Do you ever feel like you just want to run away for a little while? Go somewhere with no responsibilities, no kids, no dogs, no politics, no stress?
This past weekend, that is exactly what the LOML (Love of My Life) and I did.
We hopped in our truck and drove about 2½ hours south east to Oak Island, North Carolina.
We rented a sweet little house named Salty C that was right across the street from the beach. We could hear the waves crashing from the porch and feel the salty breeze in our face. It was magical!!
Now you may be asking, “Who goes to the beach in the middle of November?”
WE DO!!!!!
We packed for cooler weather and it was supposed to rain the last day we were there so we weren’t anticipating laying on the beach and sun bathing or swimming in the ocean.
BUT….we could have! The weather was a shockingly beautiful, mid-70’s and sunny and there were lots of people in their bathing suits swimming in the ocean and enjoying the surf.
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect beach weekend!
We arrived Friday evening right before dinner so we chose a restaurant that had great ratings.
There was a little bit of a wait but we got to eat outside on picnic tables. The service was great and the food was delicious! I ordered the crab cakes (my favorite) and it came with squash and gouda potatoes. These potatoes were the best potatoes I’ve ever tasted. I could have eaten a whole other plate of them.
The LOML ordered the Beef Short Rib Special that came with the same two sides.
And of course, because we’re on vacation, we ordered the dessert. I had the triple layer chocolate cake. YUMMY!
The LOML ordered the key lime pie. By the time I got my phone out to take a picture, it was gone!!! He was not embarrassed one bit by the speed at which he gobbled that down!!
The next morning we headed to the beach for a long relaxing walk. Look how sunny it is out!! This is the house we stayed in. It was clean and sweet and just the right size for the two of us.
These are the dunes we had to walk over to get to the beach. We weren’t sure if they were a normal occurrence in Oak Island but they were pretty high.
The beaches were not crowded at all which made for a perfect walk. There were some fishermen that had their poles in the sand. And some sweet families with little kids chasing the waves. Made me miss when my kids were that small. The laughter and joy from just running in the sand.
We saw lots of pretty shells and some not so pretty dead fish.
LUNCH TIME!!
We wanted to have a pretty view of the ocean while we ate our lunch so we went to
There was a little wait so we went out onto the adjoining Oak Island Pier and watched the fishermen. Another beautiful walk.
We could have sat out there all day it was so beautiful!! But, alas, we were hungry!
The LOML ~ the kindest man I know!!
Our view for lunch!
We were so hungry, I forgot to take pictures of our plates. I had the fried shrimp with french fries and the LOML had fish tacos. We shared an appetizer of crab dip with chips and bread. Everything was delicious!
I felt like I was getting a little too much sun so we headed back to our beach house for some down time and we may have taken a little nap. It was great!
Before we headed to dinner, we saw the most beautiful sunset.
DINNER TIME!
On every vacation we’ve ever gone on, there’s always been one ‘dress up’ dinner where we go to a nice restaurant and spoil ourselves. This was the night. We went to Island Way right on the beach. It was beautiful inside and the food was soooooo good!!
We started with the Carolina She Crab soup. The nice waitress brought a basket of warm bread and told us that if we dip the bread in the soup, we’d love it. She was so right!!
I had crab legs and garlic mashed potatoes. Now, I know some of you are going to say, “That doesn’t go together!” I agree with you. I ordered mixed vegetables but the sweet waitress brought me the mashed potatoes. And I’m not one to complain or send stuff back. I’m kind of wimpy that way!!
The LOML enjoyed Grouper Neptune
(Fresh grouper filet served on a bed of asparagus topped with shrimp, crab meat & bearnaise sauce.)
The next morning we drove around Oak Island looking at houses and we drove to the Oak Island Lighthouse.
We were going to walk the beach one more time but I was a dud. I just wanted to go home and see my girls and my puppies. I’m the kind of person that loves vacation but loves to come home, too.
Have you ever been to Oak Island? This was our first time but hopefully not our last. It is a beautiful island! We had such a great time and well deserved break from life.
Back to the real world!
Happy Tuesday!
Love y’all,
Linda
