Fun at the Beach

Outer Banks 2020

A June trip to the beach in Southern Shores, NC is becoming a family tradition. This year my daughter, Ellen, joined us earlier than usual. Ellen and her Mom really enjoy the beach and set off directly for some time by the sea.

We had a bit more rain this year compared to other years, but not enough to ruin the trip. One evening a passing thunderstorm produced a beautiful rainbow over the ocean.

A porch overhang blocked the view in the previous picture. There was a better panoramic view from the rooftop crow's nest. (Click on the images to get a bigger view.)

Ellen and her Mom went down to the beach to see the rainbow.

One morning I finished my run at the beach overlook where I was surprised to find three guys dressed in Samurai outfits slowly practicing ritual movements with swords. Daggers were also stuck nearby in the sand.

One of our silly traditions is completing a big jigsaw puzzle during our stay. This year we assembled the 1,000-piece Tree of Life puzzle.

The puzzle was finished surprisingly quickly this year.

Keegan was kind enough to bring my mountain bike along on his bike carrier so we could take a family bike expedition. Ellen now rides a massive electric bike to pull Annabelle's big trailer. Our rental beach house is in the background.

The main road, Route 12, has no shoulders and is usually filled with non-stop traffic. It's not suitable for a relaxed bike ride. Although Route 12 has a narrow bike trail along much of its length, this trail is crowded with walkers and runners. It was also flooded in many places by recent rain. We rode, instead, on lovely, wide, quiet, traffic-free side streets through beautiful neighborhoods.

When not romping in the water, Sophie looked quite grown up reading on the beach.

We went to see the sunset one beautiful evening on the Duck boardwalk. Unfortunately, Annabelle was not very happy doing this. Her continual complaints made us cut the evening short.

Grandma tried to comfort Annabelle.

It was a lovely evening.

Next year we might try a new rental house to keep Annabelle a bit happier.