We had the most amazing time last week at the beach! I believe fall is the best time to go to the beach. The water is warm, the crowds are gone for the most part, and the air is still really nice, less humid & hot than mid-summer.
We always go once a year with my parents and stay in the same house which we’ve all come to love over the years. We travel separately since we are all coming from different locations – R and me from Greensboro, Mom from Asheboro, and the boys from Greenville. Hurricane Florence made it challenging for all of us with road closures everywhere. (Notice the brackish water in the image above. All of the flooded river water made it look like red mud.)
It normally takes Mom 3 1/2 hours to get to the beach & this time it took 7! GPS rerouted countless times so they drove around half the day until they found a way to Ocean Isle. R and I nearly ran out of gas because power was out and every gas station was closed. We were literally in the middle of nowhere on a two-lane road (with no shoulder) and had passed at least 5-6 gas stations that were closed. The gas needle was BELOW the red line & we were certain that we were going to be stranded with no idea what to do next. Finally, we happened upon a line of power company workers who were brought in for storm relief. A very nice man shared enough gas with us to make it to a gas station. Thank goodness for nice people!
We passed through many parts of the state that were completely devastated, homes covered in water. I don’t have pictures of that because I believe we’ve all seen enough. I just hope those people are getting the help they need and that they can get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible. Our youngest son wasn’t able to join us because of road closures. Rivers had crested at the same time he was scheduled to leave and he could not find a way to the beach due to the flooded bridges & roads. We were all so sad because we had planned a birthday party for him.
After everything though, we had the most relaxing time. Mom & I plan meals & snacks so that we eat at home all week. We agree that it’s so much better than going out and everyone helps in one way or another.
I spent every day on the beach reading and flew through three really goods books. Behind Closed Doors & The Marriage Lie were both psychological thrillers that I could not put down! Warm Transfer was more of a love story that I found to be quite relatable. Have you read them? Would love to hear your thoughts and would also love to know any books you recommend.
