Friday, September 3, 2010

Come away with me

I’ll announce the winner of the book giveaway at the end of this post.

As I write this, the stormy fringe of Hurricane Earl’s overcoat has brushed past our coast. He will have kicked up high surf for the coming days. And record high temperatures are following in his wake.  I just might have to sneak out to the beach for some fun in the giant waves.

I thought maybe I could take you with me to the beach today. Want to come?  If so, here’s what you’ll see. We’ll pack a cooler with some snacks and drive over the bridge, heading for the middle of the island to park by Jonny Mercer’s pier.

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With flip flops on so we don’t burn our feet, we’ll pass the dunes …

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and then kick off the shoes to join the few others already on the beach. It’s not crowded!

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We’ll plop down our stuff and go for a walk, working up a slight sweat before heading into the water. The water is still very warm – I was swimming in it on Monday and it felt great. Hope you like jumping waves.

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Occasionally patches of the beach are covered with shells and shell fragments. I hit one spot on my walk on Monday and stopped to search for shark’s teeth.

But mostly our beach is soft and sandy, which is just the way I like it.

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We’ll spend hours soaking up the sun, playing in the surf, and walking and talking. If you fall asleep on your towel, I’ll probably pull out a book and read for awhile in my chair.

Once you’re ready to go, we’ll hose off at the public beach bathrooms & shower.  It has a sign on the back side that always cracks me up.

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Tired but refreshed, we’ll head back to the parking lot, passing by the tacky-yet-charming surf shop.

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And Buddy’s Crab House & Oyster Bar, see the pirate permanently hanging off the side?

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And turn and wave good bye to the beach and pier until another day …

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I trust you enjoyed our jaunt to the shore. And I sure hope you remembered to apply sun-block, or you’ll be hurting tonight!  Thanks for hanging with me.

The winner of my book It’s No Secret is comment #19. Congrats, Dawn!

Here are your random numbers:

19 Timestamp: 2010-09-03 03:46:15 UTC

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful beach- Although my favourite time at the beach is cold wet grey days. God created every sort of day to be enjoyed.

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  2. Ah... Good 'ol Wrightsville Beach! I love Wilmington & Wrightsville! You live in paradise! Thank goodness I have plenty of friends in Wilmington so I get to leave the Ohio weather and visit frequently!

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  3. Sooooo wish I were there with you! I can smell the salt and feel the waves! Thanks for "taking" us along with you! Glad Earl was gentle. Love ya! Sam (from P31)

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  4. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My vacation this summer with my family was in Wilmington and I miss it absolutely everyday!! Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach is an absolutely beautiful place and seeing these pics brought me back-even if only for a moment. I thank you and hope you have a truly blessed day!!

    Angel from New England

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  5. Oh, I so enjoyed looking at these pictures! Thank you so much for sharing these! I like the sunny days and I agree with the first comment... those wet ones are beautiful too!

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  6. Headed your way this evening to enjoy what Wrightsville Beach has to offer! Love that pier and the "tacky, yet quaint" souvenir shop.

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  7. thank you so much for taking us to the beach with you today, it is JUST what I needed...

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  8. Congratulations to Dawn. I read the excert on Amazon and can't wait til I can order the book. Look forward to reading it.

    The pictures of the beach are great. I'm not as much a beach person now as I was 20 or 30 years ago. We will be going to Atlantic Beach in October. My husband's brothers go every year for their annual fishing. It's always a great time to get together with everyone.

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  9. Oh, you are SO my kind of gal! First the ring, and now the beach (my fave place on earth). Gonna have to add your locale to my "must visit" list. Hoping the P31 ladies got my book order in the mail today so I have it next week.
    Blessings and congrats again, Patti Hazlett

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  10. Gorgeous! I wish I lived closer to the beach. NPR was talking about surfers headed out to the coast to catch some waves.

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  11. Nice to have a beach nearby with WARM water to play in. I live near Santa Cruz, CA and the water is chilly although the kids love to plunge into the waves. This was a wonderful day for you with such a tranquility and peace that makes this day memorable. Treasure this time. Kathy

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  12. Jane from SCSeptember 05, 2010

    Rachel, Just wanted you to know that I just finished reading the first chapter of your book and wished I could have underlined, starred and highlighted so much. Now I can not wait to get my own copy! Hopefully tomorrow or by Tuesday I will have one in my hand - have to find a store (probably out of town) that has it!! It is awesome! Thanks for the beach pictures. We have not been able to go on vacation this summer and love the beach and with today being such a beautiful day I could imagine sitting there with you and talking about your book as I read it! You referred to someone at Proverbs31 as Samantha and her knowing scripture - is she a speaker? Wondered if she had a blog too. Have a great day and keep writing girl - wish I had that talent.

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  13. Hi Jane from SC. So glad you loved the preview and I'm encouraged to hear you're going to get your hands on a copy. I pray it blesses you big time!

    Samantha works in the P31 office - she assists me each week with the online devotions. She's a gem, and very sharp too! While she doesn't speak, she keeps a blog at: http://fieldsgold.blogspot.com/

    Enjoy the book and keep in touch!

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  14. Loved the pictures and walking along the beach with you!!! Looks delightful. I pray your memories linger long in your hearts.

    We were at the Jersey Shore last week for 4 days in Ocean City. It's our favorite place. There is nothing like the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Feels like home to us.

    Hugs,
    Sharon

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