What I Learned From a Week at the OBX, Part III

10. Chelsea is a good dog. One day, we were playing in the water, when I saw a black dog quickly walking off when a plastic baggy from our site. It had a mostly eaten sandwich in it. I retried the bag from this friendly dog, and that is how we met Chelsea. We came to learn that she’s a “local” who likes to play at the beach and befriend the tourists. You would have thought she was ours – playing in the surf with the kids and trying to make herself at home in one of our beach chairs. So, if you find a black dog with red collar who seems friendly enough, then check the tag – it might be sweet Chelsea.

11. The BEST corn I ever had in my LIFE came from a roadside stand across from the Cotton Gin on 158. We all gobbled it up. I really wanted to stop and take some home, but we didn’t have enough time. I plan to buy enough to eat it every day on our next trip!

12. Cameras steam up. As hot and humid as Cincinnati gets, I’ve never encountered this problem. But I ran into this issue constantly and missed several shots because of it. C’est la vie. Stupid me, though, tried to wipe it off one time and scratched something inside the camera that will require some work by Canon. I just hope it doesn’t cost too much to fix…..lesson learned for sure!

13. A distant thunderstorm from the comfort of your hot tub is awesome. ‘Nuff said.

14. Lastly, since I am a wedding photographer, I am now desperate to photograph a fabulous beach wedding in the OBX. Something at The Whalehead Club would be truly spectacular, I’m sure. Even something simple on the beach. Hopefully, I can book something in the next year and plan vacation around it. I’m glad I have already dealt with the lens steaming up, sand scratching something, the lighting conditions, etc. If you are planning your wedding at the OBX for next summer, then please consider contacting Gardner Photography & Design! We’ll certainly give you a great deal.

What I Learned From a Week at the OBX, Part II

5. Speaking of the Hobie Cat – they are SO much fun. We spent the entire time being wet, but the water is warm and not nearly as salty as the Atlantic Ocean. I really don’t like getting saltwater in my mouth – waaaaay too salty for me. But since the Atlantic can’t “feed” the Currituck anymore, it’s become less salty.

6. Wild mustangs are cool – no matter how many times you see them! We were lucky enough to see the horses every day, except the morning we left. It was pretty early when we packed up and said goodbye to II If By Sea. No horses to see us off. We were lucky enough to see a dolphin or two cruising for an early breakfast. And there were these crazy, little tree frogs stuck to the house. But no horses. I was excited every time I saw them and regretted when I didn’t have my camera. It was amazing the one time they grazed in our yard, just a few feet from us.

7. Dolphins are also cool – no matter how many times you see them! Andy got the closest for sure. He was out on the boogie board and thought he’d swim out a little father than usual. I was watching and noticed the school of fish jumping out of the water on the next wave. And then the familiar fins! Andy was right in the middle of their lunch. He said it freaked him out, all the fish under and around him. And he’s pretty sure he kicked a dolphin in his haste to escape! We just observed them from the water, as close as we could get. They did get very close to shore a few times – and it was magical being so near a wild dolphin.

8. The water in the Carova area was nasty – at our house, at least. Andy said it was well water and had sulphur in it. It smelled SO BAD. If we didn’t leave the lid down on the toilet, then the bathroom smelled. I wrongfully accused Andy of stinking it up several times! It nearly made me gag when I brushed my teeth, and we certainly never drank it. I was NOT prepared for the stinky water at all!

9. Good shells (like good men) are hard to find. I am used to this – having always vacationed on the Atlantic (growing up in GA and NC). We found plenty of broken shells and “junk” shells like mollusks – but nothing really worth keeping. I guess that’s what souvenir shops are for!

What I Learned From a Week at the OBX, Part I

1. The BEST breakfast was at Uncle Ike’s in Corolla. The pancakes were truly fantastic – and after two horrible meals, a welcomed meal. Taylor and I split an omelet, and Andy had French toast – all very good! Nothing beats those pancakes, though! We shall start every vacation there.

2. Driving on sand can be scary. I didn’t try it – it was stressful enough being a passenger! I was very concerned the first time we did it – for some reason, it reminded me of our Road to Hana trip in Maui. The back part is known as the “Divorce Highway” (at least, that’s what a local told us!). I understood why after we made the trip. I wouldn’t call the drive on the sand the “Divorce Beach” or anything! But it does try the nerves when hubby is experimenting with what his truck can do!

3. The beach is windy. Whoa, was it just the week we want or always like that? We went the last week of July, and I plan to research this a little more. Don’t get me wrong – the breeze was VERY nice. Without it, our long days on the beach would have been far less enjoyable. But I had sand in my hair, ears, nose, teeth…..just a fine coat of it on my face, which I didn’t much like.

4. The Currituck Sound is warm and shallow – well, parts of it. We rented a Hobie Cat and went sailing the last Friday of our trip. That was a BLAST! We took the pram with us, too, and both girls went sailing on their own. I tried to captain the Hobie Cat and didn’t get us into any trouble. I usually just crew and pull the rope to move the front sail back and forth (CLEARLY, I don’t know all the lingo). Anyway, we took a little swim break and soon discovered we could stand on the bottom! This is something else I’ll have to look into – how deep is the sound?