Beach movies 2013

Long-time readers will recall that we watch a lot of movies at the beach, usually two a day.  The early show is, in theory, a more accessible film, while the late show tends toward more violent, action-oriented flicks.  This year, we crammed 27 films into the days at the beach.  For those interested, here's a photo of the covers of all the DVDs.

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Please forgive the bedspread backdrop.

To call this a mixed bag of movies is rather an understatement.  Only Kyle and I viewed them all, though Scott caught nearly all of them with us.

Wow, I really will watch anything.  

Beach fondness

I love this beach, have loved it since I first came here.  As you may have noted, one of my favorite beach rituals is eating lunch every day at the same local restaurant.  The owners/operators, Rose and Bob, are friends and great people.

Today, when our group entered for our last lunch of this trip, the specials whiteboard offered me a surprise treat.

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I had to order the Mark's Melt, of course.  Rose said it had been selling well all day. 

Kyle also gave it a go.  We agreed that it was very tasty indeed.

The last night at the beach each year, I become a bit wistful and a bit sad.  Going back to the real world is fine, but it's not the beach. 

I already look forward to next year.

Beach strangeness

A bit of beach health food:  Bob's "Q dog," which features a Nathan's hot dog atop some mustard and beneath both Eastern Carolina barbecue and slaw.

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Damn, that thing was tasty.  The bowl in front of it, by the way, contains Bob's famous dilled shrimp pasta salad, which is just plain delicious.

The weird highlight of the day was a trip to the Department of Justice--no, not the government agency, but rather a sort of thrift store cum outsider art exhibit cum collection of strange shit.  Mirror fragments on threads tinkled and sparkled in the afternoon sun as broken-down cars adorned the lot under them.

A tasteful statue reminds us that serious redneck country is never far away when you live in North Carolina.

One of the more vile parts of the extremely seedy "Treasure Tunnel" made the point that this exhibit has something to offend everyone.

In the ice cream shop across the street and down a bit, a sign managed both to capture a bit of the South's charm and to frustrate those of us who value the word "y'all" but insist it contain its apostrophe.

In other news, the Bobcake left us today after a concerted attack by the beach people.  Kyle and I ate the last two pieces.

The Bobcake, it was delicious...and formidable.

We mustn't forget The Squeeze

"The Squeeze" is the term we, the beach people, use for the Flavor Burst soft-serve ice cream that injects lines of oddly colored, oddly flavored syrup into vanilla soft-serve.  The Squeeze is a beach joy on the edge of extinction; only one shop in the immediate area still offers it.

The other day, four of us enjoyed three different types of Squeeze:  black cherry, strawberry, and grape.

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The gray one is grape.  The tablecloth is standard equipment at the putt-putt place that still maintains an operating Squeeze machine.

Today, three of us went for a somewhat different choice of flavors:  blue goo, orange, and the oft-chosen strawberry.

Prior to today's Squeezepedition, we spent some time examining the offerings of various beach thrift shops, an always interesting experience.  At the front of one shop stood this roughly life-size Charlie Chaplin statue, easily the creepiest such thing I've seen in quite a while.

If Chaplin looks okay to you, blow up the photo and check out his mouth.  Mark my words:  This Chaplin statue has tasted human flesh.

In news of the Bobcake, today we mounted a counteroffensive and gained serious ground.  Now, only a solitary pillar remains, albeit a formidable one.

I believe we may yet vanquish the mighty Bobcake!

Cake and sunset

We made precious little progress against the Bobcake today, but we did gain a wee bit of ground.

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The Bobcake, it is a formidable opponent.

Last night's sunset was spectacular, and fortunately for me, Gina snapped a few photos of it.  I particularly like this one.

The odd vertical line is not an artifact of any post-processing; it was in the sky.

Afternoon naps

are frequent here at the beach for a lot of us but obviously not part of my normal workaday life.  I've come to believe they are quite wonderful indeed, and I wish I could take one every single day.  I don't know if that's a sign of growing old or just my usual fatigue, but I also don't care; I'll take one when I get the chance.

In news of the Bobcake, today was the day it broke our spirit.  Despite our best efforts, as you can see here

we made precious little progress consuming it.  I now fear it might outlast us. 

Tomorrow, we will strive to do better!

Beach day

Sleep late, though never late enough.

Walk.

Pool.  (Yes, at the beach, that's both a noun and a verb.)

Eat too much lunch.

Nap, briefly.

Movie out.

Dinner.

Movie in.

Hot tub and pool.

Movie in.

Along the way, some desserts.

Bobcake strong but slowly losing.

A beach day.