Sunday we went to Ocracoke Island which is a small town with lots of cool shops and restaurants.  The only downside is we had to take a ferry which in off-season only runs on the hour one way and the half hour the other way.  I have never been on a ferry with cars…was always a little scared to be honest but it was the only way to get there so we piled into three cars and left at 8am on Sunday morning.  Going out wasn’t so bad.  The small ferry we were on wasn’t full of cars and you can go on the observation deck and get some cool pictures.  We had a nice day walking the town and eating lunch, but coming back there were tons of cars waiting for the 3:30pm ferry and we actually had to wait an entire hour for the next one to come.  Not only did we have to wait, but Lee and I in the trailing car were second to last on the boat and up until the last-minute I was convinced we weren’t going to make it.  So, I do recommend seeing it at least once, but if you can go during the week I would and give yourself extra time to get back.  The waiting area is along the shore so you can walk the beach a bit, but an hour wait in the hot sun is obviously not optimal.  Other than that though was a great day and I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it was a lovely day and we had a very nice week.  On a side note, I think I like this communal living.  The other day Kelly made the guys breakfast, I walked Cori’s dog, and Cori made lunch.  The saying “many hands make light work” does apply to some extent with a large group of people and it elevates the more mundane chores to something fun when you can do it with your friends. We had several group dinners including  Monday’s “grill your own” night which ended with us all watching the Full Flower Moon rise.  I have never seen a moonrise before and it was so beautiful.  Truly the picture does not do it justice and if you ever have a chance to watch one on the ocean I highly recommend it.  Tuesday was Cinco De Mayo and Greg fixed three kinds of tacos with Bill providing margaritas.

 

Wednesday night I needed a break!! I definitely need to work on my stamina as some folks are putting me to shame.  Lee and I ate pot pies, stayed in and watched some TV.  Thursday night was date night and the couples were spending some quality time.  Some went to dinner alone, others paired up.  We went to Jockey Ridge State Park which is a MUST DO in this area.  Totally free you walk up a very long sand dune (takes about 20 minutes so give yourself ample time) and watched an amazing sunset.  So far in this lifestyle all of my favorite things have cost $10 or less and this was right up there with my all time favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think everyone missed each other, though we ended up all meeting up at a local Karaoke bar.   I had mentioned on Tuesday  Lee has a wonderful voice and can sing Sinatra so Cori (the rabble rouser) organized the whole group (via text) to meet up at the karaoke bar and talked Lee into singing.  I used to be terrified of singing in public and have never ever done it at a bar, but Kelly wanted to sing and since she conquered her fears at the Adventure Course with me I thought it was the least I could do for her.  Turns out it was a ton of fun.  I wasn’t nervous at all with Kelly standing there, and I was even totally sober!!  As the evening wore on though things got a little on the rough side.  Lots of locals hang out here and there were many hard-working fisherman singing.  At first it was fun, but when one guy changed the lyrics of the song to, “All you tourists, we will kick your ass” we all decided it might be a good time to leave.  I get it, these folks live here and people come in and act like they own the place, but we were just trying to have a good time.  Anyway, I absolutely recommend singing in a karaoke bar, just not this particular one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes here’s the video of Kelly and I singing.  Quality is not great but you can tell we were having a really good time.  Need to stop for now as we have another big weekend planned.  Who knew I would have so much to blog about!!

 

 

Day 4 of the Black and White Photo Challenge

I was challenged to take black and white photo’s for  5 consecutive blog posts for the Black and White Photo challenge.  I would like to nominate Kelly Murray to participate in the challenge.   This week’s picture was taken on the island of Ocracoke.  It was a tough choice but these statues remind me of my mother-in-law’s garden and I love how the boats in the background are slightly blurred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe

Satay Pork

This was such a pleasant surprise.  Easy to make and absolutely delicious.  Several people tried it and really liked it. 

• 3# boneless pork cut into strips
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 TBL chopped peanuts
• 1 TBL Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 TBL chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic; crushed
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• Skewers

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken; blend well
2. Marinate pork for 1-2 hours; stir occasionally
3. Drain pork; reserve marinade
4. Thread pork onto skewers in a S pattern
5. Grill kabobs on an uncovered grill for 5-6 minutes turning frequently and marinating often
6. Serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

————————————————————————————————————————————-

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Search Amazon.com here