WE ATE CRABS

on Day Five of our Kitty Hawk Vacation!

 

The Yard Man went to the store called 

We Got Your Crabs

and he got our crabs (the very ones that were swimming in the ocean this morning!)

We've been eating piles of sugar, too!

 



 (I'm the only one, Reader Dear, who is turning into a crab about this sugar habit.  "No, no, no!" I object, when The Yard Man shows up with yet another sweet, "We had doughnuts for breakfast, and chocolate candy and ice cream after lunch, and...!" [He laughs])

 

......

All my short actors are keeping me busy directing.

 

 







......

 

 We've been doing a lot of the following:

 

 Sitting in the hot tub.

 Sitting in the hammock.

 Hanging out in the pool.

 Hanging out in the used-book store.

 Playing  at the ocean.*

Playing Bezzerwizzer.

 

Just playing.



  



And I spent some time gathering...well...

I believe you know,
 

 

*for limited periods of time because of...

well, I believe you know, Reader Dear!

 

......

 

I WENT TO THE PIER

yesterday morning.  But, due to my chat with the baby-faced cop, no one whom I knew was still there at the pier by the time I got there.  Not to worry, I had a very nice stroll alone.   And look out, Viewer Dear, I did a lot of filming!

I have lots of photos of waves on the verge of breaking.

And birds on the verge of flying. 
I've got lots more footage--uh, six more movie clips--of this bird couple. I was so determined to film them as they took to the air.  Alas, they were enjoying their acting roles, but stubbornly refused to acknowledge me as director when I instructed them repeatedly, "Okay, now, fly!"
Viewer Dear, you'll just have to imagine them taking flight.

 

......

In the afternoon, I trekked to the beach.

 (Aargh. Do I have to say it?  Conditions were

    windy!)

 

......

The evening trip, en masse, was to Jockey's Ridge.

This spot, Reader Dear, is known for its massive mountains of sand.  It's the place where Orville and his brother first hoisted their plane into the air. The very FIRST to become an airplane!  The very FIRST time aloft!  Needless to say, that flight can only be seen in your mind's eye, as well.

All I've got to show is our lengthy journey across the sand (not so renowned).

 

 And the sun going down on our Kitty Hawk Vacation-Day Three.

 

 

......



 



 

SO WHAT DID I GET

 

 for all my grumbling about the wind  here in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina?!

 

 

I woke to find the house almost empty, most of the kith and kin en route to the fishing pier.  But it was okay.   I threw on my clothes, and rushed to join them.  Rushed, Reader Dear, being the operative word here!

 

Then, too, one of my diminutive actors threw up last night and cried with a fever and bellyache all morning long! 

 

Add to this, the pool heater quit working, and (as one might naturally expect, although it was so unexpected) the water in the swimming pool's turned much too chilly to enjoy!

 

Alas...and that wretched wind is still on the rampage!

Um, er, I meant to say that lovely, lovely wind!

 

......

 



WE GOT A LITTLE BONUS

thrown in with the blue sky and clouds here at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.  It's sort of like we got a sauce, of which we're not so fond, poured over everything. 
WIND!
It's  breezy in the morning, blustery in the afternoon, brisk in the evening.
We're not loving the saucy wind.

 

But I'm not complaining, Reader Dear (er, well, not much).

It doesn't keep us out of the hot tub, out of the pool,

away from the baggo game and the sea-saw!

 

 

 The wind doesn't keep us away from oceanside, either. 



  

 

It can't keep me from searching the shoreline for words.



 

 And besides, good things are going on inside our rented house, too, when we tire of the stiff-blowing breezes.*

 





 

 

*More about this**

 

......



**Later 



 

THE KITTY HAWK VACATION

 is going quite swimmingly!

 

I was happy to discover that the beach still has that same Atlantic Ocean lapping at its edge as it did the last time I was down this way!

 

 

 

Birds and other creatures

are still running along the sandy expanse with pleasure and excitement! 

 

 

 

And when that large and animated body of water gets a bit overwhelming,
there is a smaller one that just happens to be right outside our door!
......

ROAD WORK AHEAD

is what the sign stated*, and so, while I drove south toward a vacation, the Yard Man obediently did some road work.  While he was saying into his phone, "This week I could use fifty bunches of your candy-stripe beets, and twenty dozen of those heirloom tomatoes," I was thinking to myself, "This week I could use great piles of those fabulous clouds, and some glorious blue sky.  Oh, and I'd definitely like some beach!" 

Fortunately, there was a sign a little further along that said End of Road Work  and the Yard Man could put away his phone, and stop his work of ordering for Oasis (the food co-op where he's co-manager).

After a couple more hours had elapsed (followed by more hours) and then several more hours, we arrived at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where (I'm pleased to say) I immediately began taking delivery of my order! 

......


 *Between the two of us, the Yard Man
and I strove to obey all the road signs we encountered. But I'm sorry to say, we were stymied by this one that said BUMP!



......

OKAY, LET'S SEE

 1.  Stopped paper delivery
 2.  Carried porch plants inside and watered all houseplants
 3.  Divested fridge of all food that would quite certainly rot within the next seven days if left unattended
 4.  Cooked and served up to the Yard Man as much food removed from the fridge as possible
 5.  Cooked and froze all food removed from the fridge that I could not get the Yard Man to eat
 6.  Purchased food and other supplies to be carried along
 7.  Laundered all clothing and sheets and towels to be carried along
 8.  Organized all food and supplies and clothing and sheets and towels to be carried along
 9.  Packed up all food and supplies and clothing and sheets and towels to be carried along
10.  Gave a once-over to whole house
11.  Tidied up flower beds
12.  Made six new to-do lists

Boy, oh, boy, Reader Dear, do I need a vacation!


......

NEARLY EVERY SUNDAY

going out to lunch with friends is one of the highlights of my day. 
The celebration includes savoring the amity of close relationships, as well as  the thrill of having food appear on our table just by saying those magic words I think I'll have the...

Most every restaurant we frequent serves fish of one kind or another.
But at today's restaurant there was an enchanting little extra perk--uncooked fish!
Now don't go rolling your eyes, Reader Dear, and mumbling about our choice of restaurants, and how all fish don't have to be blackened or broiled or fried to a golden brown.
Don't blab about sushi, and how one finds it everywhere!



No.  These fish I'm talking about were not showing up on anyone's plate.
In fact, these swimmingly handsome fish were fellow diners!

I got a big kick out of watching this darting, dining mob.
I would say, in fact,  it was a gold(fish)-enhanced highlight for me!
......


(The Asian salad was pretty good, too)

JUST LIKE MATTY TOLD

Hatty, I'm going to tell you, Reader Dear, about some things I found.
I'm even going to show you pictures!

First off, there was the Praying Mantis.  I had no sooner set off walking in the park with a friend, than I spied her sitting there--the little insect devotedly beseeching a higher authority to protect her from being squashed on the pavement.  Or it's possible, I suppose,  she was merely asking for a  mid-morning snack.

. 
Only a little further along on our walk, there was the Great Blue Heron.  He flew.

As customary, after our morning exercise, my friend and I went to the mall for coffee.  Inside the mall, I spotted a whole flock of creatures waiting in a long line.  I didn't think they would fly away if I got close, so I approached a few and asked, "What are you in line for?"

"The new Iphone5s!" they chorused.

Fascinating.

......

Moving along, Reader Dear, I want to show you Snake Power Candy.  I had never even heard of this confection prior to mixing some up today!  I had instructions from my Little Actor.  It's so simple and quick.  You just roll out a snake of your preferred color.  Chop it into pieces.  Voila!  All you have to do after that is  have a rollicking good time pretending to eat the stuff! 

Right across the street from our candy-making table, a hydrant was gushing water.

Wooly-bully!  I couldn't believe how many hours that water gushed!

The Little Actor and I had long since tired of Snake Power Candy, drawing on the porch floor with colored chalk, filming the butterfly, and all kinds of other ventures by the time some guy showed up to end our fountain show!

And that very nearly ends your show, as well, Dear Viewer Dear!

......

P.s. Sorry, I neglected to give the ingredients

for the candy.  Use play dough.

1/2 Cup should do it.

One Cup is better

......

DAY FOLLOWS DAY.

But more importantly, at this particular juncture of a monthly interval, night follows night!
I never tire, Reader Dear, of gazing at the swollen moon.
Nor do I ever take my own good advice and refrain from trying to capture its glorious radiance* with a pathetically inadequate camera.**

......

*What did I tell you?!  And it always looks the same!
But a month ago, a neighbor's cow was bawling at the lunar orb while I was filming:

**
(Not that any camera would
be up to the task, of course)

THE BRIGHT SIDE

of suffering a vicious, nasty, disgusting, throat-achy, vile, nose-drippy, brain-softening cold virus over the weekend is...there is not the same pressure to perform as presented by weekdays.  One can rise from bed at noon to sit in the afternoon sun and work the Sunday crossword puzzle, and feel no compunction to return phone calls or rush to one's tasks. 

While one may not feel up to attending a Stray Birds concert (Alas, and it's to be held outdoors on this super-pleasant day!  Yes, Yes, Reader Dear, the Yard Man very recently set out for this musical event by himself), one is privileged, between sneezes and coughs,  to yell as loudly as desired for God to Listen up! Please take away this blankety-blank infirmity!  ASAP!

While one cannot spend time with friends or family due to one's virus-bearing status as pariah (with a capital P), one gets to read to one's heart's content (Uh, and even beyond.  One might read the Sunday paper more extensively than one ever previously has on a weekend that is sporting such fabulous weather!) 

While one rubs one's nose raw with tissues, one can read the New York Times bestseller, The End of Your Life Book Club and see an ultimate bright side:


It's not likely to be the last book that I read!*





*Vile as it is, the odds are this vile virus won't be fatal!
(Yes, yes, I'll get to go to future concerts [with family and friends] on [yet-to-be] glorious Sunday afternoons!)!
Definitely a bright side, weekend or not.  Wouldn't you agree, Reader Dear?**


......






**(oh, please say so, I'm begging in my rasp-riddled voice)
......



ARE WORDS NECESSARY,

Viewer Dear?  I think not!

Well, okay.  A few words.  I went to the mailbox to see what the USPS had filled it with today.  It was during the time that the oven was filled with baking batter and the sky was filled with threatening clouds.  (Turns out that the mailbox was filled with junk mail and bills).

A short time later the sink was filled with dirty dishes, and my belly was filled with a few too many of those mini-cupcakes that I had baked with the excess batter!  Um.  Yum.  I thanked the acorn squash! 

 

Words really weren't necessary this evening, either, when I showed the Yard Man  his cake, but I posted a sign, anyway (trusting the word "belated" would be implied). 

......

THE BIRTHDAY

was last Friday.   There wasn't really a whole lot of  hoopla, to tell you the truth.  At breakfast I had every intention of putting candles atop the eggs, and plum forgot!   I knew I had all day to get a cake concocted, but I wanted to have a plan.  So I  looked over the assortment of vegetables the Yard Man (while he was only on the verge of becoming the Birthday Man) had presented to me the evening before.  I'll use that pretty little acorn squash to make a cake! I determined.

It was mid-afternoon before I pulled up a recipe from the internet and tweaked it a bit to adapt to my available ingredients.

1 cup roasted squash puree

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 Cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
......

First step was roasting the squash, so I did.
I cut the squash, put 1/2 inch of water in a pan and stuck it in the oven for an hour.
I had to let it cool, and then I did the scooping.
I got the other ingredients out of the cupboard and lined them up.
Got out bowls for mixing.
Got out pans for baking.
Got out the mixer.
Answered the phone.

"I've got free tickets to a pizza-pasta meal!" said that Yard Man. "I'll be home in an hour, and then we'll have to head straight for the place if we're going to go to First Friday afterwards!"
"Well, it's your birthday," I said.  "We'll do what you want, but there goes the birthday cake!"


......

 The Birthday Man came home with the tickets and away we went.  He couldn't give me any details about the meal to which we were headed, other than, you know, there'd be pizza and pasta.  When we arrived at the big tents in the middle of a field and I saw forty port-a-potties in a row, I got nervous!  Turns out the meal was a supper in advance of a running (marathon) event that was scheduled for the following day.  Some activities were going on that evening, as well, but the crowd wasn't too massive when we arrived (more of a six-potty size [maybe eight]).

We ate our carb-filled meal with Gordon and Sally (not their real names because, Reader Dear, now who the heck did they say they were?)  They had traveled to the event from Baltimore, and like to run and bike, they told us. It's such a pretty part of the country, they said, and seeing the Amish was also a draw.  It was Gordon and Sally who explained all the up-coming events scheduled for the weekend (including the children's run and the making of s'mores later that evening).  "There will be folks here tomorrow from forty-six states and three foreign countries,"  Gordon told us.

The Yard Man (aka today's Birthday Man) had a great time explaining things, too--the Amish, local farming practices, the ideas put forth for healthful eating by Oasis (the food co-op), to name a few.  By the time we said good-bye to Gordon and Sally, and they wished the Birthday Man further happiness throughout his birthday evening, it seemed just a little sad to muse upon the fact that the  forty-five minutes of pleasant conversation we enjoyed with Gordon and Sally (not their real names) would never be repeated. 



But it was okay.  We left the tents and the port-a-potties and Gordon and Sally and the pizza and pasta, and drove in to the city to meet our dear friends Ernest and Nellie (not their real names, Reader Dear, because what the heck, it's kind of fun to make up aliases for our friends! )

We had (a second) birthday supper late in the evening. 

But no birthday cake.

Meanwhile, that bowl of pureed Happy Birthday squash has been quietly waiting in the fridge for five days. I think it's quietly planning to go bad any time now.

......