Beach Time

Outer Banks Fun

C likes nothing better than standing in the surf watching waves. C loves the sea.

The whole family spent lazy days on the beach.

Granddaughter Annabelle was happy to play in her pool and nap in grandma's arms.

Granddaughter Sophie did some reading. She was confident and exuberant in the water, even standing on the paddle board!

Sophie also enjoyed electric go karts with her Dad, Keegan.

Our beach house had a rooftop crow's nest which would have been ideal for stargazing if glaring neighborhood lights weren't assaulting my eyes from all directions. I walked to the beach to escape the lights, but without success. Houses along the beach felt compelled to light their back porches, so, even though there were no lights to the east over the ocean, sky views were not truly dark. The constellation Cygnus, the Northern Cross, was rising over the ocean in the following ten-second exposure made on the beach with my tripod-mounted phone camera. Lyra and Vega can be seen above Cygnus.

The next image was taken looking south along the shoreline. Lights from more heavily developed areas made a glow near the horizon. The Milky Way was washed out, but the constellation Scorpius was visible in the lower center. The bright object in the upper right is the planet Jupiter close to the star Zuben Elgenubi.

About 1.5 miles north of our beach house was the little town of Duck, home of an interesting variety of small shops. One morning we biked on sidewalks from our house into Duck to get donuts. Duck had its charms, but the traffic and crowding were sometimes overwhelming. One evening we got some ice cream from a shop called, Donuts on a Stick. Yes, they sold donuts on a stick, but they weren't just plain donuts. The donuts themselves were glazed and covered with sprinkles. Ice cream went on top of the donuts along with more toppings, whipped cream, and optional chocolate sauce. This insane caloric bomb was too much for me. It just made me laugh. The over the top extravagance of ice cream and donuts was balanced by another extreme - insect snacks!

Duck has a beautiful boardwalk that winds along the water of the Currituck Sound. As you progress along the boardwalk open areas alternate with small shops. We had a wonderful evening stroll on this boardwalk.

A pleasant warm breeze off the water enhanced peaceful scenes near sunset.

It's easy to understand why so many people vacation on the Outer Banks.