Carolina Summer

Our trip to Emerald Isle was only slightly postponed due to a last minute change of plans by Nacho. His trip was bought off and so he could make it to the beach after all. For at least a little bit. So we picked him up and away we went. A pit stop at Smithfield's for some NC style BBQ and then we were checking in and making plans to meet up with mom and dad for dinner at our old standby Jordan's Seafood which is now called Fishbar 58. The decor has changed, but the waitresses were still the same. And damn, the hushpuppies were awesome. Beer and fried fish and all the fixings. Yes, this was the beginning of a good week. We made it over to take a walk on the Bogue Inlet pier which has had a nice renovation since the last time we were there.  The crowds were light and the blue glow of the water was a welcome end to the evening. Later, we walked back to get ice cream along the highway and I thought I might implode. Vacation is a time of indulgence to be sure, but better to pace myself. 

The next morning was the 4th of July already and I found Carolina's scratchy artwork perfectly fitting for the occasion. Stacey did too and within minutes we were unknowingly Instagraming the same thing. Ha. Only us. But I mean, c'mon...that flag. 

We spent most of the scorching day waiting out thunderstorms in the vicinity and checking out the NC Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. The girls hadn't been there in years and it was good for a few hours of distraction. After I strong armed us into eating at Dank Burrito near Atlantic Beach which I'd seen on a previous visit. It seemed promising but in the end it was a lot of boring white people Mexican food. The dankness eluded me which is too bad. We weren't sure what the afternoon would bring but decided we'd have dinner at mom and dad's and let off some fireworks at their place since the idea of fighting the crowds at the beach or in Swansboro didn't sound like a great time. In between though, we finally opted for a quick trip to the beach to get our toes wet and pulling up at nearly 5pm, parking was free and the crowds were thinning. What a good idea, I kept thinking and it really was. Nacho was happy to finally be at the beach and I was happy he was happy. The girls weren't too keen on swimming in the churning waves, but they splashed and did their thing on the beach and we all enjoyed a couple hours of relative peace. That's pretty good for a holiday anywhere, but in North Carolina at the beach where it can get overwhelming fast, I was relived and that made the rest of the evening all that much better.