Topsail Beach, NC Vacation

September, 1998

Every Labor Day we head down to Topsail Beach, North Carolina, for a week's respite. My in-laws own a beach house in Surf City, NC, on the island of Topsail Beach.

Road Trip to NC: Saturday, September 5, 1998

Somewhere in West Virginia: Time to make a pit stop.

Charleston, West Virginia: No time to stop; we've got a beach to go to!

Near Paint Creek, West Virginia: Our favorite Sunoco.

Lunch Break in North Carolina: Wendy's is a staple of our diet.

Another Rest Stop: The trip down is a blur of rest areas and fast food restaurants.

Final Rest Stop: Almost there...

Arrival: We made it!

At the Beach House: Sunday, September 6, 1998.

Noe's Ark: Our favorite home-away-from-home.
Noe's Ark: Another view.
Noe's Ark: Without the storm shutters.
Geeks at the Beach: Terry and her laptop.
Portable PC: Have laptop, will travel.
Not-so-portable PC: Have tower case, will travel.
Nintendo, Too: For when PC games aren't enough.
Storm Damage: Hurricane Bonnie was here.
Ocean View: View from the top deck.
Sound View: Looking inland from the island.
Noe's Ark: Rear view.
The Docksider: One of our favorite gift shops.
Postcards: A mandatory part of every vacation.
Sea Shells: Buy what you didn't find on the beach.
Shark!: The safe way to see one.
Sea Shells: Buy 'em by the basket.
Spending Money: The American way.
Sunday Dinner: At the Old Landing restaurant.
Sunday Dinner: The other side of the table.
Old Landing: Tell 'em BC sent you.
Full Stomachs: Time to go home and take a nap.
Turtle Hospital: A hospital devoted to sea turtles.
Neighbor's Cat: A friendly visitor.
Pete and Seymour: Spending some quality time together.

Monday, September 7, 1998.

Grocery Run: We don't have Food Lion in Ohio.
Blackbeard's Quarters: Dinner!
My Dinner with Blackbeard: Soon to be a major motion picture.
Ocean View: We don't have those in Ohio, either.
Surf City Pier: Scenic, ain't it?
Surf City's Beach: Looking north.
Spinnaker Surf Shop: Doing some after-dinner shopping.
Shoe Shopping: Buying some sandals.
Shoe Shopping Continued: These'll do nicely.

Tuesday, September 8, 1998.

Crocheting: Terry is industrious.
Making Ornaments: Kat is industrious, too.
Landscaping: Hurricane Bonnie's hobby.
Stormy Weather: Time for some rain.
Yellow Sunset Weird skies!

Wednesday, September 9, 1998.

Shopping Day: First stop, the Gift Basket.
Jewelry Counter: gold strike at the Gift Basket.
Books: Can never have too many of them.
Bert's Surf Shop: There's a shortage of these in Ohio.
Surfside Gifts: Next store to Bert's.
Inside Surfside Gifts: More souvenirs than you can shake your wallet at.
Lunch Break: Mollies is a good choice.
Inside Mollies: Where's the food?
Appetizer Time: Jalapeno Poppers anyone?
Back to Shopping: Topsail Island Trading Company.
Captain Ed: To know him is to love him.
Fudge!: Acres of it.
Rocking Chairs: Always inviting.
View From the Porch: Peaceful.
Post Office: Deliver the letter, the sooner the better.
Rare Earth: Step back in time to the sixties.

Thursday, September 10, 1998.

The Beach Awaits: Let's walk the beach.
Almost There: 10 seconds until we hit the sand.
It's the Beach: Looking north on Topsail Beach.
It's Still the Beach: Looking south on Topsail Beach.
Dead Skate: Kat and Terry found this on the beach.
Dead Squid: They found this, too.
Dune Reconstruction: Cleaning up after Hurricane Bonnie.
Don't Take the Stairs: Hurricane Bonnie already took them.
Surf City Pier: Fisherman's choice.
Beneath the Pier: View from below.
Atop the Pier: Lots of fishermen today.
View From the Pier: Looking south.
Another View From the Pier: Looking south again.
More Hurricane Damage: Missing siding.
Shark's Teeth and Shells: Beachcombing pays off.
Big Tooth: The better to bite you with.
Sea's Bounty: Terry's shell and shark's teeth collection.
Faux Tooth: A shark's tooth imposter.
Christmas in September: Kat's handiwork.
Breezeway Restaurant: A favorite.
Carolina Sunset: Looking west across the sound.
Dinner at the Breezeway: Ask for Jenna.
Grocery Run: We're out of Coffee-Mate!
Silly Shoppers: In your grocer's dairy case.

Friday, September 11, 1998.

Wings: A superstore.
Inside Wings: Wall of tee shirts.
Sea Turtle Hospital: Southern hospitality extends to sea turtles, too.
Inside the Sea Turtle Hospital: Eight tanks, eight turtles.
Sea Turtle Patient: Waiting for his shell to heal.
Same Patient: Biding time and waiting for spring.
Another Patient: In need of helping hands.
Calico Cat: A cat we met at the turtle hospital.
Assembly Building: There's a museum inside.
Talos Missile: Anti-aircraft missile from 1959.
Concrete Tower: Remnant from World War II.
Cheri's Steakhouse: A change of pace from seafood.
Inside Cheri's: Let's eat!
Surf City Swing Bridge: A dying breed.

On the Way Home: Saturday, September 12, 1998

McDonald's: Breakfast on the run.
Gas Up and Roll Out: Cars have to eat, too.
Scenic Highways: Roadside flowers.
Gas Up, Again: Fossil fuel, anyone?
Daniel Boone: He was a big man.
Pilot Mountain: A mountain with an unusual profile.
Virginia: Mile marker 1.
Lunch in Virginia: Keeping Dave Thomas in business.
Ohio at Last: Two hours from home.
Home!: Thirteen hours and nearly 700 miles later.
Home is where the cats are: Topaz and BC.
Welcome Home: Turbo says, "Hey".

Want to know more about Topsail Island? You can keep up with the local news by visiting the web site of the local newspaper, Topsail Voice.

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