Goodbye 2014 - Hello 2015

2014 was the Maui year.

Saxapahaw and the Haw River

It was 60 degrees and sunny so we took a quick trip to Saxapahaw, North Carolina.  Lynne and Jim enjoyed lunch al fresco - and the adventure!  And Anna, of course, was already thinking of her next adventure.

Christmas Eve

Anna and Lynne prepared a fabulous dinner. The guest list included Oma and Opa, and our friends Rebecca and Alvin.

DECEMBER 20, 2014

This is a surprise.
Likely to be the closest we'll get to a white Christmas.

http://youtu.be/U9iWyNVnK6w

Ready for Christmas 2014

Anna decorated the fireplace and the tree.  Ready for Santa.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Oma, Opa, Jim, and Lynne joined us for the feast.  We are now all stuffed more than the turkey!

MAUI IN NOVEMBER

Images and a short video of family fun.

 

Why we're going back to Maui:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Kb0w6XjNc

Our Underwater Adventure in Maui, Hawaii.

Paul, Jeff, Maggie and I did a dive off the coast of Lanai in Hawaii. We took a boat out for 45 minutes and completed 2 two tank dives there. One was the reef and called No Name and the other was known as Cathedral 1. The reef was rich with sea life and the cathedrals were beautiful lava formations. The pictures of the cathedrals were not so good because of the light.  The next day we took everyone out to Molokini Crater and the Wailea Reef. Liza, Myron, Chris, Sean and Liz snorkeled and Paul, Jeff, Maggie and I scuba dived. Myron was sick with bronchitis so he could not dive. We all saw marvelous creatures. We saw white tipped shark, octopus, eel, a frog fish, trumpet fish and many colorful butterfly and angel fish. It was a terrific 2 days!

November 7, 2014

Autumn is coming to the Triangle.  Leaves are falling off the trees and the temperature is 62°F.  But we still have clematis, hibiscus and bougainvillea blooming.

Saturday Visit to the North Carolina Museum of Art

The Museum had a family day - so of course we went with Lynne and Jim.

We photographed them in a blank frame:

And Anna just HAD to do a self-portrait (with the help of a clear piece of plastic on a mirror).  She was the oldest "child" at the tables!

And then there was a mirror with a side-mounted camera attached to a computer.  If you looked into the mirror you could "interact with the "smoke".  The result was other-wordly.

And then, before we left, we did a family portrait:

Halloween in Durham, NC

Getting into the spirit of the evening.

Going home from OBX

Driving home from the beach house, just past the Alligator River,  we saw cars pulled over to the side of the road.  I pulled our car over so Anna could jump out.  We've seen this happen before - it was a very large alligator sunning beside the stream.

Outer Banks Seafood Festival

The festival was mobbed!  It was over-viewed by a drone:

http://youtu.be/LbJb-Me3gr8

I was on a line to get some food.  A guy in front of me on the same line was bald and had a tattoo of two eyes on the back of his head.

We watched a net maker at work:

http://youtu.be/7VAvCPB7rJ4

And then there was a mullet-throwing contest:

http://youtu.be/bdS63FFyVrc

http://youtu.be/w6RtwTMCg4Y

We went home and at sunset we took the dogs for a walk.  The dolphins were feeding:

http://youtu.be/1IqJ1YSV4WA

And we spotted a horseshoe crab on the beach.  Charlie, the dog, was confused.

October at the Beach House

This weekend at Nags Head was predicted to be sunny and mid-70's.  We left Durham Thursday afternoon and ate dinner on the Outer Banks at the Flying Fish restaurant.

How did the beach look today?

The sea was quite warm.  Anna saved a baby sea turtle:

Video of Anna taking the turtle out to sea:
http://youtu.be/oQ-NprwtQaU

http://youtu.be/v9q7A-vSLok


The ocean waves:

http://youtu.be/5DwKrNXEO-Y

And then my brave spouse went up on the roof of the beach house to replace some cedar shingles on the chimney.

Video of the brave wife:

http://youtu.be/GsFWjXLI1ko

Birthday Fun

An old fellow on our street had a birthday.  And his friends gave him a surprise!

Carrboro Music Festival

Anna and I went with Lynne and Jim to the annual music festival in Carrboro.  Many different styles of music were being played all day in many venues throughout the town.  There were crowds of people enjoying the perfect weather and free performances.  When we returned home to eat dinner we found the local red-shouldered hawk on our deck railing - obviously thinking about his dinner.

Late-Blooming Plumeria

Given the cooler summer in North Carolina and a hard rain last week which knocked off three buds, we didn't see many blooms this year.  We cultivate plumeria because it reminds us of the wonderful aroma of Hawaii.  And the family will all meet there in November.  In the meantime:

Anna & Oma: Weekend In Charleston, SC

Anna took Oma to Charleston to experience the Old South.  This included great food, large mansions and lots of Spanish Moss.  Before this trip, Oma's only familiarity with this era was through reading romance novels.  Oma very much enjoyed the southern gentility and politesse (and, of course, the Belgian waffles!).

Short video of Angel Oak: http://youtu.be/P6V-tDssbQo