The Outer Banks

    This year I went to the outer banks with my Mother's side of the family (twenty people in all). We rented a house and stayed for a week. Most of that time was spent on the beach or in the pool.
   

   The first few days the ocean waves were relatively calm, but in the middle of the week they turned. It was rough waters and difficult to stay in one place because the current was so strong; but it was loads of fun!
    Once the sun went down, we went out onto the beach and looked at the ghost crabs. They were all over the place! Some were very large and others were quite small.
Dad took to tormenting a few with a flashlight and I used that opportunity to take a picture:

    We managed to complete three puzzles in the entirety of our stay. The first 1,000 piece puzzle was of different classic books and it reached completion the same night it was begun. Roughly seven of us worked to speedily finish it, doing away with the idea of taking time to work on a puzzle as a way to relax.

    In fact none of the vacation was relaxing, but that was what made it fun! Amidst all the go, go, go there was never a dull moment.   
    On one of the days we went to the =urrituck lighthouse.

    It was very interesting walking through. We climbed up 220 steps in order to reach the top and the view was absolutely gorgeous.

Here is a picture taken on the staircase on my way down

    Another day I played Marco Polo in the pool with my cousins and at various points in the game play grew rather intense, resulting in back flips, dives and lots of fun.
    Other than that, the schedule included running, board games, swimming, and various meals. The end of the week came too soon and on the last night we gathered in the main room of the house and took turns working to squeeze between a wall and a pole. We finished off the night with one of my cousins impersonating another cousin and all of us sharing what our favorite parts of the house were. The next morning we woke early and parted ways.

Until Next Time,
    Meredith