Ocracoke 2009 - Part I

July 25-August 2, 2009. Part 1 of 2. Walker family vacation to Ocracoke Island, N.C. Another visit to Ocracoke, another week of fun memories on the beach. The last time we visited, Lincoln was just four months old. Fast forward two years later and wow what a very different beach experience it was. Lincoln, Erik, and I all had a wonderful time. Generally the weather was good, strong winds a couple of days which made the sand crawl, but no rain and some awfully pretty sunsets. As my dad would say, Better than it has to be!

After years of camping, we opted for the easier route this year and rented a house. Frankly, I decided that at nearly five months pregnant and with a two year old to chase after, I didn't have the guts to brave the heat, wind, bugs, and sand for seven days in a tent. I am generally up for enduring the elements for the sake of "the one with nature" camping experience, but not this year. Our Ocracoke camping days are not gone for good as there are just to many aspects of the experience that I truly enjoy, but admittedly, while our boys are young, I am sold on the luxuries that a house provides.

Even though we booked a house only two weeks prior to our trip, we managed to get a super cool one. The house certainly lived up to its namesake, "No Ka Oi" which is a Hawaiian phrase meaning "The Best." It was very spacious, well decorated, comfortable, and had an awesome spiral staircase leading up to a loft with views overlooking the sound. The trim throughout the house was made out of aromatic cedar and smelled great. Though we don't have a picture, one of the best features of the house was an outdoor shower, which we put to good use. Lincoln preferred the large jacuzzi tub inside, but Erik and I each took our time showering and gazing up through the roof of the shower to the great outdoors. If I thought the Fox Mill homeowner's association would let us get away with it, I would have one installed in our backyard tomorrow.

Day one on the beach, Lincoln was a touch timid at first. For the first hour or so, he looked much like a cat being held over water when I tried to put his feet to the sand. He contorted his body in every way possible to avoid putting his toes in the sand or ocean.

But it didn't take long for him to warm up to the idea of playing in his pool on the beach. In fact, each morning, after lathering with sunscreen and getting our beach gear on, Lincoln would say to Erik and I, "I ready go to the pool." We laughed at the fact that all his little friends at daycare and his teachers there would think that Erik and I actually took Lincoln to the pool for a week's vacation.

For most of the first day, Lincoln stayed in his pool, self-entertained by watching his surroundings and splashing with his toys. When the water level would get low, Erik and Lincoln would work together to fill up the pool. "I help, I do it" Lincoln says. Since Lincoln was so content, I actually found that I was able to relax and read a book. Not to brag, but it really is awesome that Lincoln is so self-entertained. Erik and I both finished a 500+ page book during the week and I made it half-way through a second.

Because Lincoln was so happy splashing in his pool, he stayed fairly "clean" or sand-free. Ursula warned me though that it would only be a matter of time before he was covered from head to toe. And she was right. She was also right about the fact that no matter how much your brain is telling you that you don't want to hold or pick up your sandy child because he is oh so sandy and icky, your heart wins the battle. There was no avoiding having Lincoln's super sandy body all over me for the better part of a week. Fortunately for Erik and unfortunately for me, Lincoln is a mama's boy - despite Erik's requesting and my encouraging, Lincoln preferred my lap hands down. I can proudly report that I survived the sand and am a better mother for it.

Wheat thins, easy cheese in a can, sand, and a non-stop runny nose makes for one heck of a combination. And some great memories I will always cherish.

Day 2 on the beach was to windy for the umbrella, so we opted for the sun tent.

Lincoln is learning how to use his new camera. He always wants to touch the SLR, so I thought it would be a nice distraction if he had his own. Apparently Lincoln has an invisible third eye on his forehead that we didn't know about.

In addition to loving the sand, wind, and ocean, Lincoln turned into one food loving boy while on vacation. Erik and I were truly, truly astonished at the amount food Lincoln consumed each night. He wasn't big on eatting lunch, but it took no convincing to eat his yogurt every morning and at dinner time, he actually asked for more on several occasions after shoveling in his first plate full. Unbelieveable.

Day 3 on the beach. Lincoln back in his pool. Erik enjoying the scenary.

Lincoln wasn't comfortable venturing to the water by himself until nearly the last day, but he was generally happy when we took him in the ocean to jump over the waves while in the safety of our arms.

Fruit snack time. A daily ritual. Too bad that this very un-nourishing food is one of his favorites.

Collecting seashells together.

Napping peacefully in the back of the truck. As I have mentioned before, Lincoln doesn't readily go down for a nap each day. The first day on the beach, Erik and I decided not to push the issue and see how long he could last. Neither of us wanted to spend valuable beach time sitting in the back of the truck wrangling an unhappy Lincoln while trying to convince him to nap. The first day he lasted until 4pm at which point he began wondering about and randomly dropping to the sand and rolling. I scooped him off, washing him off, and got him comfortably to sleep within 30 minutes. Each day the naptime moved earlier in the day and took less time. Would you believe towards the end of the vacation, he actually asked me to lay down. Seriously. The salt air played some crazy jedi mind games with our boy. I suppose it helped matters that he played hard for hours and then had the luxury of a dry, warm, wind-free zone to relax and listen to the ocean.

After naptime each day, particularly when he napped until late afternoon, it was time to play naked baby on the beach. I can't imagine wearing a wet swimmy for endless hours, but he never complained. However, for the good of his bottom, we let him have ample time to run "free" on the beach. After all, Ocracoke is known to have nude beaches.

Some fellow vacationer was kind enough to leave a giant hole in the sand for our little sea otter.

Lincoln had the time of his life and ate his fair share of sand. Erik and I both can attest that what goes in, truly does come out.