V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N Part 2

So when I left you last I was headed into Nags Head, NC, on the Outer Banks, after a 7 hour trip that should have taken half that time.

We did get there - eventually. Got the keys to the house we were renting and directions. We hadn't eaten since lunch, but we decided to unload the car and then go to dinner.

The house was lovely with lots of decks and porches to enjoy the views. This is a shot of the living room. We could sit here and look out a wall of glass to the beach. Well worth the trip. After an evening shower, we even saw a rainbow but sadly I could not get a good picture of it.

I had the best knitting intentions for vacation.

This is the WestKnits Mystery KAL - Earth and Sky. I was up to clue #2 when we went on vacation and took the project with me along with the clues so I could work on it. And didn't. There was just too much to do. I loved being with the family and the hours just flew by. So not much knitting time for me.

However, I did get to visit the local yarn shop, Knitting Addiction.

It's a great shop with a lot packed into the square footage. I might have bought some more yarn. I was trying to check out when the rest of the family showed up and Jorgie insisted on paying for my purchase as part of my birthday gift.

And he joined in the fun and "helped" the ladies as they wound my yarn. Thank goodness Lisa (shop helper extraordinaire) and Jeanne (the owner) were good sports.

Here's a shot of Lisa with Jorgie and our son, Jorgie, after she had wound one of my skeins of yarn. The boys makes themselves home wherever they go.

I also got an awesome new knitting bag - HUGE - made by a local artisan.

The ceramic button is also made locally, and I just love the bag. I've packed it full with projects to take on an upcoming knitting retreat. When I saw the bag as I walked into the shop, it truly was love at first sight.

Now Jorgie has a few objections to all of my bags, totes and satchels. He thinks I have way too many. So imagine his surprise when he discovered that he had bought me the MacDaddy of all totes. LOL!!!! Vacation - fun times.

After leaving the yarn shop, we managed to get up to Duck and Corolla (more towns in the Outer Banks) and do some shopping.

The kids visited the Flip Flop Shops and while we were waiting for them, the owners decided to prop open the door with the biggest Flip Flop I've ever seen.

And I thought our Jorgies had big feet.

Every Outer Banks vacation it is tradition to get a shot of my three Jorgies (husband, son and grandson) sitting on a bench together. Here's this year's shot and I do think my Jorgie looks especially handsome with my purse sitting on his lap. It takes a secure man to do that and endure the teasing that he'll get from the rest of the family.

Told you we grow them big. Jorgen, the grandson, is just over 6 feet tall and the other two Jorgies are about 6'4".

We didn't do all of our shopping on one day. It was nice to have the beach, family time and a little getting out and looking around/shopping time.

This year we didn't visit the Wright Memorial where Wilbur and Orville Wright had the first manned flight. We've done that in previous years. But we did pass by Jockey's Ridge where people hang-glide and try to replicate that first feeling of flying. Those dunes are much higher than my camera makes them look. And they're HOT. It feels like your feet are going to spontaneously combust. People (not me) actually walk up these dune.

Back to the house - and the beach. The water was wonderful. Cool, but not cold. Always a bit of an undertow, and I don't go out far. I did manage to get the family in the water. It's always a chore to get them to put that first toe in the water. But after that, they're good.

Here's a shot of me hamming it up for the camera complete with beach hat and sunglasses.

These seagulls absolutely cracked me up. This is only a portion of them all lined up and hoping for lunch. It was so cool to sit and watch them queue up in their straight lines. Yes, I'm easily amused. The beach was deserted except for a few families and the birds. Just the way I like it. The sound of the ocean waves rolling in and out, in and out. It really relaxes me.