countdown to the beach

beach house 2005

time flies, man. hard to believe that there are only 26 days till we go to the beach. every year, my physics study group and i take a week and head to the beach together. we generally have between 5 and 12 people for this adventure--this year we have 9, including baby ella. we are renting half of this beach house you see here, called a tarheel east. (i think it's a stupid name, but then beach house names always seem to be...) i always really look forward to this trip--i get to cook all the time, walk on the beach with my hippie, hang out with old friends, go sailing, poke around in some shops, and eat a lot of really fresh seafood, so it's just about perfect for me. some of what i am anticipating this year:

sailing out to the cape lookout lighthouse with lookout cruises. these guys run a laid back cruise line with bunches of different options--twice we have gone on their sunset cruise, but i am hoping to do something a little different this year. they have a cruise out to the cape lookout national seashore, which includes a lunch catered by the beaufort grocery company--fabulous--and lots of shelling time. plus you sail by the lighthouse, which i have never seen.

eating at stardust in morehead city, easily my favorite restaurant in the state. i am hoping our favorite waitress, darla, is still there and that we can sit in the cubby area upstairs. they have the best food--it's sort of an upscale lowcountry dining experience with great attention to detail. the vegetables are more than half the show and are as fress as their daily catches. YUM!!!

mixing drinks with meredith. last year i didn't feel much like drinking, but i seem to be getting back into my groove. i have been drinking a lot of wine lately, but something about the beach makes me want the mai tai and well, anything with a bunch of fruit and umbrellas and flowers in it. hunks of pineapple and edible orchids and flamingo straws in my tiki glass. oh yes. maybe i will dig out those coconut cups we made a few years back--wonder where those are...