Any week that includes bagpipes, a fleet of kites, staying on the oceanfront in Emerald Isle and a hero is alright by me. For the past several days the Wax tribe have been enjoying these first hot June days in the Breezy cottage on the oceanfront in Dolphin Ridge.
It’s enough to be enjoying sun, sand and turquoise blue surf with my two grandsons….but we loved the vivid primary colors of the large scale kites from a kite flying family from Colorado that greeted us on arrival. They made a daily ritual of coming down the neighborhood walkway with kites and gear stowed in their bicycle basket. Kites up, up and away by 9:00 am then reeling in, in, in by early evening when the light becomes soft and golden on the beach. Our generations watched their generations carry on that magnificent tradition day after day.
It’s enough to be feasting on crabs night after night….first crab cakes, next night North Carolina’s finest delicacy, soft shell crabs, then steaming blue hard crabs til they turned bright crimson with spicy crust flaking off ….then we heard the sweet strains of Amazing Grace played on bagpipes just a few porches down each evening at sunset. Oh, how sweet was the sound.
It’s enough to wade through ocean tidal pools with my 2 year old grandson, then swim with my proud 8 year old grandson as he reaches the sand bar for his first time…then we learn of an heroic ocean rescue of a 67 year old man staying just three homes from ours by a young man employed by Island Essentials who was picking up beach gear. Without hesitation, and without even stopping to take off his shoes, he ran into the white capped ocean and helped the gentleman to shore.
Just another week on Emerald Isle…with the kites, and the bagpipes and a hero.
Julia Batten Wax