OBX ~ NC ~ 1

Driving toward the Outer Banks, we first crossed Roanoke Island.

We made a brief stop at the Elizabethan Gardens . . .

. . . because I wanted to get some photographs of the blue hydrangeas. 

The attendant graciously allowed us to enter the garden for free

to get these photographs ~ we could only be there about 15 minutes.

Someday, I would like to spend much more time there ~ it is a beautiful place.

Along the path to the hydrangeas, this statue graced the garden.

There were white oak-leaf hydrangeas  nearby . . .

. . . and pink hydrangeas  too.

But I was most enamored by the blue ones.

~ egret statue near the front entrance ~

We then crossed onto Hatteras Island, journeying toward the little town

of Salvo, where the house we were renting was located.

We stopped at the Salvo Day Use Area on Pamlico Sound

to see an old cemetery nearly hidden in the sand and sea vegetation,

surrounded by a weathered picket fence with a creaky old gate.

I wondered about the fate of these two little girls dying on the same day;

was it an epidemic?  an accident? 

Many of the stones had the last name of Midgett on them.

Do any of you know the story here?

Our family soon all arrived at the house and after unpacking,

we trudged over the sandy dune to the beach.  

For some of our grandchildren, it was their first glimpse of an ocean . . .

. . . and baby J's first experience with the ocean sand.

It was such a joy to watch their excitement and enjoyment of the waves.

A brisk, ocean wind blew that evening ~ but there was promise of warm,

balmy days for the week ahead.  Our 2-year-old grandson joined his grandpa

in feeding the gulls  ~ he was so delighted by it all.

We soon headed back to the house for the night, so excited to know

that we had a whole week to enjoy and explore God’s creation in this place.

I simply never tire of the ocean ~ and I look forward to someday dwelling

in a heavenly place that the Bible says has a sea of crystal.

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal”

Revelation 4:6

TGBTG