After a year of waiting, we were finally off to our wonderful Bald Head Island. And we were READY, but first? Crabcakes! And that breeze and that view. Time to officially get into vacation mode courtesy of The Great Provision Company in Southport.
And the ice cream that follows...
Then the ferry! One of the most exciting parts...and I could not get over Luke's cuteness with his frog backpack which he insisted on wearing.
And of course I saw Jim Gaffigan in the restroom area because we always vacation with that guy...
I would say it was a standard ferry ride, except it was not because the winds were blowing hard and that boat was rocking. So of course, someone in our group had to get wet and this time it was Nana's turn. But she took it in stride. :)
Addie loooves Bald Head Island...
and there it is!
Upon arrival, we learned they wouldn't transport Dad's bike to the beach house so Brian volunteered to ride it there. So it was a golf cart vs bike race across the island. Somehow the bike won, and Brian got an introduction to a neat road bike that he got to enjoy riding all week.
We were excited to stay at the same house as last year, "Ocean Beach". Because it has an awesome views, a hammock, a sweet outdoor shower, and lots of toys. :)
We were excited to take Luke on his first golf cart ride (because he did not remember it from last year), and he was a fan...
We ended up at the beach where little man got very messy...but had a great time.
Our first meal was a good one...and served on the porch which made it even better.
First morning there...up and at 'em! Stuff to do, places to explore (basically meaning we just wanted to ride around in the golf cart). We explored up near the marina first...
then headed home for some beach time.
We completely lucked out with our weather that week...it was in the 80's most days with the most amazing breeze. After the awful heat we had been dealing with back in Raleigh, we were loving every minute of being outside. It was just incredibly pleasant.
And this view was not bad either although I have to say if there was one disappointing thing about the trip- it was the sunsets. I don't know why they weren't good this year because they are usually spectacular, but we kept waiting each night to get wowed and it never happened.
Still, we discovered our top deck this year and used it for sunset viewing, dance class, and reading. :)
Early mornings with Luke included watching for the garbage truck....
joy rides in the golf cart...
and muffin bribes.
We visited Old Baldy of course which is a yearly tradition.
This year our big boy did many steps by himself...
which led to this...
and then this. :)
Our Addie girl amazed us by bounding up the many flights of stairs without any help at all! Chasing big sister is a powerful motivator.
More beach time...
Then the girls discovered the pool, and they never wanted to go to the beach again!
Dinners on the porch were some of my favorite moments of the trip...
and the new night rides that followed it! This involved sneaking out after dark and zooming all over the island as fast as that cart would take us. We'd shut off the headlights (did you know that golf carts had them??) in the dark forest and freak each other out. Too much fun!
Other favorite things at BHI...the outdoor shower! No chance baths were being taken indoor...
Also a favorite...our annual photography contest. We always try to beat Al, but it's not easy! But it helped that Brian and Collins found a completely new shooting location while exploring on the golf cart. A long bridge that extended into the marshy middle of the island gave us a cool new perspective.
Not staged at all. :)
There were some really good ones this year! Collins usually declares herself the winner of the contest, and we just go with that. :)
Other favorite Bald Head activity...kayaking! It was team Dad/Heather vs team me/Al, and how do they always manage to beat us?!? It was a race to the old shack, and of course we came back to the dock long after they did...but it's okay because we always get some big laughs in.
The next day, Brian and Collins took their turn...
Other notable activities...the Turtle Trot...
chasing barges...
Italian Ice (how have we never discovered this before?!?)…
and Luke walking to the beach all by his big self! A first!
Then it was back to the normal beach/pool...
It was also fun just hanging at home...
but we wouldn't be there long before hopping in that golf cart again! It's hard to say no to a joy ride because you might miss a moment like this...
or this (did you know Addie is known as the "armpitanator"???)...
or this.
Or a view like this (sunrise at East Beach)…
It was an amazing trip. We all love Bald Head so much. But what made it extra special for us this year was that Brian got to stay all week! That has not happened in a long, long time. By the time we left, we were all rested and relaxed and all kinds of happy. Thanks Dad and Heather for a big year at BHI!
Some of Al's photography is above, but here are the rest of her cool shots...
