Happy New Year to you all! 🍾 I wish for you all the best hopefully a new year that will be better than the previous two for everyone!

Where I’ve been the past week or so. . .

Sandbridge Visit

I am writing to you from a place–physically–I did not expect to be writing to you from: Sandbridge Beach.

As you may know if you’ve been following this blog for a while that we typically bring in the New Year at the Outer Banks in North Carolina–which we did. We were supposed to return yesterday but were in a quandary because a snow storm was supposed to hit along much of the route we would take to get home. I am a worrier by nature and nurture (ha) so on Sunday I began worrying (never lose a good opportunity). The things I know: areas south of DC are ill-equipped to deal with snowfall because they seldom see it. This storm was supposed to concentrate south of DC. None of this was good.

As such, we decided to see if we could rent another night in the house where we were staying, which is never usually a problem as few people rent in January along the coast. The house, however, stopped being on the rental market starting in January so that wasn’t an option. They could set us up with late check-out–an addition of an hour, which we took and turned out to be handy for an entirely other reason. There was an option that was slow to occur to us. We could drive to Sandbridge and layover there until the storm passed, which is how I have come to be writing to you from Sandbridge right now.

Unfortunately the storm took its toll along parts of I-95, some of which is still closed over 24 hours later. Needless to say, we didn’t return home today either but are planning for a bright and early travel tomorrow. (Before the next snow storm comes on Thursday. 😉 .)

Being in Sandbridge is a delightful surprise for which I feel truly grateful. And, if I could have the above writing view always, well, I’d hope to be a happy camper always too. Here’s a little montage of a day and a half in Sandbridge.

OBX for New Year’s

Although I don’t know for certain because Huck is a man of few English words, I believe that this is his first visit to the beach. He took too it like a natural beachgoer. He is so nonchalant about most things, such a little (well actually biggish) love, that it was wonderful to see him so happy. If you’re wondering, he just took his second dose of heartworm treatment (advantage multi), and we are hoping it’s doing it’s job. He loves the openness of the beach so it’s been a bit of a struggle to try to keep him as calm as possible, especially when he just loves to tease Sophie and try to get her to play–which Queen Sophie is still not pleased about.

As I write this and am slightly chilled, it’s hard to remember almost that I spent a couple of days in shorts at the beach. Yes! Temps in the low 70s and high 60s, just gorgeous unexpected weather. (You’ll see in one of the photos below that boys are in their swim trunks!) The ocean was a bit chill for me but not for a few hardy souls who ventured in farther than their toes.

The house we stayed at must have once been owned by some artistic souls as there was quite a few paintings, repurposed goods like mirrors, tools, mechanical objects, windows, amongst other things, stained glass, and lots of seashells. The seashells along the (unfortunately inoperable) fireplace were just incredible. Hopefully the new owner will keep some, if not all, of the quirkiness of this amazing cottage.

Yesterday as we were leaving Southern Shores, OBX was having it’s own storm complete with gusty winds, tornado watches, and rain, all of this as we were packing the van to leave. Fun stuff to be trying to pack and battle 40 mph winds with rain slashing through you (which kind of makes me sound like I now have holes through my torso, but, well). So, yes, we did need that additional hour the property management company gave us.

When we arrived in Sandbridge, the temperatures were falling and the rain continued but soon turned into snow. I felt like a kid again: snow at the beach! Two of my favorite things.

Hopefully by the time I write to you all again, I’ll be home, not that I’m resenting this unexpected Sandbridge visit by any means. If there wasn’t real life (of course this is my make believe one 😉 ), to continue with, I’d happily stay longer.

Happy New Year! Have fun and take care!

Pictures: Sophie on the beach; Huck enjoying the beach deck; the cottage fireplace with seashells; the stained glass front door of the cottage; gulls on the beach and, yes, it’s January 1st and kids are in their swimming gear; cormorants, gulls, and pelicans fishing en masse–doesn’t it look like a picture out of Hitchcock?; the path to the beach.