SAND AND SEA

I grew up a couple of hours from Morehead City and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, spent many happy weeks basking--and baking--under the summer sun. My friend Gene and I nearly drowned once as the undertow carried us out to sea.

Atlantic Beach at sunset.

Last Saturday Ron and I joined my brother Mack and sister-in-law Susan at Atlantic Beach for a few days. The old beach-front Pavilion, the gathering place for teenagers to dance and mingle when we were young, is gone. Emerald Isle and Salter Path, mostly sand dunes during my youth, are jam-packed with modern condos and houses and shopping centers. A modern, four-lane bridge over Bogue Sound has replaced the old drawbridge I liked so much.

 

A Place at The Beach III

The condo was small, but it had two bedrooms, two baths, a decent kitchen, small living room and covered deck. And it was clean. In the above picture, the water slide and ocean are visible in the distance. This was the second time we have stayed here. Click to enlarge.

We spent one day in Beaufort, one of my favorite towns. Ron and I considered retiring to Beaufort instead of  Smith Mountain Lake.

The boardwalk in Beaufort.

We ate lunch on the covered porch overlooking the water at Spouter Inn. If you crave really good seafood, eat here. 

Porch at the Spouter Inn on Taylor Creek 

which connects to Bogue Sound.

I miss the old Atlantic Beach. But the sand feels the same, the breakers still lull me to sleep at night, the air still has that indescribable beach smell with a hint of salt water, fish, and sun tan lotion, and the restaurants still serve scrumptious seafood. And no matter how it changes, I still have my memories.