Monday, July 17, 2006

Sunday Morning ~ Holden Beach ~ 2006


My son and his younger daughter, who has a broken wrist and cannot get in the water. She is "THE original water baby", so it was a particularly poignant scene to see her sit at water's edge, forlorn and periodically weeping. Luckily, daddy came to her rescue; sat with her and reminded her to hold her arm up high when the waves got close. Of course, we all sat with her for a while, but I think she liked it especially when her daddy did it.

We got to the beach on Friday afternoon. The tide was out and the depth of the beach was incredible - much like that of the photo I posted on July 14th. Holden Beach faces south; running east and west. There were warm tidal pools to sit in (my favorite places). Saturday morning saw a change: the winds were fast, hard and incessant to the point that our beach canopy had to be partially collapsed to withstand the buffeting. The sky was slightly overcast, but sunny enough, and the high-tide waves were fast and furious. If you went in the water right in front of your chosen spot, you were swept along the beach for at least 4-5 houses/lots down in a short time. I chose to sit under the canopy and read that day! That night, my son bought 4 pounds of huge fresh shrimp, which they boiled with all the proper spices. YUM!

Saturday night made me happy our house was not directly on the beach. High winds, torrential rains, booming thunder and bright lightning for hours on end. Our cars got a good washing, though, so there was a definite plus to it and it was a great opportunity to play Monopoly with my granddaughters! Sunday morning was beautiful, as is always the case on the day you have to leave the beach. We didn't have an early check-out though, so we trekked back to the beach again. The surf was much calmer (as you see in my photo above) and it was a perfect day. I ventured out into the water, which was surprisingly warm. I usually cannot get into the ocean until August, but I'd venture to say that water temp. was near 82*.

I underestimated the strength of the waves; they looked fairly calm, but I got knocked down repeatedly and had a very hard time righting myself. Mr. kenju came to my rescue and dragged me to a standing position once again. I sure got my sinuses cleaned out that time!

Of course, we will hear the story of the "Great 2006 ocean rescue" many times in years to come. Mr. kenju loves to relate his exploits and "war" stories. Remember Mighty Mouse? "Heeeeerree I come to save the day....." We are all too often reminded about the time he rescued me from drifting out into shark territory (on a raft) at Topsail Beach. To hear him tell it, I was 500 yards off-shore with one foot in a shark's mouth when he swam to my raft and towed me in. I was probably no more than 100 feet out at the time....LOL.

In spite of the fact that I mostly sat under the canopy and had applied #45 sunblock, I got burned a little on my upper body while I was in the water. I suppose the wind was as much responsible for that as anything. We didn't get to the beach last summer, so this mini-vacation was especially enjoyed and appreciated. I am grateful to my son and daughter-in-law for including us in the trip.









19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like while I was sitting in hot and stuffy Paris, you had a great weekend by the sea! ;)

Eddie said...

You had a great time! Good.
Mighty Mouse singing "Heere I come, to ave the dayyy" brings back memories.... when you brought up Mighty Mouse and that song I immediately thought of cat villain Oil Can Harry tying the damsel mouse up on the railroad tracks.

Peter said...

Only two things wrong with the beach Judy, Sand and Salt Water, now a lake or river that's something else.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a great time, despite the overnight storm.
And making it even more special was the fact you were sharing it with your family.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

This sounds like a wonderful but slightly scary time....I have never been that fond of the ocean, myself...Too many unknowns with tides and such...But like your Grandaughter I am a water baby...So I can empathize with her not being able to go into the water...! That is a very sweet photograph, Judy.

Shephard said...

Monopoly with your grand-daughters! How fun/sweet! I bet you're a wonderful grandma, and they can't get enough of you. :)
I used to play dominos with my grandma. Fond memories.
~S

Raggedy said...

Thanks for sharing your mini vacation with us. I really enjoyed reading about your trip. I want some shrimp now...yummm
It sounds like you all had a wonderful time.
Have a wonderful day!
*^_^
(=':'=) meow hugs
(")_ (")Š from da Raggedy one

Arethusa said...

Hmmmm...I envy you the shrimp almost as much as the time at the beach! Sounds like y'all had a great time. :)

Anonymous said...

Novelesque. Your writing today is novelesque. Despite the fact that novelesque is not a word, I mean that as a compliment. Glad to hear you're having a good time...please send some of that rain to us in the midwest...

goldenlucyd said...

Hi Judy,
Your post made me feel as though I were there, which Thank Heavens I wasn't. Getting all that sand out of my wrinkles has become such a chore. But what fun to read about it all. Loved Mr. Kenju on his white horse!

gemma said...

hi judy

I first found your blog on Everyday Stranger....I think you commented on one of her postings and i clicked along as we do and there you were....I really enjoy your pictures and comments...I'll be back

srp said...

Oh, let Mr. Kenju have is "hero" stories, I'm sure he has been your hero all these years.

Those currents are really notorious off the coast of North Carolina, riptides and all. Glad you had a good time.

Anonymous said...

My daughter had a cast on and was able to go into both a pool and the ocean with a totally waterproof cover. It worked wonderful but it looked kind of odd. We bought it from a local medical supply store - check around.

Here are a couple I found online that look similar.

http://www.waterproofcast.com/

http://www.desertmedicalessentials.com/index.php?cPath=74

Lisa said...

LOL... I love the rescue story. Isn't it funny how the details always get grander and grander?

brendalove@gmail.com said...

Well I'm glad you had fun but I'm glad you're back too!

Susie said...

Glad your little getaway was enjoyable. Your beach looks much warmer than ours!
How nice to give your husband a reason to be a "hero"!

Anonymous said...

I had a great vacation at Ocean Isle Beach last month, and your post took me back to the tide pools and fresh shrimp.

*sigh*

Glad to hear that you got to spend some relaxing, quality time with your family!

carmilevy said...

This picture touches me, for it speaks to every parent's wish to comfort a hurt child, to make it all better.

You have a way of illustrating beauty in many forms. This moment most certainly is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I love Holden Beach-I lived down in Brunswick County for a couple of years in the mid-eighties and went there a lot.

Of course, I don't think I've been to an NC beach that I didn't love.