Vacation continues

Here's where we are now -- one of my favorite places on earth, Hatteras Island, NC. We used to come here as a family every year when we were younger (my parents still come every summer for 3 weeks!), and I was glad to be able to bring Dave here now. One of his friends got married on the Outer Banks, so it was a perfect place for us to end our vacation. We're staying in Buxton at the Cape Hatteras Bed & Breakfast -- seriously the most wonderful, relaxing, perfectly located b & b I've ever stayed at. We were supposed to stay 3 nights, then we extended to 4, and now 5...you get the picture. But they're booked up after Friday so we have to leave then! 500 ft from the beach (which is too windy to lay on today, so you get a blog post!) Here's Dave & I on the soundside last night, waiting for a table at the Sandbar & Grille (used to be located down the road a bit in Hatteras but Hurricane Isabel destroyed it in 2003). And here's a shot of us strolling on the beach.

We also visited my cousins in Charleston, SC and had a great time playing with their young ones -- but neglected to take a single photo of them (oops!) Prior to SC, we stayed in New Orleans for a few nights. Such a beautiful city. But the areas that were hit by Katrina are extremely sad. I'll post some pics of the devestated homes, but not today, it's really depressing. You can look at Dave eating a beignet instead. Just know that the tourist areas (French Quarter, Garden District, etc.) are fine and welcoming visitors, and the city really, really needs it -- there are areas (like the lower 9th ward) where the houses are 90% uninhabited and almost every other yard has a FEMA trailer in it. If you can get yourself down there, do it, support the city. It's really beautiful.