It's Friday, Alas

6:05

It's our last day on the beach and, surprisingly, it will be cooler than yesterday, in the mid-70s.  In fact, I just finished walking the beach and was glad I had on my fleece because of the strong breeze.  It is a beautiful morning, with a cloudless sky, the sun hanging off to the north, like a big orange fruit. A funny thing happened when I was out walking the beach at sunrise.  I take a couple of chairs down when I go and sit enjoy the morning sunrise after my walk.  Well, on my way back, I saw this woman next to our chairs, doing something and thought she was going to sit on them.  When I got to the chairs, a printed note attached to the chairs alerted me to the danger of leaving chairs on the beach overnight and that it was against the rules of the beach. I then left for coffee at Surf City and doughnuts at Fractured Prunes, returning home at about 8:15.  I looked out at the beach and our chairs had been moved back closer to our house, obviously by this officious beach guard of a woman. I had to laugh as I bit into a nice cinnamon and glazed doughnut, still warm from the shop.  It's 8:50, the blog is written, Drew's out for a walk and the gals are still sleeping, unaware of the doughnuts waiting for them. 

Hand-Dipped

Yesterday, Thursday was the perfect beach day, with temperatures in the high 70's with little wind.  We took advantage of it getting down to the beach by 10:30 and not leaving until 4:30,  The day, however, began as usual, with me up early, photographing the sunrise, writing the blog, and driving to Surf City for coffee and to watch the surfers.  Drew was the only one up when I returned so we waited for the gals so that the blog could be done.

Mister Tom

What A Beach

Evie and I were the first on the beach and we went for a nice walk.  It was surprisingly warm before noon because there was little if any breeze.  I had enough after forty-five minutes and went swimming and boogie boarding although the waves were crappy. By 12:30, Drew, Jill, and Hayden were on the beach while the girls were still virtual learning, so to speak. By 1:00, I had enough sun so I came in, made a salami sandwich, read, and took a nap before rejoining the group, all six around 2:00.

A Happy Miss Evie

Body Surfing, Sort Of

We spent the rest of the afternoon, sunbathing, going for walks, reading, people watching, drinking beer, and swimming or boogie boarding. What else do you do at the beach? By 4:30, we have enough and came up and showered.  Jill and Drew drove off to the fish market to pick up our dinner, tuna for a poke appetizer, and scallops for a risotto. 

Kitchen Help?

While Evie began the risotto, Jill sliced the tuna and I made a sauce of wasabi and soy for dipping.  It was the first time in a while that we had sashimi, raw tuna with soy and wasabi, reminding both of us of our days in Honolulu when we could get to a Korean Bar for Happy Hour and sashimi was a free appetizer.  No more!

Family Fun 

It took close to forty-five minutes to make the risotto, with sauteed scallops and spinach but it was worth it.  Fortunately, the girls were happy with leftovers from last night, so we had the risotto and scallops to ourselves.  After dinner, it was so pleasant that we went out for a walk with the dogs until dark and ending the evening with a rousting Telefunky game, with Jill and Drew the winners.  By the way, I have to mention how nice it has been to spend a week without television, with little news as well. 

A Poor Winner

Winding Down

 

6:06

6:23

It's 6:30 and I took a brief walk on the beach, the sun hidden by a cloud bank until now.  So I only took a couple of morning photos.  It's starting to warm up here, 61º already, with a high later in the day of 79º, still not as warm as Chautauqua. It's now 9:00 and I have been out for coffee, watched a bunch of guys surf at Surt City beach and both Drew and I are waiting for our wives to wake up. Waiting.

Catching A Wave

Morning At Surf City Beach

Yesterday was typical for our days here at Topsail, with little change. I had my coffee, drove to Surf City, bought another cup, and watched the surfers.  I was home by 8:30, wrote the blog and waited for the group to get up.  Eventually, the blog was posted, Evie and Jill were up and the girls had taken off to get either smoothies or coffee at Surf City, a daily ritual for them.  Drew had numerous business calls but the adults all were on the beach by 11:00.  And we stayed there much of the day with breaks.  I did some body surfing before lunch, making sure I was in the water at least once a day.  For lunch, I had a leftover burger and then took a nap.

I rejoined the sunbathers although the girls seem to spend as much time in their room as on the beach although the mornings are taken up with virtual classes.  We went for a couple of walks when we got bored with reading or trying to snooze.  Drew and Hayden had fun boogie boarding and it was great to see her finally enjoying the ocean. I finally finished my book, Thin Air and started another Louise Penny.

Hayden

Drew

By 5:00, we were off the beach, chairs stored on the deck and everyone was showering and getting semi dolled up since we were going out to dinner at Daddy Mac's Beach Grille in Surf City.  It's a popular place and we found out how popular when we had to wait close to an hour for our table.  Fortunately, we sat on the beach landing with drinks so the wait was not too onerous.  

Jill's Family

Waiting At Daddy Mac's Beach Grille

We got a table outside on their covered patio, with a view of the ocean,  We had calamari and a baked crab and cheese appetizer.  Everyone ordered something different although most ordered some kind of seafood.  Evie ordered shrimp and grits and I had shrimp and crab over linguini, both good.  Even though we took home doggie bags, we stopped for ice cream and somehow found room for a cone or cup. Because we did not get home until 9:00, Telefunky was limited to four hands with Halle and Mac winning, to end the night.  Doing little but sit in the sun is tiring so we all went to bed at 10:00.  

Another Day Of Sun And Surf

Dusk Selfie

It's 6:40  and I have been up since 6:10, walked the beach, photographed the sunrise, and am now enjoying a cup of coffee.  Drew is up as well, with a work call scheduled for 7:00.  Well, I am back from getting coffee in Surf City Jill, Evie and Hayden are still sleeping at 8:40.  I sat out on the deck overlooking the Surf City Pier where all the surfers gather.  The waves were only two to three feet but it looked like fun and ten guys were out, one even on a paddleboard. I ran into the guy from Dayton at the deck, so he must be a regular. Today's high of 76 pales next to Chautauqua's 79º.

Surf City Beach And Pier

Beach Walk

Yesterday, predictably, was like the day before, probably the day after tomorrow.  Things don't change much when you at the beach for a holiday week. At least for me, there's little change, up early to photograph the sunrise, write the blog, have breakfast, and wait for the girlies to wake.  Yesterday, however, I added a bit of spice to my routine and drove five miles into the city, that's Surf City and bought a coffee at Surf City Coffee, I also drove around what goes for downtown since I have never really driven around it before.  There's not much to see, other than houses, condos, along the sand dunes, with surf shops, restaurants, and commercial buildings on the other side.  There's not much charm to be honest, as only the beach sparkles and draws the crowds.  

Pals

Mom And Daughter

Finished With Class

When I returned to our house, the girls were on their computers for a virtual class.  About 9:30, Evie came down and Jill woke up as well so we started to get moving.  Evie has been fighting a cold so when the rest of us went down to the beach, she stayed up and relaxed in bed for an hour, joining us around 11:30. The waves were good so I went out with my boogie board and got some bitchin rides and was knocked down by one wave and ended up turning a somersault underwater, shades of surfing.  On my last ride, my board broke from the waves so that was it for the day. Our neighbor, however, witnessed my ride and brought out a couple of boogie boards for me to use since mine was broken, a good guy.

The Boogie Board That Was

Before going up for lunch, Evie and I went for a walk for a half-hour, watching the visitors look for shark's teeth.  I had the leftover red snapper for lunch with rice, still tasty, then took my usual nap, falling asleep while reading my book, Thin Air, by Ann Cleeves.  I joined Evie and the gang around 2:30.  Drew and Jill decided to go to a microbrew at 3:00 but we decided to stay and enjoy the sun and water with the girls.  They like to take the dogs for a walk for their exercise and they were through with their classes.

Bikini Gals Out Dog Walking

We came up to get out of the sun around 4:30 and took showers, waiting for our happy hour.  Jill and Drew came back around 5:00 and we went down to the beach for forty-five minutes, fighting the late afternoon wind.  By 6:30, we had enough and came up and Evie, Hayden, and Jill started dinner.  Evie grilled burgers and hot dogs, Hayden made scalloped potatoes, and Jill a salad.  Everyone was hungry so dinner was perfect. I think it was good to be back to normal dinner food, burgers and dogs.  The gang of six played a rousing game of Telefunky until 9:45, with Jill and Drew the poor winners, lots of gloating!   

The Guys

A Day At The Beach

Sunrise Photos

9:27

It's 6:50 and I have been down on the beach, taking photos of the sunrise, walking some but now I am in the living room, writing the blog, and only Drew is up.  The girls should be up shortly as they have a virtual class at 7:30. At 7:40, I took off to Surf City, to explore and stop at Surf City Coffee and finish up the blog.  It's a neat place, the only coffee shop that I could find, busy with mostly locals, tanned and white-haired like me.  It does not have wifi so I am online using my phone as a hot spot.  Not much is open at this hour obviously so it's a quiet morning at Surf City.  

Surf City Coffee

I ended up talking with a guy from Dayton, who spends a couple of months here building decks, then going home to Dayton to build homes.  When I returned home, the girls were up, sitting on the beds, in virtual school while Jill and Evie slept and Drew went out for a walk.  I just started listening to Buffalo's NPR and the irony that it will probably be warmer today at the lake than here at Topsail is not lost on me.  

Beach Bums

Chi Omega Girl

Yesterday began with clouds and we were worried it would be cloudy all day but it soon cleared up and we had a partly cloudy day which we liked, not too hot nor cold.  As usual, the gals did not get up and down to the beach until late morning and by that time, I had taken a couple of walks, wrote the blog, and had breakfast on the front porch with Drew.  Evie and Jill were up by 9:00 but the girls slept in till late morning.  After breakfast, cleaning the kitchen, and deciding on dinner, we went down to the beach.  It was pleasant, a light wind, a partly cloudy sky, perfect for reading, taking a walk, and sunbathing. 

Cleaning Red Snapper Filets

The beach was not as crowded as Sunday but there were still lots of vacationers like us out enjoying the day on the beach. By 12:30, I had enough and went up, had some leftover chicken tetrazzini for lunch, then decided to read some and nap.  After my nap, Drew and I were tasked with driving to Surf City and picking up dinner, three pounds of red snapper, some rice, and salad.  We stopped at a couple of surf shops and browsed and I picked up a pair of swim trunks, just what I don't need but liked.  One of the tee-shirt shops had what looked like a storage room converted into a bar so we had to have a beer with two other locals in perhaps the shabbiest looking place called a bar. We then stopped at the fish market watched the guy clean our red snapper and were home by 3:30.  The gals were still on the beach so we joined them and I attempted some surfing with a boogie board with little success.  

Nap Time

Napping On The Beach

We came up around 4:30 to prep some of our dinner, relaxed, and then about 6:00, we went back down to the beach to enjoy our beers or wine as the beach emptied and quieted.  It's always great to enjoy a sundowner, as the South Africans call our happy hour, on the beach.  

Kitchen Girls

Around 7;00, Jill and Evie got busy sauteing the snapper, making curry sauce for it to cook in for 15 minutes.  We served it over rice and we were happy, the sauce nice and spicy, the fish tender.  After dinner, six of us played another rousing game of Telefunky while I watched and kibbutz.  We were surprisingly tired by 9:30 so most of us went to bed, the girls I'm not sure.

Virtual Learning At 7:30

Beach Life Is Good

Surfing Dude

Jill, Drew, And The Gang

Dawn Photos

6:27

8:48

It's 7:00 and I have been up for an hour, walked the beach for 15 minutes as the sun rose above the clouds. Right now, only Drew and I are up, Drew on a business call, me just sitting here listening to the waves break, writing the blog, enjoying my first cup of coffee.  It looks like another crappy day at the beach, with lots of sunshine and highs in the '70s and the weekend crowds gone. I will take it.  It's 9:00 and I have walked the beach, taken photos of the sunrise, had breakfast and the ladies are still not up.  Drew and I spend our morning waiting, waiting, waiting. 

The Old Man And The Sea

Sunday was a good day, with lots of locals enjoying the beach along with us vacationers.  I was up early along with quite a few others unlike this morning when I felt as if I was the only person on the beach. We rose from our beds in phases, Drew and I, then Jill and Evie, then Halle and Mac, and finally Hayden around 11:30, a typical coed.  After breakfast and setting up our chairs and beach tarp, Jill and I decided to get our shopping over with and drove to Food Lion to pick up a few things, then stopped at the fish market for our dinner, shrimp and mussels.  

Walking The Dogs

The Girls

We were back by 11:00 and joined Drew and Evie on the beach.  It was pleasant until 1:00 when the wind picked up and it became cool enough to need a fleece or turn your back to the wind.  We stayed this way until 5:00 when once again, the wind died and we were able to enjoy cocktails.  Anyways, most of us braved the afternoon, despite the wind.  I was first to go swimming and got a couple of good waves while body surfing. And every hour or so, we would go for a short walk, getting some exercise.  I went up for lunch with the girls around 1:00, a turkey sandwich, and then took a much-needed nap because I was up at 5:30.  I went back down to the beach at 2:30 and joined Evie and Jill because the girls talked Drew into taking them to a couple of surf shops, satisfying their need to shop.

The Bissell Girls

Lounge Baby

Everyone came up around 3:30 for a break, to refresh and prep some of the dinners.  I cleaned the mussels so they were ready for an appetizer.  We went back down to enjoy the late afternoon around 5:30, with beers or wine and it was pleasant just sitting on the beach, people watching.  By 6:30, I had a pot of mussels in wine and garlic ready and we sat around the table with a baguette, enjoying the mussels.  Meanwhile, Jill was putting together our dinner, a dish similar to the mussels but with shrimp and anchovies, wine, and garlic.  The sauce was to die for and we devoured a couple of baguettes, dipping them in the sauce, enjoying it more than the shrimp.  

Dusk

We had an easy dessert, Nutty Buddies, then sat around laughing as Evie pulled up videos of our granddaughters from their summers spent at the lake. They were hilariously cute, dancing, chasing balloons, playing in the yard.  I have never seen Evie and the girls laugh so hard as they watched the videos. They were fun.  The night ended with a quick game of Telefunky and Drew and I enjoyed a heel tap of Knobs Hill bourbon on the deck.  Evie and I were in bed by 10:15 and have no idea when the girls went to bed.  We will be able to tell by how late they get up.