Before the bottom fell out and Jon's dad began his final decline this summer, we'd made plans to visit North Carolina's Outer Banks in September. So, even though a flooded basement, aging cats, and stacks of reading demanded our attention, we drove off on Saturday morning, September 19 for a week of R&R "down south."
T'was a good decision. We shared a huge house right on the ocean with our lifelong friends Ray and Phyllis and our son Joel and his wife Phaedra from Portland, OR. The weather was perfect--70s and 80s most days and 90 plus on Thursday when we went to Ocracoke Island for a day of fishing. Where does the time go when you're on vacation? I can't tell you. I simply floated from one lovely activity to the next and spent lots of time on the deck gazing at the ocean.
We ate fish every night--had a bluefish feast on Thursday compliments of Jon, Ray and Phaedra who pulled them in. We played cards and Scrabble, took walks on the beach, swam in the warm September ocean and shopped for stuff we didn't need. We watched the sun rise, drank endless cups of coffee and lots and lots of wine, plus one vodka and tonic.
Jon brought partials and spent an entire afternoon reading. Not me. I didn't read a thing.
Now I'm knee-deep in partials and manuscripts and we're back on track. A good thing too. I think summer's finally over. Tomorrow is October 1. On Saturday I fly out to Boise, ID to help my sister-in-law who just had an ankle replacement. But, I'll be working while I'm there and Jon will keep the office running.
Yes, we're more behind than ever, but we're reinvigorated from our vacation and pursuing work with a new vengeance.
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3 comments:
My family and I did the same thing this summer - we went to the Outer Banks in July. It was our first vacation with our son who was 10 months then.
I felt like Clark Griswold leading the family on an adventure!
We had a blast - the best memory was watching my son run (yes, at 10 months he could run) into the ocean the first time. . . that and going to beach and night with a flashlight and watching the crabs.
The eight hour plus drive from the Lehigh Valley wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - the baby slept the whole time to and from - thankfully!
Jim.
Nothing beats a truly relaxing vacation. A perfect end to a less-than-perfect summer. Hope it's all uphill from here! ;-)
Sounds delightful. I remember our days in Nags Head. I have yet to take a vacation but am living a very relaxed life at the moment. I will go to the beach today if weather permits.
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