Tired on arrival

Well, I'm here....trying to get used to typing on a netbook again.  If I only had tiny, delicate hands...but noooo.

Anyway, pretty uneventful drive.  5 hours of uneventful..oy.  Much of it was unsettlingly familiar as I didn't realize that I'd be driving through Durham, NC...home of Duke University Medical center.  Anyway, no good to dwell, I'm on vacation.

It wasn't an incredibly scenic drive...although I did enjoy the fields of cotton.  It's getting close to harvest time and I always find the sight of cotton balls on plants to be amusing somehow.  Of course, the cotton fields were interspersed with tobacco, less amusing but somehow fascinating as the plants are now in bloom. Yes, tobacco plants have blooms.

Anyway, as I said 5 hours with the only thing really amusing me are the cotton balls.  Still, as the ground got flatter and the soil sandier, I began to get more and more excited.  I don't know what it is about the sea that calls to me, but I always feel that same thrill as I get closer to it.  The road hypnosis disappeared as I crossed over the intercoastal waterway and began to catch glimpses of the familiar blue green horizon through the trees.

This year, I either have to update my Garmin or get a new one (it may be cheaper to replace it).  A couple of times the roads had changed a bit and Gremlin the Garmin was thrown into a tizzy...she also wanted me to drive past the condo, but I'm too smart for her.  I found the place without getting lost and got in with no problems.  Like London...it's tiny (actually tinier) but entirely adequate.  I'm a little bummed that I face the parking lot and not the ocean...but the window doesn't open anyway and I just won't open the blinds.  I believe this was probably once a motel that they converted. It's clean and the bed is comfy...so I'm good.

I haven't been out to the beach yet unfortunately.  I got here later than I planned, due to later departure than anticipated.  Unpacking took awhile, and I needed to get some groceries and cook dinner as I really hadn't had anything that counted as actual food all day (blue slushies and Keebler cheez crackers are not actually food).

I had a craving for barbeque chicken as I must have driven past a dozen or so BBQ joints on the way down. I need to find a better grocery store as I had bypassed the Food Lion for a Lowes but the variety of organics wasn't much improved.  I did get some organic chicken legs and cooked them in BBQ sauce on the stovetop...lil bit of corn and yummyyyy.  I got a couple of bottles of wine and am currently enjoying some cheese (Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar) and crackers with my chardonnay.

I'm hoping to get up early for a walk on the beach...then maybe some yoga in the room (it's big enough for that) because I brought my mat and DVDs.  I have to check out the weather when I am done here to figure out what else I want to do.  I definitely want to hit the aquarium, but I'll save it for a rainy day.  Other plans include Shackleford Banks, downtown Beaufort, Fort Fisher...and the lighthouse...not to mention the Maritime Museum. Busy busy...need to clean the kitchen and sleep