Last Day In Topsail Beach

6:15

6:20

Early Friday Morning Moon

An early morning, again, awake at 5:00, got up at 5:40 and was on the beach by 5:45, a solitary figure as the tide rolled out.  I admit to missing the sun rise out my front door at Lake Chautauqua.  Here I have to wait a bit, as we are facing south, thus the sun rises behind the homes to our left or north.  It finally peaked around the homes at 6:15, way to our left, so I was able to run down to the beach and get a good picture  or two of this large globe, rising over the ocean.  And I also noticed the moon up over the ocean, a crescent shape, visible early morning.  It's 7:15 and Drew and I have been talking about the difficulties soldiers have adjusting to life in the civilian world. I had just read an article about the high suicide rate among Iraqi and Vietnam vets and we wondered if it was the same for WW II Vets.

Shark Toothing It

Shelling

Morning Groupies 

Yesterday, we all were on the beach early morning, despite the overcast skies.  Everyone was out and about by 9:30, at low tide, looking for shark's teeth, the new obsession for our family.  I guess it depends upon which vacation beach you stay; I remember everyone on Sanibel walking the beach looking for sand dollars and certain kinds of shells.  I think it gives people something to do as well, rather than just laying on the beach.  The girls were getting pretty good at finding shark  teeth, the boys as well, but Beth is the master, and has accumulated quite a stash.  We did not swim much, the girls preferring to  go to the pool with Drew, the rest of us sunbathing, occasionally jumping in the ocean until I young girl about thirty yards down the beach  came down to tell us she was out kayaking and saw a shark. That kind of puts a damper on your desire to swim, so most of the people in our area stayed out of the water for a couple of hours.  Whether we should be alarmed or not, it does not making going in the water great fun.

Me At My Best

We spent a good part of the morning and afternoon like this, sunbathing, going into the house for some food or drink, perhaps relaxing for a half hour, checking email, then back to the beach with drinks, this time Bloody Mary's for Tom and Jill, beers for the rest.  We took walks, watched people surfing the shore, even surfers out in the water, seemingly unworried about sharks.  It was a warm day, high around 94º but because of the breeze, it was pleasant on the beach.

Around 3:15, Drew took the girls and guys to the Turtle Rehabilitation Center, in Surf City,where they rescue turtles that are harmed by boats and other hazards, and take care of them until they are ready to be returned to the ocean.  I guess the turtles are a big deal around here, coming in to lay their eggs but we have not seen any yet.  They had a brief tour of the Sanctuary, a lecture, and were out in a half an hour, ready for dinner.

Granny and Two Of Her Favorite Grandsons

Happy Sisters In Law

The Kansas City Couple And Their Girl

We then met them around 5:00 at Sears Landing Restaurant and Grill, in Surf City, set on the inland water way. We were lucky to get seats out on the deck, over looking the water, but protected from the sun.  The menu was really interesting so everyone got things they wanted, like crab cakes, tuna steaks, grilled scallops and flounder, as well as an order of chicken wings and fries for Nick.  It was a good choice and we would certainly go back, especially Evie and I who really liked their bar.  We then went to get ice cream at Island Delight, a famous ice cream parlor, so we all were almost sick by the time we got home but what's a vacation for but to overeat, right.

Kite Flying At Dusk

Dusk At Topsail Beach

We were home by 7:30, and no one knew what to do with themselves the rest of the night. We hung out, Evie played cards with the kids, and Drew and girls went out, with Mitch and I, and flew a kite around 8:00, just before the sunset.  It took awhile but Drew soon got the knack, the kite flew beautifully, the girls watched for five minutes and went back in.  So much for kite flying.  At 9:00, all the kids settled on couches, with bowls of popcorn and drinks, ready to watch another episode from shark week.  No wonder they don't want to go swimming in the ocean.  At 10:00, everyone went up to bed except for Mitch, who was staying up, taking videos of the sky with his Go Pro.