Thoughts from 2004

I wrote this at the beach on my last day of vacation in October 2004.

Top 15 Reasons I love the Outer Banks:

1. The sound of the sea cannot be duplicated. I don't care if you buy a tape of ocean sounds, it is NOT the real thing. Ya gotta smell it, to hear it properly.

2. Nature has her own song - the singing of the shells as the surf tosses them onto the beach & then as they wash back to the sea. Their music is as sweet as any choir.

3. Cheese sandwiches, with Miracle Whip, taste best with a little sand for fiber. After the sandwiches have been smushed in the bottom of your beach bag, unrefrigerated, for 4 hours, they taste so good, you don't care that you'll probably contract botulism.

4. There is nothing better than watching little kids dancing to the ocean’s music on the water's edge.

5. Even when you're a grownup, you can still build sand castles, look for shells & fly kites on the beach, & no one thinks you're weird.

6. As long as the beer is cold, who cares if the last swallow is gritty?

7. Your personality undergoes a change at the beach. You become the person you should be in everyday life. You either say "hi" or nod & smile at everyone who passes you. It's like you are sharing a secret with complete strangers ... they know exactly how you feel - because you know they feel the same way.

8. What passes for annoying weeds at home, suddenly becomes beautiful landscaping when they're growing along the beach.

9. Tanned cellulite is more attractive than white cellulite.

10. Five women in a cottage kitchen can cook a gourmet dinner with only basic foodstuffs, 1 pot, 1 pan and a cookie sheet.

11. A rainy day at the beach is better than any day at work.

12. Vacation cottages all need bouquets of fresh cut flowers. They make you smile.

13. Some of the most unusual (& delicious) omelets are created with leftovers on the last night in your cottage.

14. Who cares if the best selling novel you bought for $29.95 & now has sandy, water-logged, & wrinkled pages from reading it on the beach? As long as you enjoyed it, it doesn't matter.

15. You never know how many friends you have until you rent an ocean front cottage. Just make sure the only friends you invite are the ones you love.