To The Top

Hall has been in Fallon, Nevada for two weeks training with his squadron, and while I've missed him a ton, I've also been very busy! One of my best friends, Mary, came to visit me this week from California. she got in on Monday and after a few flight delays left this morning.

Mary is getting her PhD from UC Davis in California in Genomics (the study of how nutrition affects a fetus). We went to high school together in Rocklin, and have been friends ever since we both discovered our mom's were the only ones still buying Lunchables for our packed lunches. :) Love you mom! Anyway she is about to start school again and came for a week break to visit. I had to work all week, which was no fun for me but tons of fun for Mary and Frank. I think she needed the rest and relaxation by the beach to do whatever her heart desired. Frank enjoyed it because Mary hung out with him all day and took him for a daily walk. Basically we hung out around the house and ate at the usual haunts, Rudee's and Gringo's.

On Saturday we went to Big Sam's for breakfast and then took a trip down the to OuterBanks to go to a little town called Corolla. Corolla is a quaint little place with a beach section full of wild Mustangs (yup the horse kind). We decided to venture down and see the place. It was gorgeous!!! Ok so I'll go ahead and say I envisioned this trip being like Diane Lane in Nights of Rodanthe (Rodanthe is in the Outer Banks). I saw myself laughing while a herd of horses ran around me on the beach. On the way down to Corolla, I talked myself out of this vision and realized the horses would probable just be standing there eating grass and ignoring me like all horses everywhere, except no fence. I'm glad I talked myself down since we didn't see any wild horses. But it was so much fun.

The town itself is gorgeous! They have an old lighthouse that you can still climb to the top of that is surrounded by a cute little village. We took to the lighthouse first and climbed the endless spiral staircase to the top for a fantastic view looking at Virginia Beach. We then headed into the historic town where we went to the Island bookstore and Lovies. Lovies was our lunch spot. We bought bleu cheese, crackers, and Quince Apple fruit jam, and took our snacks to the side screened in porch to eat. We then ventured in the car to the beach and supposedly the horses. You drive along ten miles of sand to see them. I drove ten miles in sand and saw nothing but at least I know how to drive in sand now ;) It was a great trip. We came back to the house and topped the day off with steamed blue crabs, and steamed oysters at the house. I taught Mary to clean a crab and shuck an oyster, after which I decided my duties as a southerner were over. On Sunday we took Frank to the beach so he could play. It was so much fun having her here and getting to spend that much time with her. Thanks Mary for visiting!

The light at the very top of the lighthouse.