Monday, August 11, 2014

The Summer of Vacations

This, so far, has been the summer of "happenings."  We sold our house and gave merit, once again, to the blog name by living out of a camper while getting things in order to build our new house.  In the midst of all the things associated with starting anew, we have taken TWO beach vacations.  What can I say...  We like to keep busy!

The first trip was with friends to Cape Hatteras.  The waves were insanely huge, and the food was phenomenal.  Crab cakes?  Yes, please!  The little area we stayed was called Avon, and it was perfect.  Not too crowded and everything you need within a few blocks.  The kicker?  It takes FOREVER to get there!  (14 hours to be exact.)  This trip makes the 6/7 hour drive to Florida look like a trip to the grocery store.  Also, once we crossed the bridge pictured below, we saw the most beautiful black bear.  Donald hopped out of the truck to try to get a picture before realizing that was probably a bad idea.  Sadly, we didn't get a picture, but he was the model of a giant teddy bear.  He looked well fed, so maybe it's a good thing he headed for the woods as soon as Donald exited the vehicle.  Who can say they went to the beach and saw a bear, though???

The bridge to the Cape is a bit long...

We also took a sunset dolphin tour which turned out to be just a boat ride in the Sound.  (Also, "The Sound" is not actually noise.  It's what normal people would call the bay area.  Glad I was able to clarify that before the week was up! Ha!)  Another fun fact is that a large number of the locals have a very distinct accent.  We did ask one person, but we probably picked the wrong one to ask since she was Russian.  Whoops!  Wikipedia calls the local dialect "Brogue."  We may never know for certain.

In the bay area waiting for our dolphin tour to depart.


Our friends, Bill and Julie, with Donald.

With proper permits, locals can drive on the beach.

There was a very distinct line where "The Sound" met the open ocean. Notice the increase of the breaking waves in the distance.

This is a ferry like the one we took on our day trip to Ocracoke Island.  (FYI, be prepared to wait a while for your ship to come in...  Ha!)  That being said, Ocracoke was a neat little island.  I'd almost like to stay there if we ever come back.  It was full of shops, and everyone was extremely friendly.  Our friend met someone who had lived on the island his entire life and possibly pitied us for not having it so good. :)    


"I'm flying!"

Donald wouldn't do the Titanic thing...  Also, we're holding on for dear life.  Even the waves inside The Sound were rough. 

A Spanish lady on the boat with us insisted that I go to the back and take a photo of the sunset.  Great recommendation! 

Back in the bay.


Julie and Bill

Loved these houses on the water.


My only disappointment was not being able to make it to Roanoke Island to see the wild horses.  Traffic...  Oh, well.  That's what the internet is for.  That day-trip wasn't an entire bust, as we stopped by the Wright Brother's Museum in Kill Devil Hills instead.  We got a little wet, but it was worth the frizzy hair.  

This monument was enormous! 

A distant view of the recreation of the first flight.


Yes, we took a selfie with this... 


Conceived by genius.

Our group: Bill, Julie, me, and Donald

There was a more modern runway here, of course!  The deer are obviously fans. 




My attempt at being artsy-fartsy...


The kites were super!  Pictures can't truly portray their magnitude. 


The monuments of how far each of the first flights traveled, the pilot, and dates.









The brothers actually used rails to launch their flights, not wheels. 


Inside the museum.

This guy was a colorful storyteller. 

The piece of the Kitty Hawk that was taken to the moon. 



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Next trip, Cape San Blas


7-hour drive?  Pshhh, that's for rookies!  I do love the Gulf!  Cape San Blas was our annual family beach vacation, and we were welcomed with sunshine, powdered sand, and clear, calm water.  The first two days, the ocean was nothing more than a tropical swimming pool.  The little girls were in heaven!  We had a few hiccups with the house, but luckily, we all know how to wield a broom and use the washer.  Rock and Jazz seemed quite pleased with the accommodations...  

She stole my beach towel.


We reintroduced the dogs to the beach.  It's just not their thing.  Not that he minds the water, but Rock is a lake dog now.  His first instinct was to run straight to the surf and take a big gulp of water like he would at our old boat launch.  He got a real surprise!  He was done after that.  I believe Jazz was done before we started.  

Taking in the sunset with Papa.


He's just too pretty!

Unfortunately, this is where his excitement ended for him. 


And, some informals of my people from that night!

Josh smiled!


Take a "pitcha" of me running on the beach, Debbie! :)

The devious duo!  Ah, who am I kidding?  This is a whole lot of sweetness for one picture!

I wish I knew what she was saying.

Fishing from the beach is a big thing here.  

These silly girls!

The exact moment Jessie stepped on an electric ray.

And, the aftermath of walking in terror...  The local folks say it's like touching a 9-volt battery to your tongue.  Jessie, Jenna, and Donald might disagree.  

Lots of fences along the dunes.

This was our one and only storm, and it was gorgeous!  The condos to the left look like the one we stayed in.  I stood on our balcony and watched the storm approach from far away.

I also captured my first lightening in a photograph!

Each year, we do a family photo on the beach.  As I'm prepping my camera, I get this silly thing :)

Papa and Mimi

The Robinson Crew


Our bunch


And sometimes we act like this.  Don't let Greg fool you in this picture...  He is a full party to our craziness.  There is proof further down.  You will know it when you see it! 









Sweet Janie


Jenna Marie

Jenna doing her thing!

And Jessie and Greg attempting to do Jenna's thing...  Haha!!!






And a few more pictures from our trip.



I love a good sunset.

Guess it would make it more special if I knew these folks.  I don't...  Is that creepy? ;)


Back to reality now!  I have school to plan, books to buy, a dock to finish (or supervise the finishing of...)  Oh, and a house to build...  Details...  It might be another long while before I blog again.  Sounds like I might get a tad busy!  







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