Blessed beach house Sunday

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It was a blessed Sunday morning, complete with quiet relaxation and meditation on the beach house deck. After a nice breakfast (leftover egg casseroles and lots of fresh fruit) and a nice chat with Gord and Annie, Tom and I decided to take our first bike ride.

We took the Emerald Isle bike path for nearly 9 miles before reaching the end of the path (at Indian Beach), so we decided to turn around and head back rather than continuing on the road. The path was really nice at the beginning with trees and shade, but it soon came out of the trees and ran parallel to the main drag down Emerald Isle. Much of it was in a commercial area and there were many driveways and side roads we had to slow down for to make sure cars weren't exiting or entering. With new sights to see along the way, we still found it interesting.

On the return ride, we mostly took a side road nearer to the beach. Although we couldn't see the ocean itself, we enjoyed checking out all the different sizes, styles and colors of beach houses that lined both sides of the street. Some were huge and absolutely gorgeous!

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With temps in the mid to high 80's and the humidity at 85%, the heat and sunshine started to get to me at about the 12.5 mile mark. I needed to take a little break to rehydrate, so we parked in the shade and then walked up the boardwalk to take in a view of the ocean. The break helped get me through to the end of our 18-mile ride, but I commented that our next ride would not be in the heat of the mid-day sun. Tom, who is used to longer rides, continued on for another 8 miles as he checked out the other end of the bike path, while I had lunch and took a refreshing dip in the pool.

The afternoon was spent lounging on the deck, by the pool and at the beach. We jumped in the waves of the ocean for awhile too. The water here is incredibly warm, much warmer than the water temps we're used to in Lake Michigan! Although the sky was dark behind us and we heard several rumbles of thunder, the storm clouds went around us and we were able to enjoy a full afternoon outside.

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It was my turn to make supper tonight, so I decided to make one of my favorites: Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing. Tom had seen a fresh shrimp roadside stand on his ride, so Brian had gone out to pick some up for us. In addition to the salad, Brian added his pepper, bacon and cheese appetizers, and we all enjoyed the meal with a little Pinot Gris.

During and after dinner we planned out our next couple of days, which should be action-packed and fun! We all hit the hay early as we leave for kayaking at 7:30 in the morning.