Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes...

There is sand all over the hardwood in my living room. This can only mean one thing: we just got back from the beach. We were very lucky this year to be invited to the Outer Banks to vacation with some of our oldest friends. Good friends, beautiful beaches and perfect weather made for an amazing week.

We stayed in Duck, North Carolina, which is a picturesque little beach town replete with cute little stores, ice cream shops and tourists on bicycles. The beach was lovely, although after having lived on the Florida Panhandle for a while, we had forgotten how demanding the Atlantic is compared to the Gulf. We had to keep a fairly tight grip on the boy lest he be washed out to sea. At one point he did almost lose his swim trunks, but happily we managed to save them.








Matt loved all things about the beach - loved the surf, loved the waves, and especially loved having a giant sandbox to dig in.










At one point he asked to buried in the sand,



which we were happy to do.

He and Charles built lots of sandcastles and then watched the ocean wash them away, which is half the fun.




We went hunting for crabs on the beach at night, which Matt was leery of at first, but grew to enjoy. I admit, when one scuttled at me, I did a pretty spectacular ohmygodcrabonmyfoot dance to get away from it.






We also enjoyed the pool at the beach house. Matt has recently become fearless about the pool and will throw himself in, often doing twist in mid-air as he jumps. It's really quite terrifying to me.



Besides the beach, we took some interesting side trips.


Currituck Lighthouse, Corolla, NC


Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC





Matt liked the airplanes but was less than thrilled about hiking up to the monument in the heat.







We also went down to Cape Hatteras to visit the lighthouse there. When my brother and I were young, my parents took us on vacation to this same spot.

Richard and I, circa late-1970s



Matt and I, present day



They've moved the lighthouse inland due to beach erosion, but it still looks great.



The ubiquitous Kitts Family Self Portrait





We saw this sign on the way down - I think Mom needs it for the kitchen.



It was a great but exhausting trip - good thing there were lots of places to relax at the beach house.



And in perhaps my favorite trip moment, Matt got a set of funny nose/eyeglasses in a kids' meal - our friend Jessica dubbed him "Laughew the Pizza Man."



Good times.