Topsail Vacation

This is the view from our beach house. Sarah, Marc, Nate and Anna are with us as we relax in the sun. Despite liberal applications of sunscreen we are all becoming quite tanned in the intense heat. The waves intimidated Emma and Nate for a few days but have calmed down as the week has progressed.

Sarah's sharp eyes spotted dolphins from the first morning. The children do not allow for extended sleep-ins, but sunrise over the ocean more than compensates for their early habits. Donuts and "Moose Munch" coffee provided by Marc also help!

Shrimp boats regularly chug by towing nets relatively close to shore; yesterday Emma and I decided to paddle our kayak out for a closer inspection. We found a trail of seagulls and several dolphins, attracted to the fish that got through the nets. Apparently our trek off to the horizon alarmed a few mothers on-shore but we had it all under control!

Meg and Emma are expert at finding shark's teeth, following in the traditions of Isabel and Mary Alice. Nate and Harrison have been been busy collecting shells and Anna seems to enjoy the taste of sand.

Low tide reveals the best shells and sometimes leaves tidepools that become as warm as a bath and keep various cousins happy for hours.

A turtles nest hatched one evening about 9 houses down the beach. The officials watched in vain until about 10pm, I awoke at 2:30am and I think I was the first to see all the scrabbled tracks - unfortunately the crafty little chaps launched themselves into the ocean when no-one was looking. Yesterday the nest was dug out to count the shells - over 80 hatched while about 10 eggs were non-starters.

A dramatic storm rolled in last night. Marc and I decided that one lightning bolt had our name written on it so we contented ourselves with watching the drama from inside.

The children enjoyed cocktails at five ... which became quite a merry affair.

A few photos to finish out the story of this awesome vacation ...