Friday morning we filled the Scout up for a beach adventure, and struck out for the sand above Corolla. Finn’s seat strapped easily to the rear bench, and she happily held on to Ox and Kasoogi as we left the pavement and drove north to find a quiet patch of ocean to ourselves. Once we’d parked, she laughed and played in the surf, and I carried her into shin-deep water to brave the breakers together. It was great to see Chewbacca out on the beach again, and I tried to shoot as much of the experience as I could for Brian.

After returning home (and a short road nap in the Scout), we adjourned to the pool for the afternoon, taking advantage of the last sun of our stay. Burgers on the grill accompanied whatever we had left over in the fridge, and Brian started mixing drinks as Mama and I waited for Finn to fall asleep. Note to self: beware the offer of a Mudslide on the evening before the trip home.

We woke to rain and wind beating on the windows, which meant outdoor activities were curtailed. Mr. Brian made pancakes for the house, and we tried to make our way down the shore to the aquarium in Monteo, but the road north of Duck had been washed out. We contented ourselves with a lunch of excellent barbecue and fried fish served by illegible waitstaff. Finn melted down after that, so it was home for a nap in the top bunk and a quiet afternoon of reading and quiet time for us.

We’re not ready to come home yet.

Red flags at the beach today, because of rip currents and rough water. We adjourned to the pool, sipping pina coladas under a blue sky flecked with clouds, and splashed until Finn’s eyes got heavy. After a long nap, she got right back in the water and had to be dragged out for dinner.

Elsewhere, Texas is on fire and our hometown is underwater; news reports show a river down Main Street in Elicott City. Hopefully there will be a house to return to.

Another beach day today, but high winds made it a sandy experience. We got down there at 10:30 and had more room to spread out than Sunday. I made sand castles and Finn smushed every one of them with a giggle. We played wave keepaway and collected shells and dug in the sand and waded in about knee-deep, but stayed away from the breakers. Two hours later we left with an exhausted and cranky girl in tow. The afternoon was spent in the pool, which was warm and calm and free of sand, and next to the hot tub.

We’ve got alternate housing plans for the Outer Banks next week; a house has been reserved in our name between Duck and Corolla north of the bridge, which means we just need to get down there in time to avoid Hurricane Katia. Special thanks go to Mr. Scout and his lovely wife, who did the legwork to save Christmas.

I navigated the slippery streets and alleys of Hampden the other day to pick this up from a co-worker who is moving out of town. It’s a Sears XCargo 50, which will extend the liveable space in the CR-V tremendously when we travel. (20 cubic feet? Hell yes.) I have to pick up a set of cargo bars to mount it on, but I found a Thule kit that will fit the rails we have for about $200 without all of the special feet/attachment/lock foolishness.