We really got lucky booking a condo on the south Texas coast during this unprecedented arctic blast that left almost nearly everywhere else in the US suffering from record or near-record cold. We had a couple of days with wind chills in the 20s, but the lowest recorded temperature was in the 32-33 range, much warmer than just about anywhere else we could be -- especially Kansas City. It has been quite windy most days, and the sun has been playing hide and seek, but the seven-day forecast is looking really good -- highs in the 60s and 70s! We did get out on a nice bike ride along the Park Road to the Padre Island National Seashore a few days ago before the arctic blast hit. We started out in tights and jackets but quickly stripped down to shorts and short sleeves. Barry met another cyclist while he was riding solo, and it turned out that he and his wife were staying in their 5th wheel at the RV park by the beach. They invited us to come by and see their rig and talk to them about RVing, while they picked our brains about Belize! It was great to meet some interesting folks who are also out traveling. We've gotten out to the beach for a couple of walks, though not as many as I expected because of the biting wind. I was disappointed to discover that motor vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach here, but because of the time of year, traffic is light. There's a small "no cars allowed" area by the pier that is probably packed on warmer weekends. We found an inexpensive, authentic Mexican restaurant within walking distance of where we're staying right here on the island. Excellente! We've also been enjoying the closest, huge grocery store, H.E.B. Plus. Prices are great, and there are a lot of organic and healthy choices.
We're looking forward to heading to some of the many birding hotspots in the area -- just waiting on warmer, dryer, and less windy weather. Looks like that will be coming along very soon, so stay tuned!
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It's pretty quiet here at Ocean Isle Beach, NC, and we've settled into a nice routine. Walking on the beach, riding bikes, reading, watching the sun set, eating simple, healthy meals in the condo (saving our eating out dollars -- and calories! -- for when my mother, step-dad, and brother arrive next week), and researching future travels online. It's not as exciting being here (where we've been several times before) as exploring a new place would be, but we certainly can't complain -- we're at the beach, after all! And after today, temperatures are supposed to warm up to 70+ for four days straight. We will really enjoy that! Here are a few photos from the past week -- has it really been over a week since I posted last?! We've had variable weather from quite chilly to almost warm. Barry was excited to wear shorts and a t-shirt for one of his beach walks! Barry took this series of photos of Paisley and me on the beach that I really liked. She was resisting me the whole time, trying desperately to go wherever I wasn't to investigate all the interesting smells in the sand, but I think that made for better photos. Sometimes obstinance can be cute, right? Finally I gave in to her whims and did a little running. I love that Barry caught me with both feet off the ground in this photo -- looks like I am walking on air! And she hangs out on the condo's balcony whenever the sun is warm. She even asks to go out there when the temperature is in the 40s, so long as the sun is out. We had an especially beautiful sunset the other night. Hard to choose which photos to show, but here are a few. Yesterday afternoon we took a walk when the tide was at its lowest. The beach here is so wide, and this time of year, so empty! There will be more folks here spending Christmas week, but for now, we're enjoying having this beautiful place almost to ourselves. We'll happily share it with these guys, though.... This morning Barry returned from his walk and told me that there is a Little Free Library here on the island! There are a few of these in Prairie Village, and we ran into one in Hill City, South Dakota on our fall trip. I love these! So, when we took our bike ride today, we swung by there, and I exchanged a paperback I'd just finished for a new one. I finally came up with what looks like a perfect beach read from one of my favorite authors. So that's a little slice of our life here on the beach. It hardly feels like we're less than a week from Christmas!
We are spending most of the month of December at Ocean Isle Beach, NC -- and it appears we escaped the Kansas City area in the nick of time. We had already had some seriously nippy weather in the second half of November, with nights dipping into the low teens and a few days with highs that didn't reach freezing. After spending the past two winters in Belize, this was a real shock to our systems. We'd never liked cold weather before, and we find we tolerate it even less now. It was too cold to ride our bikes, and even walking, especially when the wind was blowing, was not pleasant. Time to get the heck out of dodge! It's only gotten colder (and whiter!) in the nation's mid-section since we made our escape, so we couldn't have left at a better time. As I write this, it is 5F in KC with a windchill of -6F. Brrrrr! But first ya gotta get there...We left on Thanksgiving Day, car packed to the max. We had already made our own Thanksgiving meal and eaten it several times in the previous week, so we didn't feel too deprived. We ate a Subway sandwich in Cadiz, Kentucky on Thanksgiving! We then made our way to my mother and step-dad's home in Hickory, NC for a couple of days. When we crossed over into North Carolina in the Appalachians, we were greeted by some very beautiful scenery at the NC welcome center near Asheville. The skies were blue, the snow was melting, and the temperature was quite balmy (40s) compared to what we were used to by this time. Our next stop was another very brief one in Chapel Hill for a few appointments. Since we were there for such a short time, we were only able to see a couple of friends, but we did have very nice visits at Eileen and Dan's lovely home in Chapel Hill and an impromptu lunch with David S. in Durham. We splurged and stayed at the very Euro-chic Aloft Hotel, which we'd always admired while living in Meadowmont Apartments down the road, and it was very nice indeed. Pet-friendly and no pet fee also! We had fun walking around Meadowmont at night and seeing a house that always decorates very nicely for the Christmas season. On a daytime walk, we visited our apartment parking lot, and Paisley tried to lead us right up to our old unit -- dogs have long memories for places! Arrival and a birthday...Next we made our way down to the coast. It just so happened to be Barry's birthday, so after checking into our rental condo right on the beach, unloading the car, and enjoying a beautiful sunset, we went out for dinner. Naturally the birthday boy's choice was Mexican, and who was I to deny him his choice on his birthday!? Beach dazeWe've had a great first few days at the beach with some lovely weather -- and some pea-soup fog. Although it's a little warmer inland than here on the coast, we can't complain at all. As most of the nation has suffered with arctic blasts, snow, and ice storms, we've enjoyed highs close to 70F and enjoyed some fine beach walks. We've also been able to ride our road bikes three days in a row -- something we definitely could not be doing in KC. This is the time to be here, with beaches practically empty and very little traffic on the roads.
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Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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