Reflections: At The Beach

Evening on East Beach

Reflections: At The Beach

This year marked our third excursion to Bald Head Island with our dear, dear friends, their two kids, a few of their friends and my girlfriend’s parents (Yes, it was most of this group from the infamous boat ride). Time allowing, our journey usually begins and ends at Fishy Fishy Café in Southport, North Carolina, (you might recognize it from the the television series, Revenge), a big platter of the restaurant’s excellent fried shrimp and an ice cold Blue Moon draft or two. (Reason and/or explanation for early imbibing: I’m on vacation! Number of times I used this justification during the course of a week: A lot.)

Then we board the ferry for the two-mile journey across the Cape Fear River, notably one of my favorite aspects of the entire trip. The sharp smell of the salty air as the sea breeze caresses my face is invigorating and suddenly transports me back to my early Florida childhood, renewing my love of the ocean and I immediately feel relaxed. Once we disembark, we are a captive audience amid the island’s 12,000 acres of beach, marsh and maritime forest preserves and the proud site of Old Baldy, our state’s oldest standing lighthouse, circa 1817. As the northernmost subtropical environment on the East Coast, Bald Head Island is a haven for a wide and abundant array of wildlife, including the sweetest and tamest little foxes that trotted alongside as we whizzed down the road in our golf cart.

And talk about nice digs. This year, our house was situated on 30 acres (!) of beach-front bliss, complete with a beautiful gazebo outfitted with a hammock that practically begged you to do a whole lot of ab-so-lute-ly nothing while watching the sun rise and set over the Atlantic. To which, of course, we were more than happy to comply.

I highly recommend it.