A Week On The Outer Banks, NC

We spent last week in Nags Head, NC on the Outer Banks. It rained and was cold a few days but it was nice, sunny and breezy a few other days. From my viewpoint, everyone left satisfied. A few of the group had to leave Friday even though checkout was Saturday. The house felt really empty Saturday morning. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

This is the house we stayed in on the beach.

The name of the house is "MUCHO Dinero" and by the middle of summer it costs a lot to stay there. I think we had the last week of off-season rates.



This is the Bodie Lighthouse, it was just a few miles down the road from where we stayed. The weather looks just like the picture shows except for the cold blowing wind that day.

Scattered all around the Outer Banks are various winged-horses painted or decorated in various combinations. Here are a few examples we saw.

Here is another one.



And a third.



We had lots n lots of good food. This picture shows burgers and brats.



These are caribou steaks, cooked and served by the mighty hunter.

And this would be barbecued chicken coming down the home stretch, yummy yummy.



We had desserts like this in the evening and fruit cups every morning.

The Elizabeth II, a replica of the ship Elizabeth who brought the English to the Outer Banks in 1585. There is also a replica settlemnt to show how these folks lived while here in 1585. All who visited this with me enjoyed themselves.



From our rental, this was the gateway to the beach. Somedays it was sunny and nice, other days it was not but we enjoyed metal detecting, hunting sea shells, surf fishing and running into and out of the waves.




This is the beach when it was nice and sunny.



A fisherman's pole sits in quiet expectancy.

Somehow This Poem Sticks With Me

Tommy

by Rudyard Kipling

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Maybe it's my years of government service, but this poem seems to say it all.

And The House Continues

This is a front view of the house taken on 9 May 2007. The outside lights have been installed on either side of the garage door.


This picture also shows the sidelight by the garage side door. On the floor inside the garage is stacked the tile to be used in the house.

The following pictures were taken on Monday, 7 May 2007. All the doors are in, the moulding is 99% complete. The septic tank was installed Monday morning before we arrived on site. The internal plumbing, sinks still have to be istalled and the house connected to the septic tank before everything is completed. The cabinet work is essentially completed. While we were there, the tile supply company delivered all of the tile and tile necessities. The carpet is supposed to be delivered this next Saturday and be installed soon after. The interior and exterior painting is also 99% completed. Next week, the driveway will also be poured along with any required sidewalks and concrete pads such as for the ac unit and the water tank.


Shown above is the the master bath vanity. Just to the left is a Jacuzzi style tub.



This view is in the Master Bedroom , the window to right looks out the front of the house. The ceilings in this area are 10 feet.


Master Bedroom again, both of these windows look out the east side of the house.


These are the fans the builder puts in the house. Our builder has put in much nicer furnishings than our last builder.


This is the chandelier in the dining area. All of the builder picks are brushed nickel.



Here it is, Maudie's masterpiece, the kitchen. This is the East side, the sink goes under kitchen window. She has picked a very large one hole sink tobe installed.



This is the West side of the kitchen. The big hole in the middle is for the refrigerator. The hole to the right is for the stove.


These cabinets are located between the refrigerator and the stove.


These cabinets will surround the stove.

Here is my GB making a final check with her paint chips. The builder will paint the whole inside white and then we will add colors of our choosing as soon as we can move in.


The counter tops are the centerpiece of her masterpiece. The bar was made with a different color than the counter top, just as she ordered.