What a glorious drive yesterday. We stayed in a KOA north of Charlotte. You can sure tell we have come up north...it's cold!!! But the colors became more vivid the farther we drove. There were a couple of things I would have liked to see but we didn't have the time. I've always wanted to go to Mt. Airy which is the town Mayberry was designed from. Also, I've always wanted to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway. But, we needed to get checked into the state park campground in case it filled up for Bridge Day. I don't think we needed to worry because there are still plenty of spots open, probably because we are far enough away from the festivities.

There is nothing more perfect than a cloudless sky, the gentle whoosh of the waves at low tide an hour after sunrise...coffee in hand, and 74 degrees. It was as if the fish knew we were leaving and came out to put on a show. They were leaping in every direction...stingrays catching air like stealth bombers of the sea, little silver fish called "spots" splashing, and even a couple of small sharks arcing over the waves. After two weeks watching the unsuccessful fishermen on the shore, it was a delight to watch them pulling in fish after fish.

It's so hard to say goodbye after such an amazing trip! We squeezed every bit of fun out of the last two weeks that we possibly could. But the very best was time spent on the beach, contemplating the beauty of our surroundings and eating our way through the South. Y'all sure know how to show a girl a good time down here! Seafood is one of my all time favorites and it was absolutely wonderful.

I'm taking the next couple of days to put my phone down and engage with the ocean. It is amazing here!

I'll be back on Thursday morning when it's time to move on.

❤️

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. My travel buddy and I hunted down the Fractured Prune...a franchise donut shop that makes your donuts hot and fresh to order. I was disappointed because all they had were white cake donuts. Lots of toppings and glazes to choose from, but cake donuts are not my favorite. And really, once you've had SWEET COLORADOUGH or VooDoo Doughnuts, nothing else compares. It was still fun to explore.

All good things must come to an end, so they say. Today is the last day at the beach. I have to say, this is the perfect length of time to be on vacation. Twelve days is just about right. There's been plenty of down time to rest as well as days packed with fun activities.

My sweet niece came from Savannah yesterday to visit me. She's 35 and still calls me Aunt Ginny.

What do you do in the afternoon when you have promised your dermatologist you won't expose 80% of your body to the strongest sun of the day? Well, you go shopping, of course! Even though I seldom buy anything, I still enjoy a girls afternoon...lunch, then wander aimlessly through cute stores.

It was successful on many levels. Besides the whole girl bonding thing, there was lunch, a cute little coffee shop, and I found a really neat bracelet I HAD to have. It's a thin silver band with the word "Fearless" stamped on it with a card attached. "To be fearless is to do what scares you, to take a chance, to make a change. To love again. And to get back up after you fall. To be fearless is to know your fears, but never let them stop you."

Who remembers "The Great Lockouts, 1 & 2"? Back in February or March, I got locked out of my trailer and had to break in through the storage compartment under the bed. After getting in, I went back out to put the stuff back in the compartment and when I tried to re-enter the door I had just come out of, it was still locked and I was back outside without the key. Everything came back out of the compartment and I broke in...again. Did I mention it was about 34 degrees? And raining?? Hard??? I said bad words.

Really...what else is there to say? Less is more. Enjoy your day, dear ones!

❤️

“They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.”

Shhhhh...listen. Do you hear that? It's quiet. The rain has stopped! The breeze is gently rustling the palms outside my window and the sound of the surf is a constant roar. We are less than a hundred yards from the beach and this is the first time I've heard the waves crashing from this far away.

Awesome!