It is very liberating to give up tanning - without it, every day becomes a perfect beach day. No longer do we wish for intense,
ninety-degree days that sport flawless skies and demand SPF 50. Instead, we love it all. No fair-weather beach lovers, here. As a matter of fact, I need to fulfill a bucket-list wish to spend a few icy winter days, seaside. I vividly recall childhood visits to the Jones Beach boardwalk, on chilly October evenings. My parents would pack up a picnic-basket dinner and off we would go. Cherished memories.
Of course, Spring and Summer have been well covered. But winter-time...
Yesterday, we chatted with an oceanside homeowner. His main residence is in Pittsburgh; he rents his OBX property for June, July and August - the insane tourist months. He enjoys the three other seasons and told us,
"I especially love wintertime, when I just sit and stare at the sea, watching the whales and dolphins."
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| Dunes In The Making |
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| Almost Covered By Drifting Sand |
Truth is, our new acquaintance also told us how difficult it is to live next to the ocean. Nor'easters are worse than fly-by hurricanes, we learned, because they hover for days, causing extreme devastation. There were four such storms, this past winter. I listened with half an ear, still yearning to find out for myself, but his words brought a clearer understanding of the endless work it takes to preserve protective dunes. Joe and I both thought dunes were formed naturally. Not always so. Those funky, chunky Carova dunes are helped along by lots of man-made fencing. Blowing sand drifts till fences are buried and a new dunes exist. Incredible. Now, back to an iffy, cloudy morning...
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| Huge Old Oaks Doing Their Job |
Simple horse sense :-) tells us when to avoid sandy shores. When stormy weather arrives, Sand Way's wide, two-lane highway has the potential to become a single, dune-side lane and a hairy exit, for sure. We know from experience that this can happen in a heartbeat.
We lingered in Currituck Heritage Park on the sound, learning about huge oaks that are groomed low and wide to help land preservation.
It is a gorgeous, pristine place to wile away some time and wait out the weather. We've noticed that cleanliness prevails out here.
Kudos to those in charge.
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| Currituck Lighthouse From The Park |
We finally decided to risk the beach, though it remained chilly and cloudy. Once again, we took a leisurely drive to the Virginia border-in-the-sand. Didn't see Mr. Ed, till we got about three-quarters of the way back towards Corolla, when we decided to stop. No sooner did we pick our dune, when I spotted them - a gorgeous duo galloping to the water. They brought the sun along, as you can see.
Maybe we should take up gambling?
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| Guilty! |
One spectator pulled over at the required distance, to enjoy the magnificent view. Suddenly, a tow truck came barreling along, and I swear, he tried to hit Blackie, who leapt out of the truck's way and began working his way towards us, his pal in tow. Some people suck;
I hope the Corolla Wild Horse Rescue Team stops by my blog and recognizes the culprit.
The duo continued on past us and way, way down the beach, disappearing into the haze. We never saw them again, a fact dismissing our theory that herd members stick close to their own band's turf.
Heading Our Way...
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| And Beyond |
Another gorgeous day.
"We are tied to the ocean.
And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it -
we are going back from whence we came." JFK
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| Wedding Decorations and a Driftwood Flagpole |
