Danish Dinner of Friday Evening

Here are the photos of Birgit's incredible dinner!  Soren attempted to show us proper usage of our untensils in Danish fashion ...... I'm hopelessly American in my fork & knife style!

Vacation Halfway Point Saturday 9/30

Yesterday was a GREAT day!  We loaded up in 2 cars & left Island Jewel around 9:30, drove to Buxton and stopped at the Orange Blossom to pick up some Apple Uglies for the ferry ride.  Had to wait about 30 minutes for the ferry, but it was such a beautiful day, we just walked around the docks, marina and shops.  We ate our Apple Uglies while crossing Hatteras Inlet, sharing our breakfast with the seagulls.

Once on Ocracoke Island, we stopped at the pony pens and some of the group went over to the beach - Susie finally saw her dolphins!!!  Wending our way down island, we met back up at the lighthouse ...... thank goodness Susie had packed walkie-talkies, so each car load was able to keep track of the other. The lighthouse was open, and a lady talked about the history of the light.  Very interesting ..... I had never been in Ocracoke light before.  We then shopped a bit, walked around the village looking at the sites, then went to the Jolly Roger for a bite of lunch.  Talk about the perfect atmosphere for a seafood lunch. 

We ferried back to Hatteras Island, delighting in the antics of the dolphins frolicing around the ferry.  They really put on a show for us!  It was better than Sea World!  After a leisurely drive back up island, we watched the sunset over the sound.  Incredible.

Birgit cooked dinner again!  Words cannot describe how excellent it was - and the presentation was beautiful.  She (& Soren) made 3 courses - the first was a fish pate, second was a gorgeous salad, potatoes with a brown sauce, and a sage rubbed pork loin.  Our dessert was a rice and almond pudding-like dish with a cherry sauce.  Oh, it was all so GOOD!

See the photos by Jeff & me to view our day!  The dinner pics are in the next entry.

Friday September 29

Everyone is up bright & early today!  We are taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island for the day. 

Yesterday was a beach day for the most part.  Susie, Harry and Jen climbed Hatteras Lighthouse and then went to an art gallery cocktail party.  (Susie & Jen received an invitation to it the other day.) 

Then Birgit cooked a WONDERFUL dinner for us last night.  Beef with sauteed onions, potatoes and beets.  It was excellent and we all enjoyed it very much.

Great sunset last night and sunrise this morning.  Check out the pics!

Thursday September 28

Everyone did their own thing yesterday.  Soren, Birgit & Susie hiked the Pea Island trail.  More on that later.  Jeff & Carrie drove to the south end of the island and bummed around.  Jen laid out on the beach all day.  I spent the day poolside, reading.  Wow, the water in the pool is COLD!  Soren has been swimming daily - Danish people must have a high tolerance for freezing temperatures.  I was not aware that water could be that cold without formation of ice.  I also watched the kite boarders for a while.  It looks like it would be a blast - they really fly along!

The adventure of the day was the Pea Island hike.  Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is just north of Rodanthe.  Soren, Birgit & Susie left for their trek in the late morning, returning mid-afternoon.  I'll let Susie tell the story:

"Pretty day, lots of Large white herons, geese, ducks, ibis, Great Blue Heron, Tri-color Heron,  AND one million mosquitoes.  It was an intense walk for all of us.  The folks from Denmark will remember our day at Pea Island.  The walk ended perfectly tho, with a 2 mile walk down a nearly empty beach.  Finding beach treasures of shells and driftwood.  Watching the birds feed in front of the tides and scurrying back up the beach to avoid getting wet from the waves.  Walking along until we saw the wreck of the Orient in the surf.  A lover-ly ending to our day.  What a relief.  Fortunately, here in the Island Jewel area, there are no biting bugs!!  As Birgit said, "There were many, many mosquitoes, NO JOKE ........."   

I felt soooo sorry for them when they returned to the Island Jewel ..... tired, sweaty and bloody. 

Harry arrived last night, and once again introductions were made.  It's really been fun seeing all of these strangers interacting with one another.  We all had drinks on the top deck and played Yahtzee! and worked on the 2 puzzles.  Then we had dinner - see picture.  After dinner we had coffee & Kahlua ...... very relaxing and a lot of conversation.

Today is a beach day.  I won't be out for very long, as I burned a bit yesterday at the pool.

More later!!!! 

 

 

Tuesday, September 25, 2006

Thought I'd write something quick before heading to the beach. 

Everyone has been staying busy doing fun things!  Soren og Birgit climbed the Hatteras Lighthouse yesterday and Susie & Jen went shopping.  I just bummed around on the decks at the cottage and watched the ocean.  Lots of dolphins and fishing boats were seen from the front decks.

Last evening we played Yahtzee! and Birgit won.  Beginner's luck or Danish luck?  The English/Danish dictionary has been put to use a few times, but all in all, communications are pretty good.  Although, this morning I believe that Soren was exasperated!  We were talking and we couldn't properly translate a phrase ..... he said, "Why can't you speak Danish?!?!" 

Be sure to look at the pics.  Now that I've figured out how to upload directly from the camera, I'll be posting lots more.

Gotta run ...... the ocean is calling my name.

We Are In Rodanthe!!

Sorry about the delay in posting the first "official" vacation entry, but I've been too busy and/or tired to write anything.  Plus, I had to figure out how to hookup to the Internet.  I was hoping that the cottage would have broad band, but, alak & alas, no such luck.  Yesterday I tried connecting via dial up ...... I didn't realize that the laptop had two phone jacks ..... and of course I was using the wrong one.  I finally saw the other jack this morning.  So, I'm up and running!!

Here's a quick recap of the past few days.  Susie arrived in Davenport on Wednesday.  We finished packing up the truck Thursday morning and got on the road at 10:00 a.m.  Had great driving weather, no construction, no traffic jams, etc.  Decided to keep driving until we were tired and made it to Beckley, WV.  That's a long ass drive!  Thirteen hours.  Of course, we couldn't find any room vacancies in Beckley - there was a state wide convention of EMT's, firefighters and law enforcement agencies there.  We drove on and got a room in Beaver, WV. 

We were back on the road Friday morning at about 9:00 a.m.  I took a different route to OBX ..... went south at Richmond, then east through NC at Rockey Mount.  It is a longer drive, so won't do that again, but did see a lot of interesting sites!  The tobacco harvest has begun, and saw lots of drying barns in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.  Likewise, it is cotton & peanut pickin' time.  We made a stop at Mackey's Ferry Peanuts ..... free samples!  I bought fresh peanut butter (yum!) and some blistered peanuts (yum again!)  I tried the boiled peanuts ...... blech. 

We arrived in Nags Head around 7:00 p.m. - ended up getting a room at Owens' Motel, as the Sea Foam was full up.  Susie & I had dinner at Sam and Omies .... we split a seafood platter, shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, flounder, french fries, collard greens and slaw - there was so much food, we couldn't finish it! 

We woke up early Saturday morning and went shopping for a while, then watched the kite boarders.  That looks like fun, but too fast paced for me.  After getting groceries at the Food Lion, we got the key for the cottage. 

Wow!  The Island Jewel is NICE!  The photos on the website do not do it justice.  It's large enough for all of us, but still cottage cozy.  The views from the cottage are incredible - both sea and sound from levels 2, 3 and 4. 

Jen got in Saturday evening, then Soren and Birgit Sunday afternoon. 

Must run for now ...... I'm making NC BBQ for dinner.  More later!

September 19 - National Talk Like a Pirate Day

Avast, me hearties!  Today tis National Talk Like a Pirate Day, the one day a year ye land lubbers can drink yer grog and blow yer hornpipe (or yer matey's), and no one will look askance at ye!

Over the past century, problems facing the modern buccaneering community have increased and are many fold.  According to the Sir Nigel Papers, these problems include (but are not limited to):

• The lack of suitably undefended and overladen Spanish treasure Galleons
• The fall in the value of Doubloons and rubies
• Not many people know what a Doubloon is anyway
• The inability to obtain any kind of life insurance or healthcare coverage
• The inability to attract new recruits via any means but the devious and underhand

But, be assured ..... anyone can talk like a Pirate.  Basic Piratese consists of ahoy, avast, aye, aye-aye and arrrrrrrr.  Further explanation ot the proper usage of these words can be found at the Five A's.   Arrrrrrrrr!

Another helpful instructional video is Pirate grammar, consisting of learning Pirate speak for daily situations.

So, ye buxom wenches, should today a likely buccaneer ask to drop anchor in yer lagoon, permission to board, and fire his cannon through yer porthole, you may wish to visit the Pirate to English translation page, just to see what he really wants.

Let us don our frilly shirt, polish our wooden leg and go watch a good flogging after a day of plundering and pillaging! 

Oregon Inlet Lifesaving Station

Should we travelers successfully traverse the Herbert C. Bonner bridge in our journey, the first interesting sight to our left will be the old Oregon Inlet Lifesaving Station.

In 1897, Jessie Etheridge deeded 10 acres of waterfront land to federal officials to be used for the erection of the lifesaving station.  Ninety-one years later, the Coast Guard abandoned this station, leaving it to weather the elements of a harsh and unforgiving barrier island climate. 

Oregon Inlet is well known as one of the most dangerous inlets in America with its constantly changing navigational conditions consisting of shoals, eddys, whirlpools and tides.  The waters of the inlet have insidiously caused destruction of the Herbert C. Bonner Memorial Bridge (or as we fondly call it, "That Goddamned Bridge"), the only link to the mainland by automobile.

Sadly, the Lifesaving Station has suffered neglect over the last 18 years, facing extinction with the shifting sands that slowly reclaim what was their's nearly 100 years ago.  Dunes, beginning to cover the structure, leave only an eerie reminder of what was once a bustling area.

I can recall when this Oregon Inlet Lifesaving Station was in operation.  (Okay, yeah, I feel old.)  So many of these old stations, that once lined the Outer Banks every 7 miles, have remained empty & abandoned.  However, more have been converted into restaurants, B & B's, museums and private homes.

A wonderful example of the renovation of a station is the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station located only a few blocks from where we'll be staying in Rodanthe.

Many thanks to BlueJay for sharing this photograph.      

3 Full Days Left in Iowa

I can't believe that the time has flown by so quickly!  A major set back today - my beloved laptop crashed & burned, hence, leaving me computerless.  ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!  Everything for the trip is on it ..... recipes, menus, phone numbers, cottage info, travel info .......

I called the Geek Squad and made an appointment for the computer tomorrow morning.  However, this evening I decided to try to turn it on one more time and, lo & behold, it's running like Sea Biscuit.  BUT, I'm still taking it in for a check up tomorrow.  Tomorrow I'm also getting a toe job (hmmmmmm), my hair cut and an echocardiogram.  I don't know what I dread more ..... the results of my echo or my pedicure.  I'm concerned that the pedicurist will take one look at my tootsies and tell me that there is no hope for lovely feet on the beach.

Above is my buddy, my pal, my confident, Jennifer.  I told her that I was going to post a picture of her, so here it is.  Also, one of my darling son.  Both pics were taken at the Nags Head cottage back in 2004.  Oh look!  I also found one of Harry during the same trip! 

If you're new to this site, be sure to check out the archives.  Ya might wanna see the earlier stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

Just This 'n That .... or as they say in Denmark, "Lidt af hvert"

Holy cow!  I am outta Iowa in 8 - yes, eight - days!  I still have lots to do, and the time crunch became apparent when Bugs brought home a gallon of milk .... .and the expiration date is whilst I'm on the Outer Banks!  Yikes or Hooray!!!!  I'm not sure which.

I received a missive from Søren today.  He & his wife, Birgit, will be cooking a traditional Danish dinner during our stay at "Island Jewel".  Some of the group are wondering if any *innards* will be used in the preparation of the meal.  C'mon, you guys .... let's be adventurous!  And more importantly, let's not ask.

It would appear that it has been raining nearly daily on OBX.  There has been some flooding and with the recent passing of Florence, the surf has been causing beach erosion along the shoreline.  I wonder if we will be more oceanfront than previously expected. 

I am a bit annoyed that a sand fence was erected in front of "Island Jewel".  Yeah, yeah ... I realize this fence will help Mother Nature with the building of dunes, but it's an irk factor for me.  And, really .... isn't this trip all about me? 

If you're reading this, be a pal & leave a comment.  I'm actually surprised at how many hits I've had, and I'm still in Iowa!  But, I feel as though I'm performing to an empty room.  I need feedback!  Thanks.

Portsmouth Island

If I may direct your attention to the left-hand side of this page, you’ll notice I’ve added a new link for a favorite site, "Kayaking to Portsmouth." This pictoral journal comes from BlueJay, yet another member of the OBXC. He & his girlfriend recently paddled from Ocracoke Island to Portsmouth Island.

Portsmouth Island lies just southwest of Ocracoke. Accessible only via the water, the island, with its little village of the same name, is now abandoned. The village was founded in 1753, and at one time was one of the largest, most important settlements on the Outer Banks.

For an in-depth history of the island and village, go to Whispers from a Village.

I’ve yet to visit Portsmouth - I’d love to someday, however I have a real aversion to mosquitoes. For now, I’m quite content to visit vicariously through BlueJay's excellent photographs.

19 Days & 36 Rolls of Toilet Paper

Only 19 days until we are embedded with Island Jewel.  Whoohooo! 

Time is really starting to fly now - I still have so much to do before we depart on our adventure.  It seems as though every year I pack more and more to take to the Outer Banks.  As I was making out a list of "stuff" to take for this year's trip, Bugs stated I'd need a U-Haul. 

"Pshaw," said I.  "I'm just taking a few extra things this year, all of which are necessities."

But, maybe he's right.  Is a coffee grinder something I *can't* live without for a few weeks?  In this case .... yes.  With Soren and Birgit staying with us, we'll be drinking a lot of kaffe - which reminds me, I gotta run to Starbucks and pick up beans.  Another thing to pack.

And, yeah .... 36 rolls of toilet paper does sound a bit excessive, but that must be divided between 11 people for 14 days and that's only 1/3 of a roll per person per day.  Factor in copious amounts of beer consumed, that will be about right.  (Hmmm .... factor out the males in that equation.)

Packing my Cuisinart sautee pan and my favorite Henckel knives sounds very nearly, well, snooty.  However, I'll be the primary cook (& probably bottle washer), and honestly, I can't survive without those items.  Same goes for my old lobster pot .... nary a cottage we've rented has ever had a pot big enough for a Low Country Boil.  And, that's on the menu.

I've found a box just perfect to pack the books (NO WAY can I go to the beach without a varied selection of reading material) and I think the Yahtzee game and Scramble Square puzzle will also fit in it.  The beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach mats, beach towels, beach bags - let's face it - those are all "must packs."  Oh, and the kayak!  The cooler!!  My gosh, can't forget those!

Since groceries are cheaper off the Outer Banks, it is prudent to pack in all non-perishable foodstuffs.  Cases of bottled water take up a lot of room in the vehicle, but if you've ever tasted the water out there, you know that's a must-have.  Of course, the cases of beer will be equal to, or greater than, the amount of water brought.  If worse comes to worse, the water can be left along the side of the interstate, much like the pioneers leaving their belongings along the Oregon Trail.  (Did the pioneer leave his beer behind?  I think not.)  Since the alcohol content in the beer should kill any bacteria in the local water, this is a wise choice.  One must always prioritize.

Maps, music CDs, the cameras, the camera's extra batteries, the camera's extra batteries' charger, sun screen, sun tanning oil, pre-tanning lotion, post-tanning lotion, aloe vera for sun burns, Clinique Eye Repair cream .... oh, my.  The list grows longer.

Bath towels, kitchen towels .... thank goodness bedding is furnished in the Island Jewel.  Aha!  Subtracting the space used for packing sheets, I can bring more beer!  Maybe even some bottled water!

As you can see, this truly is an expedition that we're undertaking! 

I wonder if Lewis & Clark packed a coffee grinder?  (I bet they did.)