Our week at the beach

Almost every year since I can remember I have gone down to Carolina Beach (about 20 minutes southeast of Wilmington) with my family. My great-grandfather loved the beach and bought some oceanfront beach property back in the early 30’s. In 1939 he built the first beach house that was demolished by Hurricane Hazel in 1954—the year my mother was born. A couple of years later he rebuilt the house and other than some minor modifications it is the house that we still visit today. When the house was built in 1955 there was no air conditioning, no modern kitchen conveniences (other than an oven and a refrigerator) and only one bathroom. My great-grandfather passed away in the 60’s and my great-grandmother lived until 1994. I remember going to the beach house in the summers as a child and listening to her stories and hearing her laugh. I didn’t speak with her much because her hearing was bad and she couldn’t understand me, but it taught me that it is better to listen to the lessons of the older generation. Her room was across the hall from my grandmother’s room, and she was the only person in the house with air conditioning (a little wall unit). By the time I was about 10 years old my great-grandmother was too feeble to come to the beach anymore, so it was rented out some to pay for up keep. Each of my great-grandparents 6 children were given one week each summer to come to the beach. So, we would come each summer with my uncles to the beach house. They added a couple of upstairs bathrooms (when I was young the only showers were under the house with the water bugs and spiders) and air conditioning in the early 90’s. I have so many wonderful family memories of the beach house with my family. It is rustic and made of pine boards—floor, walls and ceiling, but I love the place. I remember running with my brothers there as a child, building sandcastles, watching my mom bury watermelon in the sand, going to find the sea turtles, sunburns, crabbing, Britt’s doughnuts (the BEST doughnuts in the world!!!—Ask anyone that has had them), snow cones, thunderstorms over the ocean and ferry rides. I hope that many of those wonderful memories are being passed on to my girls and that they find wonder in the beauty of the ocean. Here are some of our pictures from this past week…
Courtney and I comparing notes... Ellie dancing the hula on the gazebo above the dunes.

Riley looking at the sea life at the NC Aquarium.

Hannah and Ellie enjoying the fish at the NC Aquarium.

The front of the beach house that faces the ocean.

My grandfather with his 5 great-granddaughters (3 are mine!!!!).
Our annual family photo-- Amy (Shane's girlfriend), Shane, Ashley, Courtney, Jordan, George, Shannon, Riley, George (Granddaddy), Hannah, Pandora (Buela) and Ellie...