Remembering This Past Week In Photos

Topsail, July, 2026

I'm up way too early—5:30—but Drew beat me to it, up at 5:00 because he's driving to Richmond this morning to help his daughter Halle move into her new apartment. I'll wake Evie around 7:45, and after her shower, we'll be off at 9:00 to visit my sister Ellen, then head home to the lake.

On Saturday, I was the first one up, so I got some photos of the sunrise and finished the blog before we left for Bristow. We'd packed the car Friday night, so all we had to do was gather a few things—computer, phones, medicines—toss them in, and hit the road. We said our goodbyes and were on the road by 7:15.

Our Son Tom's Family

For the first hour and a half, we wound our way through North Carolina, switching from one backcountry road to another with no idea whether we were headed in the right direction. Finally we hit Interstate 95, and for a while it was smooth sailing. We stopped for breakfast at a crowded McDonald's and were out in 10 minutes—amazing.

Our Daughter Jill's Family

Within 15 minutes, though, both of our GPS's blinked: a 25-minute delay, traffic slowing, and yep, we ebbed and flowed, starting and stopping for a good 25 minutes. We resumed normal speed once we passed the car that had stalled in the middle lane.

Our Daughter Beth, Son Tyler, And Girl Friend Renee

And you cannot drive on a three-lane highway, packed bumper to bumper, without some dumbass weaving lanes back and forth, risking everyone's lives to gain a couple of minutes. Once we got through Richmond, we hit what I guess is a high-accident area, where the 70 mph speed limit dropped to 40 and we crawled stop-and-go until Fredericksburg, where we finally got off the highway. I've had it—never going on 95 again.

The Gen Zers

After exiting, we stopped at Chick-fil-A and decided to eat there rather than push on. It was crowded, but the service was great, so it was a much-needed break after five hours of insane driving conditions. The rest of the way home wound through hilly Virginia countryside, past horse farms and green meadows. Finally, six and a half hours after starting, we pulled into Jill's, exhausted and ready to relax.

Our Grandchildren

Jill and Drew arrived about 20 minutes after us, then Hayden and Halle another forty-five minutes after that. Everyone was wiped out—Evie and I rested.  Around 4:30, we were all in the living room to say goodbye to Hayden, heading home to her apartment in Alexandria. A half hour later, we said goodbye to Halle, off to Richmond to move into her new place. Then we sat around enjoying a glass of wine or two before deciding, at Jill's suggestion, to order Domino's for dinner along with their brownies. The pizza was good, the brownies better, and by 7:30 both Jill and Evie had gone up to bed, while Drew and I stayed up until 9:30 before turning in ourselves.

Great Grandson, Rhys

Great Grandson, Tommy

Below is one of 42 posts Trump published on Truth Social yesterday in a span of three and a half hours when he should have been doing business for the people, not glorifying himself. He's insane. 

Six Hours (we hope) to Bristow, VA

 

5:54

6:21

6:21

6:22

6:23

It's 6:15 and have been up for a half hour. I have already been down to the beach to take a couple of photos and am waiting until the sun rises. It's now 6:33, Evie, Drew and Natalia are up and I am almost finished with the blog. We should be on our way by 7:00, after we finish our coffee.

Fish Market

Jilly And Drewski

Sunning

Grant And The Harem

My Cool New T-shirt

We made the most of Friday despite missing Tom's family. Drew and I were the first ones up, of course. I walked out and took photos at 6:15, then again later when the sun rose. We sat in our Captain's chairs with coffee, talking about the day's news. Gradually Evie and Jill got up, and most of the rest of the crew was up by 10:00.

We decided on shrimp and oysters for dinner, along with whatever was leftover from the previous days. So Drew and I drove into Surf City, stopping first at Bert's Surf Shop because I wanted a t-shirt featuring our VW bus, which we drove through Europe for seven years. They had two left, and I bought the yellow one. From there we hit the fish market for a couple pounds of shrimp, three dozen oysters, and an oyster knife. Last stop was the local grocery for beer, ice, eggs, flavored seltzer for the girls, and coffee — all ordered up by the gals.

—

Hayden Jumping The Waves

Playing Football With Dad

Drew, Jill, And Hayden

Dancing To The Music 

We didn't get home until close to noon, and a couple of gals were already on the beach. I decided to hit the beach briefly and take a swim before coming up for lunch. It was a beautiful afternoon but hot, and the ocean was refreshing. By 1:00 I made myself a sandwich; everyone but Evie and me had had enough sun by then. Around 1:30 I tried to take a nap, but to no avail, so I came out and read some, joining Evie. I went for a final walk on the beach around 3:30 and took a lot of photos, then Evie and I settled into the best seats in the house — the two Captain's Chairs — overlooking the ocean, enjoying a beer and peanuts until the group came up to start packing.

Jill and I boiled some shrimp and put it in an ice bath so Evie could make our favorite Asian shrimp with mayo and lemon. Yum. The other half will be boiled and eaten with horseradish sauce.

The Last Wave

View From Our Porch

Kicking Back On The Porch

Marlena Eating Healthy

By 5:00, we were mostly packed and ready to have the kids help carry our various things down to the car. Once that's done, we'll be set for an early start in the morning. That's why I'm writing this at 5:00 on Friday afternoon.

The Happy Couple

Waiting For Dinner

Master Shucker

By 6:00, five of us oyster lovers were out on the porch waiting for Drew to open one oyster after another, taking turns as he dished them out with sauce and lemon. He managed to shuck three dozen in maybe 15 minutes as we devoured them. While he worked, the Slovenian sausages were simmering, and the Asian shrimp was ready whenever the boiled shrimp caught up.

We devoured the oysters, then the Slovenian sausage, Evie's Asian shrimp, and Jill's boiled shrimp with sauce. After dinner, we sat around the living room wondering what we'd forgotten to pack and what time we really wanted to leave tomorrow. Then Jill, Drew, Halle, and Hayden walked out and scattered the ashes of Daisy and Coco, their beloved dogs who passed away this past year, into the ocean.

By 8:00, we were all sitting in the living room watching Meet the Fockers. Yep, Meet the Fockers, although few made it to the end. Soon Grant and I tired of the film and sat out on the front porch talking and waiting for the moon to rise at 9:27.

8:32

Stary Stary Night

The Moon At 9:32

And Then There Were Nine

Rhys Loves His Poppa

6:08

6:22

6:22

Visitors Up To Watch The Sunrise

6:22

At the moment it's 7:14, and I've been up for an hour — taking photos of the sunrise, sitting on the front porch with Drew, and missing our great-grandsons, who are usually up at this hour. It was 73° when I woke, and it looks like another warm, sunny day at the beach. We just received a text from Tom saying Mary's Dad passed away last night after a prolonged illness. How sad. 

Mary And Her Dad

Yesterday was not the best of days. First, we knew Beth was leaving at 1:00, and Tyler decided he'd better not phone in sick on Friday, so he was leaving early afternoon too. Then, around 11:30, Mary got a phone call: her 86-year-old dad, who'd been recovering from an operation, had taken a bad turn, and she and Tom decided they needed to get home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there were no flights available Thursday, only Friday — one leaving at 5:40 in the morning and getting them into Kansas City that morning. Nick and Audraya decided to head home too, so the four of them, plus the two boys, left at 4:15 in the afternoon, planning to stay overnight in a hotel in Wilmington so they could easily catch the early flight. That pretty much shot the afternoon for them.

Tommy And Mom

Rhys And Mom

Tom And Mary On A Walk With Rhys

Keeping Up With Rhys

Rhys And His Parents

Aloha, Renee And Tyler

We did get to enjoy the morning, though. The boys were up early, and everyone else gradually rose by 10:00. Usually everyone's responsible for their own breakfast. Still, yesterday Tommy made scrambled eggs for the boys and anyone else who was hungry. By 10:00, Jill and Drew were back from the store, and some of the girls were heading out to a coffee shop. Tom and Mary were already on the beach with Rhys. When I looked out, Tommy was holding Rhys up above the breaking waves, and Rhys was loving it. I put on my suit and joined them as others slowly trickled out. I walked the beach for 25 minutes, then joined the gang and stayed out for an hour and a half — went swimming with Evie, then joined Rhys and Tom trying to catch some waves. Tom and Mary then took Rhys for a walk up the beach, and he ran and played the entire way, wearing them both out. What energy! By 11:30, Evie and I had both had enough sun and came up — only to find the sad news about Mary's dad.

Morning Clouds

Halle, Natalia, And Drew

Marlena And Rhys

Portrait of an Artist  as an Old Man

Mom And Daughter

We had lunch with Beth, Tyler, and Renee — Evie cooked some Slovenian sausages for them — and they left just after 1:00.

Natalia And Rhys

Digging Holes

A Warm Afternoon 

Entertaining Rhys

After that, some of us stayed up to help out, organizing and packing while Tom worked on changing their flight reservations. Nick took Rhys down for one last swim, and the girls entertained him by digging holes in the sand — he loved it, playing with his trucks in the water-filled holes. Audraya was left with most of the packing, so we pitched in by keeping Tommy entertained. We had him from 3:00 to 4:00 while Nick and Audraya finished organizing and packing, hoping they hadn't forgotten anything. Tom's Uber arrived at 4:10 for him and Mary; Nick and Audraya had rented a car for the four of them, so everyone left around the same time, planning to meet up at a hotel in Wilmington near the airport.

Mixologists Supreme

Hot Tub

Marlena And Halle

You Go, Grant!

Our Boy

It was depressingly quiet after they left. I took a brief nap, then joined the rest of the eight of us in drowning our sorrows — wine, then a margarita, with guacamole and chips. Around 5:30, the girls and Grant came in, refreshed their drinks, and jumped in the hot tub on an 87° afternoon. Go figure.

5:53

Dinner was easy — Slovenian sausages we'd brought from Azman's in Euclid, Ohio, along with potato and macaroni salad. Afterward, we sat around while Evie and I pulled up photos of the girls from the past ten years and had fun looking through them — must have spent close to an hour laughing. By 8:30, Evie was ready for bed, and the rest decided to watch Meet the Parents — the first time we'd had the TV on since we arrived. I stayed up for another half hour, then headed to bed around 9:30.

8:43