and Desiree and Otto from her work.
It was soon to be vacation time, but first, I went to dinner in the city and before dinner, I got together with Sarah who introduced me to Dylan and Liz
and Desiree and Otto from her work.
This set us in the mood for a vacation, so we packed the car
and at the appropriate time (actually a few minutes late)
we set off for Sam's Club where in addition to this elegant lunch
chosen from quite the menu
we purchased the goods we were going to need for a week at the beach (albeit a soggy week at the beach)
and we were off until we got to the beach house and took first pictures of the kitchen
eating area
short hallway
living room
bathroom
and various bed rooms.
Ben and I went to the border to wait for the others to arrive
and when they did, we eventually found the beach tags and headed to the beach figuring that there was no need for photos because we'd be back many times (bad assumption)
so we next recorded the poppers about to go into the oven
as Suzanne worked on other parts of the dinner
Ben turned on the fan (another technology we wouldn't need to use much)
and I recorded all of the food, much of which we'd bring back
before we adjourned to the porch where Ben and Suzanne enjoyed the rest
and the cheese plate
and Diet Snapple
gave another view of the cheese plate
not to mention my gin and tonic
as Sarah and Suzanne became absorbed in the experience
as did Ed and Sarah
Jane and Ed around the table
while I took this self portrait
and made many efforts to capture Ben
before Ed had one last popper
which seemed to amuse Jane
as she brought forth another plate
and we noted the neighbors who seemed to be up to the same thing.
Back in the house, amid the nuts and flakes
Jane was at work
and the Caprese salad was being assembled
as Ben took on the task of providing music
and salad was served
as pesto was created
and water was boiled for pasta
which gave time for relaxation for Suzanne, Jane and Ben
and Ed and Sarah
before the table was set
and dinner was served to all of us
as this was my plate
and Suzanne
Ben
Ed
Sarah
Jane
and me in this self portrait
endured a moment of darkness
before the conversation resumed among Ed and Sarah
and Suzanne
as chocolates were served in
and out of focus
and a monoploy game ensued.
Sunday morning, Suzanne pondered the world
while she waited for her coffee
and cereal was served
as Suzanne checked her phone much to Sarah's amusement
and cereal ingredients and milk
fit together like this
as My Cousin Vinny was the first movie
for Jane and Ben
Suzanne
me
and Sarah and Ed
while Ben
then Sarah admired the banana flattened
and soon after work began on lunch
with this diet Snapple
and the sliced tomatoes
giving way to sandwiches
as I assembled the first (of too many) puzzles.
Monday morning, the sunny side of Sarah's eggs
the glow of the cereal boxes
and the beauty of the fruit
as we melted the butter
made us hope that this puzzle wouldn't take so much attention
but as Sarah assembled egg mcmmuffins of a sort
and Jane showed her wet hair (and Tour de France shirt)
it became clear that Sarah
and Ben had the right attitude about the day
even as Suzanne emerged from the shower
and we headed to Foodies where this space was reserved for the foodies among us
as we entered the store
to discover that although they had many things
and we could get these good sandwiches
they were out of meats and would be for days, maybe weeks and so we had to get a little bite of Italy
in this nice wrapper
before coming back to the post office
where Jane mailed Sarah's movie back to Netflix
and as Suzanne ate her sandwich,
we went into the video store to assemble this collection of movies since we had discovered that they were 1 way (or infinite day) rentals at $2 a pop.
Back at home, it was Arizona Iced Tea
Ben's cheese steak
and Boca burgers for me
as the brownies
alternated with the completed burger
but then the brownie
gave way to these cars that arrived for just a moment (as though they were leaving contraband in the rental below ours)
as we turned to serious viewing of Get Over It
as Jane
and Suzanne seemed to sleep
and then Dim Sum
while I finished first my book
and then my puzzle
so that we could have a celebratory dinner (though we would have much preferred to celebrate the end of rain) at The View
where Suzanne
placed her order with our waitress who could handle us because she taught 3rd grade in the regular year
and Ben
Sarah
Jane
and I
were ready for our drinks
as the bread was served
and then our main courses
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and then took pictures below their sign
before Sarah
and Suzanne
expressed some feelings about the desserts that we ordered
and we went home to watch Bridget Jones on The Edge of Reason.
Despite our best hopes, Tuesday was an uglier day than Monday, so there was a new puzzle for the day
and we began with coffee at the Village Brewer
and then headed to the flea market
at Surf City
where many bingo games occur
and Uncle Sam is a presence.
Next we went to Ron Jon's and some other stores
and then returned home with more movies and took Double Take out of the box
and began to watch it
stopping to admire Sarah's rings (50 cents a piece)
and Jane's manicure
and then focusing on Sarah's rings
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while Ben took to the couch
before digging into the fudge
and then returning to the couch
while I checked out my newly cleaned sweatshirt (still with a small stain)
and we had some foot pictures
before Heading to the Chicken or the Egg where Ben
Suzanne
Sarah
and I settled in
admired Sarah's rings
ordered a milkshake
and were joined by Jane
and George
and then Jane and George together
so that we could study the menu
and have some wings
as the drinks were gathered
and we admired the chicken collection
before the meal came.
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and coffees
before we discovered the Chocolate Bar (a new branch apparently)
on our way past the Ice Cream parlor
on our way to the Surflight Theater where we admired George's glob
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showed off her new hair holder
and Ben recorded the time
as Sarah, Suzanne and Ben posed
as the battery died
and we got our program for the show.
Wednesday, Suzanne
George and Jane
Sarah
and Ben
and George and Jane
and Suzanne were gathered for warmth in the living room
before we decided to go for a walk to see the puddles
and record some history on the island
before the next puzzle was finished
and Cookie's Fortune
was put into the VCR
while I read and completed the Scandal of the Season
Thursday began with us fetching The Paper
as eggs for breakfast
excited George
Jane
Suzanne
Ben
and me
when they were cooked
so that we could begin watching the paper
and prepare a sandwich before beginning the housing tour.
We began on 27th Street
and after the first house
paused for a South Carolina license plate concluding our quest from the Wyoming trip
and then recorded this house
and this one
before heading to 26th Street
where there was this house
this one for sale
and this one
and this was the local beach
and the path to the beach
before we went to 25th Street
where there was this house
and this one for rent
and this lovely bench
by the oceanfront house
with full rental details
and the neighbor's house
with the curious sign
as we made our way to 24th Street
where this
this
and this were the house to see before
23rd Street
where there was this house
and this one
for sale
and this house
along with this one
for rent
and this one at 16
and this one at 17
and this one at 14
before heading to 22nd Street
with these houses
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with these houses
this warning
and this walk to the beach (let the dunes begin!)
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with these houses
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with yet more houses
including this one for sale
and 19th Street
with these houses
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and a spiritual moment
before walking to 18th Street
where these were the houses
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to 30th Street (end of town)
and began anew with these houses
and this wide access to the beach
before another house on the way back to the boulevard
go us to 29th Street
where we saw these houses
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and this bench
all of which led to 28th Street where we were staying
and this house which we are highly unlikely to ever rent again.
Soon after the Justs and Jeff arrived
in the nice Lexus
brining a foccacio with them
which we cut and ate
before heading to the beach
where despite predictions to the contrary, parasailing was happening
as neighboring children ran from the waves
the beach badge inspector came for his annual visit
Suzanne and Jeff posed
and Jane and Ben made their way into the water
at the scene of these marvelous sand castles
and as they swam
the life guards watched
so that their swim could continue
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before I posed for these pictures with Jane
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which inspired Jane to see if the memory card would be full or the battery empty first by taking these pictures of me
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before we passed this bit of driftwood
on our way back to our seats
and noticed the approach of Judy, Sara, Steven and Jessie from a distance
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and show them the territory
before they settled in
as Jeff read
and a gull stole our bag of chips
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as Jane ate chips that were not shared with any gull,
Jeff studied Lee's iPod
and Suzanne led the discussion
with Jane watching
as we began our trek to the end of the island
with the lighthouse in view
passing the red flag that showed the next beach to be more dangerous
though the swimmers seemed not to mind
and as Jeff and Steven chatted
we reached the rocks
and looked at another view of the lighthouse
and rocks before calling it a day at the beach (and one of too few on this trip).
Back at home, we had cheese and mini pizza bagels together
and separately
as Jane
Ben
Jeff
and Suzanne
and then Ben and Jane enjoyed the day's sun before we ordered from Off the Hook.
Then we had pasta
crabs
and salad
before a tired Ben
me
and Jane
settled down for one last viewing of My Cousin Vinny because we knew the next day (our last day) would be a perfect day at the beach. And, it was, so we took no pictures.
