Tonight Veronica and I will be heading back to our place on the Outer Banks. Veronica has just a few days left to work at her store there and I have a few days to finish cleaning up whatever is left over from my last visit. I still have a couple of rooms left to clean up so we can get our deposit back. We also have a carpet cleaning service coming on Wednesday the 12th. We will be returning our keys into the management company at the end of the month and that will wrap up that chapter of our lives. It was interesting living on the Outer Banks with our most memorable times being the couple of hurricanes that went through the area while living there.
Veronica had a good birthday. We went to Ruths Chris and had a great meal and then saw the Cirque du Soleil production Kooza. It was a great show held under a huge circus style tent. Luckily the air conditioning was working well because it was really hot and muggy out. We were seated 3rd row from the front and basically centered to the stage. I would highly recommend seeing Kooza if you get the opportunity. Seeing it in a huge tent and it being a travelling show added a whole new dimension to the show.
Showing posts with label outer banks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outer banks. Show all posts
Boats Docked In A Nearby Canal
This morning I went for my usual walk. It was an overcast day so there not bright sunlight out. My walk usually takes me by a canal that runs adjacent to our neighborhood. Most times the crab fisherman have their boats docked in this canal and they have their crab pots piled high awaiting to be placed on the boats before heading out to set them. This canal leads to the Sound and open water, which is where the crab fishermen usually set their pots. On my walk today I noticed a larger boat docked with the smaller crab boats. This boat appeared to be some type of commercial fishing boat. I decided to make use of the diffused lighting out because of the overcast skies and the additional fishing boat docked in the canal to take some photographs. I took some black and white photos along with my usual color photos. Here are some of each:
Another Beautiful OBX Sunset
The day before yesterday we had one of the best, most vibrant sunsets that I have seen in a long time. Here is the one photo of that sunset:
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Hurricane Arthur Is On Its Way Out
Hurricane Arthur came through our area last night. I slept through most of it but the few times I did wake up I looked out the window and saw nothing but rain and the wind blowing pretty good. I got up earlier than usual so that I could take some photos and videos of what was left of the storm. Other than a few downed tree branches, we had no issues with the storm. Our electricity stayed on and we had no flooding issues on our ground level floor.
Below are some of the photos and videos that I took early this morning:
Below are some of the photos and videos that I took early this morning:
Photos Of The Incoming Hurricane
Hurricane Arthur is on its way and will be here in the middle of the night. I decided to take some photos before it got completely dark out along with wind and heavy rain and thus making it very difficult to take any.
The Calm After The Storm
Veronica and I made it back home safe and sound.
Upon arriving on the Outer Banks, we really did not see much on the main drag that would indicate a hurricane came through.
Sure there was some pools of rain water here and there, a couple of branches down but nothing that really stood out and said "Earl Was Here".
Most businesses were still closed except for maybe some gas stations.
As soon as we arrived home, Veronica had to jump in her vehicle and go to the store so that she could get it ready for business.
I emptied the car and put everything away at home.
I also had to clean up some water that had made its way into our bedroom, through the sliding glass doors.
I ended up getting around a gallon of water up. The carpets is still pretty damp but I have a fan blowing on it so that it will dry out.
The only other damage was some rain getting into our storage shed, that is attached to the backside of our garage.
It got a few boxes wet but nothing major.
All in all, we fared pretty well.
No flooding, no broken windows and best of all....the electricity stayed on so we don't have to replace all of our refrigerated and frozen food items.
Now maybe we can start focusing on more pleasant things, like our upcoming vacation.
We leave her in a little over 3 days....finally!
Upon arriving on the Outer Banks, we really did not see much on the main drag that would indicate a hurricane came through.
Sure there was some pools of rain water here and there, a couple of branches down but nothing that really stood out and said "Earl Was Here".
Most businesses were still closed except for maybe some gas stations.
As soon as we arrived home, Veronica had to jump in her vehicle and go to the store so that she could get it ready for business.
I emptied the car and put everything away at home.
I also had to clean up some water that had made its way into our bedroom, through the sliding glass doors.
I ended up getting around a gallon of water up. The carpets is still pretty damp but I have a fan blowing on it so that it will dry out.
The only other damage was some rain getting into our storage shed, that is attached to the backside of our garage.
It got a few boxes wet but nothing major.
All in all, we fared pretty well.
No flooding, no broken windows and best of all....the electricity stayed on so we don't have to replace all of our refrigerated and frozen food items.
Now maybe we can start focusing on more pleasant things, like our upcoming vacation.
We leave her in a little over 3 days....finally!
On Our Way Out Of Town
Veronica and I woke this morning to a mandatory evacuation of all residents and visitors in Nags Head.
Nags Head is just up the road from us and it is also where the T J Maxx store is located.
Veronica went in early to get the store prepared for closing.
I stayed behind and finished packing the car up and doing a few other odd jobs in preparation for Hurricane Earl's arrival.
As soon as Veronica finishes closing up the store, we will be heading out of town.
We will be staying at a hotel that is approximately 2 hours and 100 miles away from here.
I am hoping the the low pressure system that they keep taking about, arrives in time to push Hurricane Earl just a bit to the East.
I am hoping also that upon arrival back at our place, that all windows are intact and that there is no flooding in our home.
Time to get out of here.
I will try to give an update as time allows.
Nags Head is just up the road from us and it is also where the T J Maxx store is located.
Veronica went in early to get the store prepared for closing.
I stayed behind and finished packing the car up and doing a few other odd jobs in preparation for Hurricane Earl's arrival.
As soon as Veronica finishes closing up the store, we will be heading out of town.
We will be staying at a hotel that is approximately 2 hours and 100 miles away from here.
I am hoping the the low pressure system that they keep taking about, arrives in time to push Hurricane Earl just a bit to the East.
I am hoping also that upon arrival back at our place, that all windows are intact and that there is no flooding in our home.
Time to get out of here.
I will try to give an update as time allows.
Hurricane Preparation
I went to pick up Veronica from work. I arrived to find these workers busy boarding up the front of the T J Maxx building in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Earl.
They are talking about the hurricane arriving here tomorrow night although we will get bands of rain and wind before then.
The store will be open tomorrow. The time that it will close will depend on when storm arrives here. Veronica and I will be there when the store closes. I will be helping them put up a frame where the only unboarded open door is. Once we get the door frame screwed in we will then put up the plywood pieces...kind like putting a puzzle together. The plywood sections will then be screwed to the frame. Hopefully it won't take too long to do this task because I am sure it will be raining and the wind will have picked up some by that time.
Another Update
All hurricane watches for the OBX and North Carolina coastal borders have now been changed over to hurricane warnings.
Veronica just called me from her work and told me that all of the local emergency vehicles are now hitting the gas stations and getting filled up.
It appears that some of the local gas stations have already started to raise their prices higher than what they were set at this morning, when I took Veronica to work.
I find that behavior to be totally outrageous...they should be flogged in the public square.
Veronica just called me from her work and told me that all of the local emergency vehicles are now hitting the gas stations and getting filled up.
It appears that some of the local gas stations have already started to raise their prices higher than what they were set at this morning, when I took Veronica to work.
I find that behavior to be totally outrageous...they should be flogged in the public square.
Update And A Few Changes
Unfortunately Veronica and I received information that was not the most accurate.
There is not a mandatory evacuation for our immediate area yet.
What they seem to be doing is a systematic evacuation.
Residence of Ocracoke Island were told to evacuate earlier. You can only get on and off the island by ferry.
Just heard that visitors on Hatteras must evacuate.
They are still waiting to see how this hurricane will track.
Eventually they will probably have all visitors leave the area and sometime after that, locals will be told to leave.
Of course if you want to leave earlier you can.
I called the Hampton Inn, in Williamston, NC and cancelled our room for tonight only. We will probably stay here for tonight and then go elsewhere tomorrow.
Depends on the evacuation process and the storms progress and track.
Veronica is at work.
They are supposed to be boarding up the stores windows this afternoon.
I spent the morning so far dragging down bags and items to go in the car with us, should we be told to evacuate.
I also put shipping tape on the windows.
I mainly taped up the big sliding glass door set that we have on both the 2nd and 3rd floor.
I also taped up the ground floor windows.
You would never know that a storm is coming. The sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky. Just a clear nice day here on the Outer Banks.
Give it 24-36 hours and we will see what it looks like at that time.
So now it is time to just sit around and wait.
Update to my update.
Just saw the Mayor of Kill Devil Hills on the Weather Channel being interviewed.
He just announced that there is now a mandatory evacuation of all tourist in the immediate area.
The Emergency Management people will be monitoring the hurricane system and make determinations of any further evacuations as time goes by.
There is not a mandatory evacuation for our immediate area yet.
What they seem to be doing is a systematic evacuation.
Residence of Ocracoke Island were told to evacuate earlier. You can only get on and off the island by ferry.
Just heard that visitors on Hatteras must evacuate.
They are still waiting to see how this hurricane will track.
Eventually they will probably have all visitors leave the area and sometime after that, locals will be told to leave.
Of course if you want to leave earlier you can.
I called the Hampton Inn, in Williamston, NC and cancelled our room for tonight only. We will probably stay here for tonight and then go elsewhere tomorrow.
Depends on the evacuation process and the storms progress and track.
Veronica is at work.
They are supposed to be boarding up the stores windows this afternoon.
I spent the morning so far dragging down bags and items to go in the car with us, should we be told to evacuate.
I also put shipping tape on the windows.
I mainly taped up the big sliding glass door set that we have on both the 2nd and 3rd floor.
I also taped up the ground floor windows.
You would never know that a storm is coming. The sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky. Just a clear nice day here on the Outer Banks.
Give it 24-36 hours and we will see what it looks like at that time.
So now it is time to just sit around and wait.
Update to my update.
Just saw the Mayor of Kill Devil Hills on the Weather Channel being interviewed.
He just announced that there is now a mandatory evacuation of all tourist in the immediate area.
The Emergency Management people will be monitoring the hurricane system and make determinations of any further evacuations as time goes by.
Latest Update About Hurricane Earl
Veronica and I just found out that there will be a mandatory evacuation due to the upcoming visit from Hurricane Earl.
The mandatory evacuation begins tomorrow at 1PM.
I just got off of the telephone with the Hampton Inn, in Williamston NC to let them know that we would be arriving there a night earlier.
This might be my last update until we get to our hotel tomorrow night. It all depends on how quick I get everything done.
Time to get things done.
See you on the "flip side".
The mandatory evacuation begins tomorrow at 1PM.
I just got off of the telephone with the Hampton Inn, in Williamston NC to let them know that we would be arriving there a night earlier.
This might be my last update until we get to our hotel tomorrow night. It all depends on how quick I get everything done.
Time to get things done.
See you on the "flip side".
Hurricane Earl Update- I Must Have A BullsEye Painted On My Back
Veronica and I spent a majority of the afternoon packing some essentials up and putting them in our car.
File boxes, emergency stash of clothes, soda pop, water, toilet paper, towels, soap, flashlights, non perishable food, medications etc.
All of these items are now in our very recently gassed up car.
Based on the most recent weather channel reports, Hurricane Earl, a strong category 4 hurricane is heading in our direction.
Based on what I am hearing now, the Outer Banks could get hit hard.
Once again it all depends on how far West it moves. The further West, the worse it will be for us.
It is kind of strange seeing a Weather Channel reporter making his live report from Kill Devil Hills, right up the road from where we live. What is even stranger is the fact that the sun is shining and the ocean is fairly calm with minimal waves in the background while this reported was making his live report.
And to think that all of that nastiness is just around the corner.
We are preparing for a very possible mandatory evacuation.
We even booked a hotel room in a town called Williamston, NC.
We got a room at a Hampton Inn. We had tried to get a room at a Comfort Inn through a web site called hotels.com.
Once the guy on the phone found out that we were in the path of a hurricane, he told Veronica that she would have to pre-pay for the room, which we wanted to book for 3 nights...just in case we can't get back because of the storms aftermath.
Veronica questioned this guy because she has never had to pre-pay for a room. This guy tried to use scare tactics on her as far as the hurricane was concerned.
Veronica did not go for it and she ended hanging up on the chump.
I really hate it when people try to take advantage of others when there disasters or major events lurking. Anything to make the almighty buck.
She ended getting us a room at Hampton Inn, in the same town, for a reasonable price and we did not have to pre-pay either.
Williamston is East of us....about 100 miles...almost a 2 hour drive.
That should take us far enough away that we will be safe and sound.
Just to be on the safe side, we will also be packing the car up with all of our luggage for our upcoming cruise.
We don't head to Norfolk until Monday afternoon but with a hurricane, you just never can tell what can happen or how much damage there could be around here. Once we have to evacuate, it might be a while until we can return. There is just no telling so we figured that we would error on the side of caution.
Well that is about the latest information that we have.
I am sure there will be more info to follow.
Needless to say, the last 2 days have been doozies!!!
File boxes, emergency stash of clothes, soda pop, water, toilet paper, towels, soap, flashlights, non perishable food, medications etc.
All of these items are now in our very recently gassed up car.
Based on the most recent weather channel reports, Hurricane Earl, a strong category 4 hurricane is heading in our direction.
Based on what I am hearing now, the Outer Banks could get hit hard.
Once again it all depends on how far West it moves. The further West, the worse it will be for us.
It is kind of strange seeing a Weather Channel reporter making his live report from Kill Devil Hills, right up the road from where we live. What is even stranger is the fact that the sun is shining and the ocean is fairly calm with minimal waves in the background while this reported was making his live report.
And to think that all of that nastiness is just around the corner.
We are preparing for a very possible mandatory evacuation.
We even booked a hotel room in a town called Williamston, NC.
We got a room at a Hampton Inn. We had tried to get a room at a Comfort Inn through a web site called hotels.com.
Once the guy on the phone found out that we were in the path of a hurricane, he told Veronica that she would have to pre-pay for the room, which we wanted to book for 3 nights...just in case we can't get back because of the storms aftermath.
Veronica questioned this guy because she has never had to pre-pay for a room. This guy tried to use scare tactics on her as far as the hurricane was concerned.
Veronica did not go for it and she ended hanging up on the chump.
I really hate it when people try to take advantage of others when there disasters or major events lurking. Anything to make the almighty buck.
She ended getting us a room at Hampton Inn, in the same town, for a reasonable price and we did not have to pre-pay either.
Williamston is East of us....about 100 miles...almost a 2 hour drive.
That should take us far enough away that we will be safe and sound.
Just to be on the safe side, we will also be packing the car up with all of our luggage for our upcoming cruise.
We don't head to Norfolk until Monday afternoon but with a hurricane, you just never can tell what can happen or how much damage there could be around here. Once we have to evacuate, it might be a while until we can return. There is just no telling so we figured that we would error on the side of caution.
Well that is about the latest information that we have.
I am sure there will be more info to follow.
Needless to say, the last 2 days have been doozies!!!
Lots Of Sticks In The Fire
Today we have been super busy.
I had a doctors appointment first this morning. It was official weigh in day.
The magic number for today's weigh in is....wait for it.............175 pounds.
This is the lowest I have been for at least 12 years, probably more. I would like to drop 3 more pounds but not sure if it will happen.
Hurricane Earl is still approaching and it is still too early to know if it will fully hit us, give us a glancing blow or mainly stay off the coast.
No matter what it does, I am sure we will feel some of its fury since it is not a category 4 hurricane.
Veronica and I had to pack up some items in case of a mandatory evacuation. If we have an evacuation, it will be a grab and go situation so we wanted to have some stuff prepared.
We will have both cars fully gassed up too.
This storm has been the talk of the town around here.
We should have a better idea on what to expect within the next 24 hours. We might not truly know until the last minute.
Veronica and I also had to repack our suitcases and whittle down a few things. We originally had 4 suitcases but they want an arm and leg for baggage fees nowadays.
So what we decided to do was to get everything into 3 suitcases.
In one of the suitcases we put a smaller suitcase and packed stuff it that one and around it.
That will save us some money on the fees at least on the 2 flights heading to London.
On the return trip, we will have 4 suitcases, using the one that was packed in the other.
We can use that suitcase for souvenirs and whatever else we decide to purchase.
I set up a couple of additional doctors appointments for after we return home. The big one will be on 9/30 with my Oncologist.
I had a great Oncologist when we lived in Virginia Beach but because the drive to see him would be problematic, I changed to one that is close by us here on the Outer Banks.
This Oncologist is part of the same Oncology group as my other one.
The only bad thing about him is that he is only in his Kitty Hawk office on Thursdays.
He will be my main man to guide me through whatever journey that might lay in front of me.
I am sure that with the upcoming storm, I will have some exciting things to write about but if for some reason you don't read any new entries in the next couple of days, it will be because we either lost electricity or internet access or both.
I had a doctors appointment first this morning. It was official weigh in day.
The magic number for today's weigh in is....wait for it.............175 pounds.
This is the lowest I have been for at least 12 years, probably more. I would like to drop 3 more pounds but not sure if it will happen.
Hurricane Earl is still approaching and it is still too early to know if it will fully hit us, give us a glancing blow or mainly stay off the coast.
No matter what it does, I am sure we will feel some of its fury since it is not a category 4 hurricane.
Veronica and I had to pack up some items in case of a mandatory evacuation. If we have an evacuation, it will be a grab and go situation so we wanted to have some stuff prepared.
We will have both cars fully gassed up too.
This storm has been the talk of the town around here.
We should have a better idea on what to expect within the next 24 hours. We might not truly know until the last minute.
Veronica and I also had to repack our suitcases and whittle down a few things. We originally had 4 suitcases but they want an arm and leg for baggage fees nowadays.
So what we decided to do was to get everything into 3 suitcases.
In one of the suitcases we put a smaller suitcase and packed stuff it that one and around it.
That will save us some money on the fees at least on the 2 flights heading to London.
On the return trip, we will have 4 suitcases, using the one that was packed in the other.
We can use that suitcase for souvenirs and whatever else we decide to purchase.
I set up a couple of additional doctors appointments for after we return home. The big one will be on 9/30 with my Oncologist.
I had a great Oncologist when we lived in Virginia Beach but because the drive to see him would be problematic, I changed to one that is close by us here on the Outer Banks.
This Oncologist is part of the same Oncology group as my other one.
The only bad thing about him is that he is only in his Kitty Hawk office on Thursdays.
He will be my main man to guide me through whatever journey that might lay in front of me.
I am sure that with the upcoming storm, I will have some exciting things to write about but if for some reason you don't read any new entries in the next couple of days, it will be because we either lost electricity or internet access or both.
Hoping To Dodge A Bullet Or Should I Say A Hurricane
Veronica and I leave home on Monday afternoon, at which time we will head into Norfolk, VA and stay at a hotel.
We fly out of Norfolk early on Tuesday morning heading to Newark, NJ.
We will hang around at the airport in Newark until about 9PM Tuesday night. We will be boarding our Virgin Atlantic jet for our over night flight to London England.
Now this is how everything was and currently is planned out to occur.
There might be a slight problem with these plans.
It seems that mother nature might have some plans of her own.
It appears that what once was tropical storm Earl, is now Hurricane Earl...a category 1 hurricane.
Based on early projections, Earl should be in our general area around Thursday or Friday of this upcoming week.
The best case scenario is that this hurricane veers North and then Northeast thus taking it away from the Eastern coast.
No matter where it lands, hopefully it will be a minimal hurricane and that it will be a fast moving storm.
That way we can keep our plans intact. We should have a better idea about what is going to happen with this hurricane over the next couple of days.
Veronica and I will be keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that our vacation goes as planned.
We fly out of Norfolk early on Tuesday morning heading to Newark, NJ.
We will hang around at the airport in Newark until about 9PM Tuesday night. We will be boarding our Virgin Atlantic jet for our over night flight to London England.
Now this is how everything was and currently is planned out to occur.
There might be a slight problem with these plans.
It seems that mother nature might have some plans of her own.
It appears that what once was tropical storm Earl, is now Hurricane Earl...a category 1 hurricane.
Based on early projections, Earl should be in our general area around Thursday or Friday of this upcoming week.
The best case scenario is that this hurricane veers North and then Northeast thus taking it away from the Eastern coast.
No matter where it lands, hopefully it will be a minimal hurricane and that it will be a fast moving storm.
That way we can keep our plans intact. We should have a better idea about what is going to happen with this hurricane over the next couple of days.
Veronica and I will be keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that our vacation goes as planned.
A Little Of This And A Little Of That
With the Memorial Day weekend upon us, we are officially in the tourist season here on the OBX.
People and vehicles everywhere. I am sticking close to home for a couple of days until things settle down a bit.
I noticed that the price of gas was around the 2.65 mark a couple of days ago. Veronica told me that it was up to $3.05 as of last night. I really dislike it when people take advantage of others just to make a profit.
Jacking up the cost of gas just because the tourists are in town really rubs me the wrong way.
Speaking of gas...I am on strike against BP due to their oil rig disaster. Shame on you BP. You will never see another cent of mine!!!
On a happier note....been spending some time doing research on our upcoming Baltic Capitals cruise that is in September.
Ordered some Euros through Bank Of America. We got them at a great time. The Euro is at the lowest point than it has been for at least 16 months.
We stocked up on Euros. We figure that what we don't use, we can hang onto for a visit to Paris sometime in the future. Might as well get the Euros when they are down since we will be needing them anyways.
We still need to get some Krones for Denmark and some Swedish Krona. We won't be needing too much of those...just enough to get us through a day in each country.
The good thing is that what we don't use, we can take to the bank and get it exchanged back into US currency. We will do this with the Krones and Krona.
I ordered us some maps of Tallinn, Estonia and of Copenhagen. Got them in the mail this last week so now I can kind of get an idea on where we want to go and the best way to get there.
Been going on my walks on a daily basis..most times a couple of times a day.
With the help of some new medication that I am taking, the last time I checked, I had lost 7 pounds in about a week.
I still have a long ways to go but I am happy with the progress that I have made so far.
People and vehicles everywhere. I am sticking close to home for a couple of days until things settle down a bit.
I noticed that the price of gas was around the 2.65 mark a couple of days ago. Veronica told me that it was up to $3.05 as of last night. I really dislike it when people take advantage of others just to make a profit.
Jacking up the cost of gas just because the tourists are in town really rubs me the wrong way.
Speaking of gas...I am on strike against BP due to their oil rig disaster. Shame on you BP. You will never see another cent of mine!!!
On a happier note....been spending some time doing research on our upcoming Baltic Capitals cruise that is in September.
Ordered some Euros through Bank Of America. We got them at a great time. The Euro is at the lowest point than it has been for at least 16 months.
We stocked up on Euros. We figure that what we don't use, we can hang onto for a visit to Paris sometime in the future. Might as well get the Euros when they are down since we will be needing them anyways.
We still need to get some Krones for Denmark and some Swedish Krona. We won't be needing too much of those...just enough to get us through a day in each country.
The good thing is that what we don't use, we can take to the bank and get it exchanged back into US currency. We will do this with the Krones and Krona.
I ordered us some maps of Tallinn, Estonia and of Copenhagen. Got them in the mail this last week so now I can kind of get an idea on where we want to go and the best way to get there.
Been going on my walks on a daily basis..most times a couple of times a day.
With the help of some new medication that I am taking, the last time I checked, I had lost 7 pounds in about a week.
I still have a long ways to go but I am happy with the progress that I have made so far.
Our Latest Visit To The Outer Banks
Veronica and I just got back from the Outer Banks yesterday and here are some photos and videos of our most recent trip. Beow are some photos of the saltwater aquariums that were in the hotel lobby
We had just had a front move through and it was quite windy the day after it did. The waves were still a little choppy, which made for great photos and videos
Most of these ocean front houses are empty just waiting for all of the tourist to hit town
As you can see, there a very few cars on this ocean front road. I am sure that this is completely opposite of what it will be like in the Summer
Sand art at its best
Below are various videos that I took. The sound of the ocean sure can be soothing.
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