“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.” -Kate Chopin
Power cord finally came in which only means one thing… I can finally post the much-anticipated beach recap!! This is going to be long because I am suffering still from beach withdrawal, but I included all of the pictures at the bottom of this post =).
Thursday
Jake showed up at 4 to load the car and then we rolled out at 4:30. We swung by the gas station to fill up the tank, by Food Lion to get mayonnaise and deli ham for lunch sandwiches, and then by McDonalds for some dinner. We could definitely have had that done but Jake is 100% type B. Then we were on the road. The trip didn’t seem nearly as bad since we were both wide awake. We also avoided essentially all traffic. It rained a little but it wasn’t bad. The weather was actually fairly warm the more south we got, so our spirits were high. Tolls on the Chesapeake Expressway are still $6 even on a week night off-season, by the way. Finally, we hit KDH/KH/NH and could smell the salty air. Everything was closed except 7-11 (it was about 10:30 - 11:00 pm that we rolled through). We then crossed the Bonner Bridge (that Jake wanted to note is eerily creepy at night), and hit Hatteras Island. The manufactured bridge in Rodanthe was definitely not what I expected – it’s hardly long at all and is composed of a lot of little squares. The inlet is still pretty big though, considering there shouldn’t be any inlet at all. Everything was pitch black and we didn’t pass but maybe three vehicles the entire time, and that was only on the stretch past Bodie before the bridge. We were surprised by how dark it was. Certainly the off-season (even it being a weeknight) couldn’t be that vacant, right?
When we got to the house in Frisco, we pulled the car up the garage ramp and went into the house to check it out… but the lights wouldn’t come on. We tried to turn on everything in the house… and nothing. I quickly called the realty office night-time maintenance and they told us that the island had an hour long scheduled power outage at midnight to do some work. It was approximately 12:35am. How ironic! It would have been nice to know that the one random hour we check into a beach house in the middle of a night in the off-season is having a power outage, lol. We began to unload with flashlights and then the power quickly came back on. The air was warm even though it was a bit windy and we couldn’t help ourselves. We decided to take a walk and ended up on a dock on the sound. It was really nice and surprisingly comfortable for January so we stayed out for a while. I slept well that night.
Friday
I woke up early and read some Twilight and watched The Nanny while Jake slept in. When he got up, he made us coffee and eggs – I love having breakfast made for me lol. Friday day was definitely colder than it had been earlier when we were walking around the sound in the early am. We went to the lighthouse for pictures and I could finally take pictures without any people in them! Then we went over to the beach at the lighthouse and took a walk. I wore flip flops and stepped in the ocean so I could feel it… it was freezing lol. Then we drove down to Avon to check out the house my family and I booked for our summer vacation. We swung by Conner’s to pick up a few groceries (and I got my Conner’s buy one-get one free reusable shopping bag) for the evening then went back to the house to watch a movie and play some cards. By the time evening rolled around, we had been calling all afternoon to local restaurants to see what was open in the off-season. More are than you think but what I wasn’t prepared for was that many of the places usually open were closed this particular winter because of Irene. We decided to try Pop’s Raw Bar & Grille down the road and were extremely pleased. The atmosphere was neat – just a little local bar, and everyone was super friendly when we walked in. I ordered steamed shrimp and I am not kidding when I say it was the most delicious steamed shrimp I have ever had… I mean it was just seasoned perfectly. We then went home and I tricked Jake into watching Twilight.
Saturday
Saturday morning was a little warmer than Friday but not warmer than Thursday. We went to an overlook in Frisco that we really like to see the sound and the ocean but it was still pretty chilly. We spent most of the day watching movies and sitting on the screened in porch. I also tricked him into watching New Moon, lol. For dinner, we went to Avon to try Oceana’s Bistro. Since it was our last night, we thought we’d go crazy and so we got some steamed clams for an appetizer that were done deliciously. I then got steamed shrimp again which were jumbo so I didn’t enjoy them quite as much. The restaurant was nice but I probably wouldn’t go back when there was a great place like Pop’s open. We tried not to dwell on the fact that we had to drive home the next day so we just had a few drinks and enjoyed the evening.
Sunday
Sunday was rough. When I woke up, I couldn’t make myself even think about what I knew we had to do in just a few short hours. Despite it being winter, and the coldest/windiest day yet (wind gusts up to 31mph!!), it was harder to leave than usual. We were just having so much fun… it was quiet, relaxing, peaceful, and beautiful. Who wants to leave that? Later, Jake got up feeling the same way. The worst part was that I had checked the weather and it was supposed to be in the mid 50′s Monday and hardly windy at all, and just after we’re gone! I showed Jake the weather and he said, “Too bad you have to work because I’m sure my aunt wouldn’t mind us staying a little longer at the house.” And suddenly my schemy little mind kicked into high gear. Before I knew it… I was texting my manager and asking her if it would be possible that I stay one night longer. Her response was “Of course… have a great time and I’ll see you Tuesday.” (I love Janie!!) Jake was in the kitchen drinking coffee and starting to gather a few of the food items up when I told him we needed to talk. I stated the proposition and both of us tried to remain rational until we checked with his aunt. He texted her and I sat on the sofa, waiting impatiently. She quickly and gladly cleared the evening for us and suddenly, we didn’t have to leave that beautiful place! We couldn’t believe it. We even did little dances everywhere we walked and deemed the evening, “Unexpected Night.” It was so refreshing to have thought you were leaving the whole time… and then find out later you didn’t have to. I called my mom to tell her the news and she mentioned that she had a sneaking suspicion that I may call to tell her I was staying an extra night. I guess anyone would expect it of me, lol. We took a walk to the sound afterwards (it was so freaking cold with the wind that we had to bundle up in the warmest winter gear) but couldn’t stay out long. We went to Conner’s to get some more water and soda for the evening and were both completely, fully relaxed. For dinner, we went to Cafe 12 in Avon. I got a cold wrap that I didn’t like (I had mistaken it for one of their flats cooked on a press that I would have liked), but I also got some seafood bisque that was incredible! We’d definitely go there again as well. We had a great evening and were pretty much up until 5am.
Monday
Waking up knowing you are still at the Outer Banks instead of having to go to work was a great feeling but of course it was hard to leave. We packed up (but took our time), and then left the house and went to the beach at the lighthouse for a while. It definitely was warmer, as it said it would be, and we walked on the beach for about an hour and I took more pictures. Then, we knew it was time to say goodbye. The trip was rough because we were so tired, but we were very satisfied with our weekend and can’t wait to go back. I know I can barely stand it… and at anytime (weather permitting), we are planning another spontaneous weekend trip =).
Please, enjoy the pictures =).






























































































































