OBX!!
Ok, I love Chicago, but this weekend we went to the outer banks of North Carolina for Alicia and
Brian's Wedding, and it was gorgeous!! We worked a swing shift of Sunday to Wednesday and on Wednesday night we flew into Norfolk, VA, rented a car, and drove down to Duck, North Carolina. Upon arrival, at about 1AM, we were greeted by a bunch of people at the pool, drinking and swimming. We stayed at the Saltaire House, which is a beautiful 6 bed, 6.5 bath house that not only served as our quarters for the next few days, but also was the site for the wedding reception. We met everyone, had a few beers, and turned in. Amy had a full day of wedding party stuff.....wedding rehersal, nails, etc.... So, I had the day to myself. With no agenda, I drove around Duck, NC. The Outer Banks is an island that lies off the coast of North Carolina. It's Jersey Shore esque, being a nice half mile stretch of land sandwiched between the Atlantic ocean and the sound. The small 2 lane road that stretches the length of the island is littered with grape leaves, sand dunes, and hundreds of rental beach houses. I awoke early when everyone was going to the beach, and explored a bit. I drove south to a small art show, then walked around the waterfront shops, picking up a coffee, bagel, and a newspaper. I went back to the house and sat by the pool, met and chatted with a couple people until the wedding party returned. When Amy came back, we explored the rest of the house,
mingled a bit, and then Amy had to go get her nails done. With more exploring to do, I soon headed out 
to see the rest of the island. My first stop?? Kittyhawk, NC to see the famous spot where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first motorized flight. I took the tour of the entire exhibit, walking from one end where a huge monument was erected on top of the hill, resembling the tail of a airplane. Down the hill was a pathway with 4 large stones commemorating the distance where the first flight took off and landed on its 3 attempts. The museum and welcome center both have informative and educational displays that teach 
about the history of this site as well as the history of flight and the physics behind aeronautics. I had a great time exploring and seeing all these things. The exhibits and history of Kitty Hawk are unbelievable, and it was awesome that I had the chance to see such a historical place in aeronautics history. Afterwards, I decided to drive a little further south, to see Kill Devil Hill, which is one of the highest sand dunes on the eastern seaboard. I parked the car across the street, quickly perused some of the local shops, grabbed the camera and started my hike up this incredible sand dune. I started at the base of the hill and started walking 
up.....slowly. The North Carolina summer heat, the steep incline of the hill, and the inability to get a good bearing in the soft, fine sand, made it a struggle to get up the hill. I kept pumping my feet, and after some good perspiration and heavy breathing, I got to the top of the hill!! Only to see, another hill, even bigger than the one I just climbed. Not amused by my misfortune, I ran down the back side of the first hill and started trudging up the face of the next hill. I finally got up to the top and was immediately greeted by a beautiful breeze and an incredible view. From the top of the second hill, there were handgliders taking off, floating in the sky. It's amazing how these dunes are formed here and incredible to see how big they get. I made my trek back to the car, literally running down the hill (because it was fun, even though I wish I had a lunch tray to slide down on) and returned to the car.
Ok, I love Chicago, but this weekend we went to the outer banks of North Carolina for Alicia and
Brian's Wedding, and it was gorgeous!! We worked a swing shift of Sunday to Wednesday and on Wednesday night we flew into Norfolk, VA, rented a car, and drove down to Duck, North Carolina. Upon arrival, at about 1AM, we were greeted by a bunch of people at the pool, drinking and swimming. We stayed at the Saltaire House, which is a beautiful 6 bed, 6.5 bath house that not only served as our quarters for the next few days, but also was the site for the wedding reception. We met everyone, had a few beers, and turned in. Amy had a full day of wedding party stuff.....wedding rehersal, nails, etc.... So, I had the day to myself. With no agenda, I drove around Duck, NC. The Outer Banks is an island that lies off the coast of North Carolina. It's Jersey Shore esque, being a nice half mile stretch of land sandwiched between the Atlantic ocean and the sound. The small 2 lane road that stretches the length of the island is littered with grape leaves, sand dunes, and hundreds of rental beach houses. I awoke early when everyone was going to the beach, and explored a bit. I drove south to a small art show, then walked around the waterfront shops, picking up a coffee, bagel, and a newspaper. I went back to the house and sat by the pool, met and chatted with a couple people until the wedding party returned. When Amy came back, we explored the rest of the house,
mingled a bit, and then Amy had to go get her nails done. With more exploring to do, I soon headed out 
to see the rest of the island. My first stop?? Kittyhawk, NC to see the famous spot where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first motorized flight. I took the tour of the entire exhibit, walking from one end where a huge monument was erected on top of the hill, resembling the tail of a airplane. Down the hill was a pathway with 4 large stones commemorating the distance where the first flight took off and landed on its 3 attempts. The museum and welcome center both have informative and educational displays that teach 
about the history of this site as well as the history of flight and the physics behind aeronautics. I had a great time exploring and seeing all these things. The exhibits and history of Kitty Hawk are unbelievable, and it was awesome that I had the chance to see such a historical place in aeronautics history. Afterwards, I decided to drive a little further south, to see Kill Devil Hill, which is one of the highest sand dunes on the eastern seaboard. I parked the car across the street, quickly perused some of the local shops, grabbed the camera and started my hike up this incredible sand dune. I started at the base of the hill and started walking 
up.....slowly. The North Carolina summer heat, the steep incline of the hill, and the inability to get a good bearing in the soft, fine sand, made it a struggle to get up the hill. I kept pumping my feet, and after some good perspiration and heavy breathing, I got to the top of the hill!! Only to see, another hill, even bigger than the one I just climbed. Not amused by my misfortune, I ran down the back side of the first hill and started trudging up the face of the next hill. I finally got up to the top and was immediately greeted by a beautiful breeze and an incredible view. From the top of the second hill, there were handgliders taking off, floating in the sky. It's amazing how these dunes are formed here and incredible to see how big they get. I made my trek back to the car, literally running down the hill (because it was fun, even though I wish I had a lunch tray to slide down on) and returned to the car.
I emptied about 3 cups of sand onto the pavement and made my way back north towards the house where a BBQ was to be getting underway. I made a quick stop at the driving range, hit a few balls, and met with everyone back at the reception site for the barbeque, where the beer flowed like water in a plethora of varieties. The next day, Amy went to
get her hair done, and I went back to hit a few golf balls. 
Afterwards, I picked her up and went to a place called Aqua S for lunch and had a great meal. Then, we went back to the house where we both got ready for the wedding ceremony. The ceremony was on the beach, which was a short walk from the house, and as soon as you walked off the boardwalk, there was a steel drum band trio playing laid back tropical tunes, serenading you as you followed the seashell pathway to your seats. The ceremony was great, and afterwards, we all found ourselves eating, laughing, drinking, dancing, and celebrating the night away at the reception site. The next day, we had breakfast
with the new bride and groom, and then made our way back to Norfolk to catch our flight back to Chicago. It was a great weekend, and we were both thrilled to help the happy couple celebrate their big day. Congratulations to the newlyweds Alicia and Brian Lynch!!
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