back up again.
It’s kind of funny but the three of them have such totally different personalities. Katie fears nothing (her big brothers might want to take notice of this), Alex is pretty easy-going and goes with the flow, and Nicholas lives his life on his terms.
That was readily apparent when it was time to go for a bit of a swim with each of the kids. Nicholas wasn’t at all interested…until jealousy over Alex having fun had him changing his mind at light speed! Katie…a swim was not a hard sell for that girl. But once out there, all three of them had the same reaction…they relaxed and enjoyed the swim about as much as I did.
Then it was time to trek back to the house (fighting our way through the loose sand again) to get cleaned up and get a bit of dinner. Nicholas and I took the rustic route and cleaned up in the outdoor shower. No, we didn’t moon anyone but the water is nice and warm out there…just perfect after a trip down to the beach.
Dinner time saw us split up for a bit…Alex and I went to get some pizza whilst the rest of them were off raiding the local Food Lion for provisions that we didn’t pack with us.
If you are staying in the Ocean Isle area and you want some pizza…go to Tony’s in Calabash. He makes up a seriously good pie every time and the service is always top notch. Alex by this time was very tired and I just carried him in to get the pizza. Of course, he felt it was his duty to charm everyone in sight whether they worked there or not (including a bishop from Uganda who was visiting the area). When the pizzas were ready, I was quite prepared to take Alex to his car seat and then come back for the pizzas. The owner had another idea about that… i.e. let me carry the pizzas and he brought them right out to the Escape. That is why you support the little guys…they care more about their customer than the big chain franchises ever will. And besides, he’s got the best pizza within 30 minutes of the beach house and the consistently full parking lot to prove it! 🙂
