At the Outer Banks with the family - part 1

On Sunday night (yesterday) we arrived at the beach house in Corolla. Unfortunately, this is not turning out to be the sunny, summer vacation we were hoping for. It's cold - highs in the upper 50s today - and very windy, but it'll get a bit warmer as the week progresses. No matter. We're having fun anyway!

The name of the beach house we're renting: Wave Watcher.


And there are certainly some waves worth watching.


Here's Ray on our boardwalk to the beach with the house in the background.

It's hard to tell in the pic, but this place is 3 stories tall, as are most homes here. It sleeps 14 people & has 3 living room areas. I think there are 10 TVs in this place. It also has a pool and a hot tub. It's totally insane ... as are we. Clearly.


What with the rain and all, we chose to stay indoors for most of our first 24 hours here. We played "Pretty Pretty Princess", which David won soundly (Can you see his earrings and necklace?), but he graciously let Sammy wear his crown.

We went to the aquarium. The otters were adorable, as one would expect from otters. I was also happy to see the giant puffer fish! Yay!

And we visited The Lost Colony, but I only managed to take photos of the ampitheater where they put on the big Lost Colony play every summer. This is the view of the stage from the stage manager's booth. Snazzy!


Just after dinner, a few of us decided to take a stroll along the beach.

Smile, Mom! You're at the beach!


Mom and Cassie search for interesting seashells ...


... while David and Sammy (and Ray) chase the waves.

At some point, somebody has got to get wet first. The four-year-old volunteered herself (and her mom) for the job.


Mom described the outing as "invigorating". I think that sums it up perfectly.