LET'S GO ON VACATION

Hello and welcome to my "Let’s Go On Vacation" post hosted by Heidi of Foxglove, Fabric & Folly. If you stop by and visit Heidi you will find a list of all the participants.

Now on to my favorite vacation spot. My husband and I grew up near the Jersey Shore and never gave it a thought when we sold our little farm in NJ and moved to the hills of WV. We loved it here and were so busy restoring our pre-civil war farmhouse. (history of farm on my first post) Five years had passed before we stopped to think about how much we missed the ocean, salt air, sea gulls, sun and sand. So we called some friends in NJ and asked when they were going to the Jersey Shore again, that we would like to meet them there. Well they said they did not go there anymore but now went to Cape Hatteras, NC. So we thought we would give it a try. That was our first time and this summer will be our 14th trip to the Outer Banks of NC. I can’t tell you enough what a beautiful place it is. We go in September out of season, it’s not crowded, just beautiful beaches, white sand, blue water (most of the time) picturesque waterfront towns. We usually rent a large house because we meet friends & family there and have a wonderful time. I’d like to share with you some pics from the past 13 trips to Cape Hatteras.
This first pic posted above is just a little collection of things that I have brought home from trips. I have a little guest room that I call my beach room. It is getting quit a collection. Please feel free to click on the pics to get a larger view.

This pic is a painting my daughter Jen of Jennifers Petal Palace painted for us because we always say "Hatteras was always on our minds". The next two pics are closeups of the painting.

The next pic is a waste basket that she painted for my guest room with the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on it.

The next pic is a cross stitched picture of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse framed in a hand painted rose frame also made by my daughter Jen.

This is a little painting of Ocoroke Lighthouse on a little island off Hatteras Island.

This is our favorite house that we have rented in Cape Hatteras. It was such a gracious home, right on the Pamlico Sound. Porches on every side and view to the sound on one side and ocean on the other.

This house sleeps 18 people has, 3 masterbedrooms, 5 1/2 baths. Most of the homes here on the island have a reversed living plan. The main rooms are on the top floor so that you have a beautiful view to the water. This is the private swimming pool at the house.

Living room with view to the Palmico Sound.

The kitchen has an ocean view.

This is the year that they moved the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was amazing to watch a lighthouse being moved.

Friends that we met at the beach that year. My husband and I on the left and our friends Howard and Rose and their daugher and son in law.

Elizaabethan Gardens, on Roanoke Island.

A view of the sound from Elizabethan Gardens.

An old house on Orocoke Island, this house was open for tour and was furnished as it would have been back in the 1800's.

My husband snapped a pic of me and friends eating fudge that we just purchased in the best fudge shop on the island. From left is John, Gayle and myself. Once a year we enjoy that treat!

Sometimes we rent a pet friendly house and bring our Landseerer Newfoundland Molly, she is a water rescue dog so she loves the water. Yes she has an embroidered

bib on. We love the seagulls and always feed them. They usually ride the ferrys over to the other islands. They are such a joy to watch. Pic of my husband feeding them.

You can drive your car on the beach in certain areas there. My hubby fishes but I just relax and read or do needlework.

Molly the Newf just taking in the view.

This was one of the years that my three grandsons came, Molly was keeping an eye on them. The boys loved it as you can see from this pic.

Mikey my youngest grandson showing Molly what he caught.

Boatdocks where you can rent a slip to keep your boat for the week, month or summer.

Last year we rented a canal front house in this village.

We bought a boat so now we rent houses with a dock so we can keep our boat right at the house. We just pack a lunch in the morning and go out to the boat and spend the day on the water.

The sky was so blue this day you cannot see where the sky ends and the water starts. This was a little bird hunting house that someone had built in the bay.

It does not look like much of a house but it must have been very expensive to build, the water was very deep here.

I don't fish but I love to drive the boat around the bay. They guys pick a spot to fish then we anchor the boat and I get out a book or needlework until they are ready to try a new spot.

Sometime I let hubby drive the boat!

My son throwing in a line.

So that is how we spend our vacation every year. We take small trips to other places throughout the year but Hatters is must every year. This year we are going for two weeks in Sept., we rented a beautiful house with 4 bedrooms 5 1/2 baths with pool and boat dock. It's new this season so I don't have pics yet or I would have posted them. We are sharing the house with my dear friend Joan and here husband, Joan and I have been friends since we were 8 years old. We both invite family and friends to stop by so we make good use of the house.

Thank you so much for stopping by and please come back again.

Blessings, Shirl