Lazy Summer Day

Photo by: OBXShooter

Vacation Day: 4

Monday, September 29, 2008

I awoke bright & early Monday morning. The sun was rising over the ocean and streaming through the bedroom windows. I had fallen asleep the night before to the sound of the surf booming on the beach. Not the gentle whish & whoosh of waves, but great crashing explosions. The noise had awakened me a few times and I briefly considered closing the windows to lessen the resonance of the breakers, but then thought ..... "Are you insane? This is what you're paying the big bucks for!" The windows remained open.

Still in my jammies & barefoot, I padded into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee and checked the Weather Channel. Ahhhh .... warm & sunny, but the rough seas would continue. Perfect day to bum around the pool. Carrying my coffee to the deck, I surveyed what would be my little kingdom for the next 2 glorious weeks. Looking to the east, huge waves were breaking far out to sea. Turning, I watched the cars & trucks boarding the ferry. Oh, to begin every Monday like this!

Inhaling deeply, I could smell ..... well, actually I could smell deisel wafting eastward from the ferry landing. One small glitch in an otherwise incredible moment.

Harry soon joined me - he had plans for the day, and was eager to be off on his adventures. I wandered down to the pool area and dabbled my tootsies in the water. Holy cow! That was some really cold water! Gauging the location of the sun, I figured that by 11 o'clock, the sun would be beating down on the west side of the cottage, hopefully warming the pool.

Returning up the 4 flights of stairs (with a short rest between floors 2 & 3), I put my sleeping quarters to order, slipped on my swimsuit (thank God ..... it still fit from last year), grabbed my book and headed back to the pool with a quick detour to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

Chris & Katie were sitting at the kitchen bar, Katie drinking coffee, Chris eating leftover tacos - the breakfast of champions. I felt slightly guilty - had Grandma Elly been there, she'd be busy at the stove, cooking up some oatmeal for Chris. Well, he'd have to settle for tacos this year.

They kids decided they would hang out around the pool and practice rolling their kayaks.

Great!

Entertainment!

Rolling in a kayak must be much more difficult than it looks. Katie was the spotter as Chris tried and tried to upright himself. It's hard for a mom to watch her child underwater and then see a hand flailing above the surface, seeking help. I joined them in the water. Wow! My calculations had been incorrect in thinking the water would be warm(er) by now. It was ...... refreshing! And cold.

The kids went off for a bike ride and I basked in the sun next to the pool. It was wonderful feeling the sun beat down on me. I read for about an hour, then jumped in the shower and dressed for dinner.

Jeff & Carrie were expected to arrive later this evening, so Harry, Chris, Katie and I had decided to have dinner at the Breakwater. As I waited for my house mates to return from their various activities, I sat on the deck with a drinky-poo, watching the sunset over the sound. My favorite part of the day while on the Outer Banks, is that time when the sun is just beginning to slip behind the horizon .... soft music playing in the background, a gentle breeze caressing my slightly sunburned face - totally relaxing.

The neighborhood was bathed in pastel colors and the moon hung high in the sky. I swear, I could sit there for hours and never tire of the peace and calm that I felt.

Soon, the rest of the crew rolled in, joining me for a drink or two on the deck. Harry, Chris & Katie had run into one another at Hatteras Landing during happy hour at Dirty Dick's. Now, I'm not a big fan of Dirty Dick's (in more ways than one), but decided it might be worth checking out the happy hour during my stay. For $10, you got a pound of steamed, spiced shrimp and a basket of hush puppies. Quite the deal!

Off we headed to the Breakwater located at Oden's Dock. I had heard so many positive reviews of the place, I was very excited to dine there! By the time we arrived, the sun had totally disappeared, but the view from the dining area was still entrancing - the boats docked at the marina gently bobbed in the water as their captains hosed them down after a day of fishing.

For our appetizers, we ordered Blue Crab Ravioli and some type of shrimp. I wasn't thrilled with the shrimp - too spicey for me, but the ravioli - Oh, mama mia! The little pillows were stuffed with lumb crab meat & asiago cheese, smothered in a roasted shallot sherry cream with wild mushrooms. Incredible. I was in heaven.

Our entrées included Bleu Cheese Mussels (Harry), mussels and leeks sautéed, then simmered in a Roquefort Cream sauce and served with herbed crostini; Carolina Shrimp (Katie), native wild shrimp broiled in a white wine and butter sauce; Seafood Medley (Chris), shrimp, scallops, flounder and crabcake; and Scallops al Greco (me), sautéed sea scallops, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese in a white wine - oregano butter sauce, served over a bed of angel hair pasta. A memorable meal! I highly recommend the Breakwater to all of you gourmands reading this.