beachy things - and a quilt finished!

One week from tomorrow, I arrived on the island. Once week from tomorrow, I'll be leaving. This middle weekend is normally a time of reflection for me - one for reminiscing over the past days and relishing the fact that I have seven more remaining. We're beyond blessed to get to spend two full weeks here, and I try hard not to take it for granted.

I've managed to snap a few photos to share, and a video as well. Photos can hardly convey the beauty of this place, nor the peaceful, laid-back atmosphere surrounding every aspect of life. I'm quite serious when I say I want to retire here!

To start, here is a snapshot of the front of the house we rent.

It's our sixth year in this house, and we were the first to rent it way-back-when. We go with the same set of friends - three families - with a few others rotating through with us. It's so familiar to us now that we hardly have to plan anything. It's truly become a home away from home. By the way - those are my two boys in the front. :)

Here's the view from the top floor in the back:

This is where I typically go out in the mornings with my coffee and a good book. I'll spend a few minutes out here before starting my day, which includes a one-hour run every other day. I normally hate (hate, hate) running first thing in the morning, but the sun beats down unmercifully here, so I'd rather suck it up and run, then take a nap later.

Because the island is so isolated and, well, thin, there are only a handful of things to do here. We spend most of the days on the beach, then in the pool. One of our favorite things to do is take the Jeep to the beach. Hatteras is one of the few places where vehicles are still allowed in the sand.

There are areas where vehicles (and people) are not allowed due to some bird nestings...not the most popular thing with the locals...but this year the restrictions were very minimal. For the first time since I started coming down here, we made it to the end of the island.

The water above is Hatteras Inlet. The island just beyond it is Ocracoke. It is only accessible by ferry.

Here's a short video of one of our rides...