OBX - Day 1

Vacation! Such a lovely, lovely word. The last few days at work were spent frantically trying to get as much done as possible, but as always, not everything gets done, so I will have a stack of work waiting for me upon my return. Saturday was productive. Had brunch with Lara, Anne, Liz, plus a bunch of other former EY-ers that I hadn't seen in quite a while. I met Brady for the first time, and he is just as cute and cuddly as in the pictures. I little droolier than advertised, but still a major cutie. After brunch, the afternoon disappeared in a whirlwind of errands and chores that had to be done before leaving for the beach. I ended up going to bed around 1:30AM on Sunday. I must have been really pumped for the beach, because I was up at 6AM, out the door by 6:30, and at my aunt's house at 6:50, ready to go.

I drove the 300+ miles down to North Carolina with my aunt's 76 year old mother-in-law as my passenger. I have to say, that was one of the most pleasant road trips I've taken. She's really nice and the conversation was good, and I certainly learned a lot more about that side of my aunt's family. You see, this vacation is truly a break from the tedium of normal life and from the constant bickering that is often associated with vacationing with my immediate family. My aunt's rented beach house is being shared with my uncle's sister and brother-in-law, their daughter and her boyfriend, and my cousin Alex and her boyfriend. All very cool people who routinely keep the fridge stocked with beer and tasty snacks and are on a neverending hunt for fun things to do. Hard to believe that I am actually distantly related to these people!

Once we got to the Outer Banks (OBX, for the uninitiated), we headed straight for Awful Arthur's. We found that place the first year we came down here, which must have been when I was around 10 or so, and we've been going there ever since. It's a great oyster bar and seafood restaurant, and even though it looks a little crummy from the outside, it's actually pretty nice. If you go there, get some oysters on the half shell, grilled teriyaki tuna sandwich, and you'll be good to go.

Anyway, like a complete idiot, I remembered to bring everything except for my camera, so I will have to bum a few shots from my cousin's camera and upload them later. However, I will try to describe the scene right now, which is just before 9:30AM on Memorial Day. I am lounging on the 3rd floor of the house, which is oceanfront...that means that the only thing separating the house from the ocean is a strategically placed sand dune. The walk to the ocean is about 1 minute (even less if you don't mind wading through the brush behind the house and potentially getting chewed up by mosquitos). Looking out from the window, I see the tops of the sand dunes, speckled with tall, wild grass, and just beyond is nothing but blue sea (well, blue-ish gray today) and a gray horizon. It's pretty cloudy out right now, so there might be a storm coming later. For now, the waves are breaking pretty gently and there aren't that many people on the beach yet. Perfect time for me to go out and search the sand for shells.