Every 5 years Tom and I take a vacation from the kids. It generally coincides with our Anniversary and this year we celebrated 15 years. So we took off to the beach where we originally honeymooned. We rented a condo right on the shore and settled in for a week of exploration and relaxation. I'm the beach person. Tom's the explorer. We work it out.
A few highlights from the week.
This view from the deck of our condo. Just so quiet and peaceful and ocean Right There!!
Bear Island is one of the most beautiful beaches I know. It is absolutely pristine with gently sloping beaches. Great shelling (especially for sand dollars) and very quiet. You have to take a ferry over to the island, but it's absolutely worth it. We packed our towels, books and simple lunch and just walked and walked. We swam in the ocean, shelled in the tidal pools since it was low tide and found several turtle nesting sites.
Speaking of turtle nesting sites we were in Emerald Isle in prime turtle time. Some of the early nests were just beginning to hatch and a few nests were just being laid. There is an extensive volunteer network that combs the beaches every morning looking for signs of nests. We didn't see any hatchings but came across numerous nesting sites. We went to a program at the local aquarium where we got to meet and pet 2 young turtles (about a year old) and then see behind the scenes of the turtle rescue area. We finished by driving out to one of the remote nesting sites with aquarium staff.
Long morning and evening walks on the beach together. We talked. We were quiet. We saw the gorgeous full moon rising over the ocean. We saw sand pipers playing in the surf.
Playing in the ocean. I admit it. I'm an absolute water baby. The one day I didn't get my feet in the ocean was rough. We did some great body surfing and even got a master class from a hippy surfer and spent an hour body surfing the big waves out on the sand bar right outside of the condo.
Seashells. I don't know what I'm going to do with them, but I love to collect them. And photograph them.
And finally, there was the boat day. On our anniversary we spent the day on a catamaran sailing out to the nearest lighthouse. It was as absolutely perfect day. The waters were super calm and the ride was amazingly relaxing. We walked in crystal clear waters and found some awesome shells. We visited
the lighthouse and although we didn't get to climb it we wandered across the beach and swam in some of the bluest Atlantic waters I've ever seen.
The best part of the week was simply being there with my love. After 15 years it's so important to take time to reconnect. To talk. To laugh. To explore new places. To play and giggle. I can't wait another 5 years for our next adventure.
