Beach Floating

On Ocracoke Island, my mind floats.

Anticipating my week long sojourn on the Outer Banks, I think of all the activities I love to do and plan accordingly -- birdwatching, kayaking, fishing, walking on the beach, biking and eating, maybe trying parasailing or horseback riding.

Once I've crossed the sound from Hatteras, these plans quickly are pared down -- I use my bike to get around and I definitely look forward not only to the Crews Inn morning repast but other seafood feasts -- crab beignets at the Back Porch, fresh bluefish at the Atlantic Cafe, shrimp at Howard's Pub.



My type A personality recedes -- I enjoy long walks on the beach until I can see no other people, I read Alan Furst novels of World War II adventure and I nap every afternoon. Even though I arrived not particuarly stressed, my body now reminds me how good it feels to truly release and relax. As I walk or sit on the beach, my mind floats -- on the waves, in the clouds, across the ripples in the sand made by the water receding from the shore.

New definition for myself: reader, napper, sometime birder and beachcomber.

Without newspapers !

An inveterate newspaper reader, NPR and News Hour junkie, I usually incorporate the daily news into my Ocracoke regimen. Whether I was at a hotel, B&B or cottage, in the past, my morning ritual included a walk to one of the two stores or the coffee shop for a Virginian-Pilot, which combined national and Virginia headlines with North Carolina news.

This year, however, I forgot all about the newspapers, although for a moment on my final day, I thought a paper might be good for transition back to "real life. "

But-- nah -- there's still plenty of blue sky, sands and waves to contemplate for another day.