FRIDAY AT THE BEACH

CA and I start the day by packing up our studio--we'll stay in the one-bedroom unit tonight.

We squeeze about as much into this day as is possible, heading to Pocahontas at 8:30am where we indulge in a fantastic breakfast. We love this place. It's clean, and friendly; great food and wonderful service.

We're determined to spend more time at Croatan Beach. The sun is shining, the sky is blue; and both kiddos have decided they love the beach--surf, sand, and waves. When asked, two-year old LE says her favorite thing this vacation is, "Putting my toes in the ocean!" Took her almost a week to get down off her daddy's shoulders and stick those toes in the water. She still likes to be holding hands, although today JA encourages her, "Let's do it by ourselves."

We're checking for rental signs on these beach-side homes, but find only one with a realtor's name and number. Several others are for rent by owner. Maybe we need to check-out Craig's List. I also think that many of these homes are year-round residences. We'd love to rent here another year.

We have a couple of hours of delight before JE's family needs to pack up and drive back to D.C. They have an early Saturday flight, so will stay in an airport hotel tonight for convenience.

CA and I have ambitious plans for this afternoon, but actually veg-out in the condo, reading and napping until late afternoon. Don't want to waste our last hours at the beach, but we've already done quite a bit today.

About 5:00pm we decide that the sangria at Johnny Manana's sounds very tempting. We're not sure about our dinner plans, but this is a fine start. CA orders the red sangria, but I had a visual the other night of the white and was intrigued. I'm not disappointed. They've lightly flavored the white wine with pineapple and a hint of tropical spices. Lovely.

We eventually order bruschetta, and then decide to get a pizza. We're sitting at the ba,r and staying put has become our favorite option for tonight's entertainment.

A very fine week at the beach. There are many things we didn't find time to do, and places we'd thought we'd go; but, the reality is that we enjoyed our time and feel that each day was perfect. Just the right mix of activity and down-time, with an emphasis on down-time. We were never bored. There're always the sounds and sights of the ocean waves to lull and amaze.