Isn't She Lovely? Beach Tour--Day 7

Well, this is it. We woke to rain and thunder. How nice! So instead of hitting the beach, we headed down to Hatteras to see the lighthouse. It had cleared up by the time we got down there. It was 90 degrees in the lighthouse. Then we ate lunch and shopped, finally hitting the beach sometime after 4. It never really cleared up here, but was pleasant enough. Now it is time to start packing. We need to be out by 10 a.m. tomorrow!

Feeling Crabby? Beach Tour--Day 6

Here's a sand crab the kids have been digging for. It is a lot cooler today and not as hazy. Perfect day for the beach if you like the beach. Andrew told me earlier this week that I am not "beach people." And he is right. Enough of this beach stuff. There is so much to do here beside go to the beach.

Today Garrett went fishing for the first time with the fishing pole he got for his birthday. He went down to Bob's Bait and Tackle in Duck. Bob suggested fishing with shrimp at the Southern Shores Marina. It worked out just fine. Garrett "caught" two little crabs. One of the boys there crabbing tried to help Garrett land the one crab but Garrett pulled it in too quickly. Garrett keeps correcting me that he didn't catch the crab--he just fed it some shrimp.

Back to the Beach--Day 4

Sometimes you just have to go shopping. Which is what we did today. This is the "toy" Garrett chose. A robot claw. It has come in quite handy. We are about to get a storm so I will keep this short. The kids also got hats and t-shirts. And of course we bought a new shell for Hermie the hermit crab. Hopefully he will like this one since he has rejected the other two we've given him.

We also had a surprise visit from Art's parents who are down looking for a house for Thanksgiving. And now of course a storm...

Got Shark Teeth?

Back to the Beach--Day 3

Here's the gang. It is incredibly hot today. The heat index was 102 when we hit the beach at 11. Andrew had to go :-(. That's what happens when you have a job. He took the rest of the crabs :-(, but there is still shrimp.

Beach Tour--Day 2

Claudia and Colleen are supposed to be sharing the chocolate cake dessert. Claudia is hogging it. Andrew turned 20. We celebrated his birthday last night with cake and presents. Today we had crabs and shrimp. Everyone misses our little cat (Alice/Muffin/Kitty).

One Problem Per Day, Please

Bad to the Bone Beach Tour--Day 1

It took us 8 hours to get here. It took 2 hours just to get to Fredericksburg. I hate Northern Virginia. Garrett already broke a clock. We replaced it this morning. Garrett likes the water much better this year. Claudia and Garrett already made friends with the kids next door who are 6 and 4. Claudia and the girl have the very same bathing suit.

Recent and Recommended

I just finished this book this weekend. Dan Chaon's collection of short stories is wonderful. A little dark, but very original. I am currently reading Steve Amick's The Lake, the River, and the Other Lake. It is also quite a book and he makes it look so easy. 

Sunday Bloody Sunday

No blood here. Just bloody is the very best British way. We are on our fifth or sixth day of thunder, which is keeping us away from the beloved pool. We got to take Jorja to the pool on Friday for roughly 5 to 10 minutes. Then it rumbled and the pool was closed. The same thing happened on Saturday although Claudia and her friend Colleen got good and wet for a half hour or more before... rumble... then they closed the pool. Bloody weather.

In the hour and half that we got to go to the pool Saturday eve, Claudia passed her swim test--and jumped off the diving board FIVE TIMES! Garrett has decided to become a scuba diver and is anxiously sitting with his bathing suit on, holding his snorkel, waiting for the latest thunder delay.

While waiting for the summer to clear, Claudia got her hair cut. We think it looks lovely. She isn't so sure.

Now it is raining. Lovely. Brilliant. Bloody weather.

Garrett and Jorja

Claudia

The Sweetest Little Girl

Last Friday we enjoyed a surprise visit from Cousin Jorja. Garrett, photographer extraordinaire, really likes Jorja so he was especially excited to be able to photograph her. Of course, he shot about 5 photos a sec so she didn't get to move around much. And of course they are special photos. Isn't she a doll?

Did You Miss Me?

The laptop has arrived, but it is slow going. I am still in the process of getting all the software I need on the machine. Now I'm trying to figure out how to load images.

Greetings from Alaska

Here are my nieces Paulina and Amy, with Paulina's boyfriend Sam. 

Claudia in the pool 

Jorja with flag 

We learned something about our little camera. Do not take low rez photos. They are REALLY low rez.