Sunday, September 20, 2009

Beach Vacation in Duck, NC

If it weren't for the off shore hurricane rains locking us in our 3rd floor ocean-side condo for the first half or the rip currents and 6-10 foot waves it generated for our remaining sunny days making swimming off limits, it would have been perfect. BUT, ironically it was!! After just coming off a whirlwind 3 country business trip in 5 days and Pranvera's almost daily 'morning sickness' from her harsh commute to work, all we wanted to do was sleep, rest, read and relax in the company of each other. And that is in fact all we could do with the added benefit of looking out our windows to see a beautiful beach and ocean a stone's throw away.






When the rains parted we did make it out for nice long walks, playing on the shopping boardwalks located on the 'sound side' of the peninsula where we were staying, going out to nice restaurants and just playing silly.





The weather was a good excuse to introduce Pranvera to our national past time of miniature golf. And considering she got a hole and one and beat me on most puts, I think I'll stick to chess.





Finally when the winds died down we were able to venture to the beach to enjoy the warm surf from the sand. Sunsets were always beautiful with a nice romantic stillness about them. Good seafood and a nice glass of wine where perfect accomplices.







Monday, September 14, 2009

Wedding at the Shore

What a better way to close out the summer with a late August wedding of my cousins' mom at the 'Shore' about an hour/half outside of DC heading towards the ocean. Kate and Sophia were not the little girls I remembered playing with just a week before but young ladies celebrating their mom's wedding. The weather was perfect and the light from the setting sun reflecting off the water and the tent set the perfect stage. A very short and simple ceremony was highlighted by Sophia and her new step-brother Elias playing Ode of Joy on their instruments followed by Kate reciting a poem she had prepared for the newly weds.









Of course plenty of drinks, a nice Mediterranean buffet, incredible cake and dancing held the 100 person crowd there (and 30 kids) well into the evening. Pranvera and I stayed at a small hotel in a neighboring town to enjoy getting out of the city for a night before I did a 3 country week-long whirlwind tour of Central America for work.


And the following day was spent watching the kids enjoy the wedding presents we had provided in their new pool.