The sunsets on the Outer Banks are justifiably famous. I know there are gorgeous sunsets all over the world, but something about these makes them special. As a treat to myself for vacation, I photographed and Instagrammed the sunset every night for the week of our getaway. Here they are, in all their glory:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Ahhhhhh. What’s the best sunset you’ve ever seen?
Fall! My favorite season! I love pretty much everything about fall. Although I can’t get enough summer heat – it’s true – I also love the cooler days, the bright blue skies and flaming colored leaves, the crisp evenings, the excuse to sip cocoa and watch the stars with a warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders and Steve next to me… I love that fall includes my birthday, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and that it’s the long lead-in to the Christmas season. I love apples, pumpkin spice lattes, warm socks, and the return of hockey season. (I do not love the cold rains, or the return of football season. But even in the fall, one cannot have everything.) And even though fall is half over now, I’m still going to muster up a to-do list. Indulge me?
Not a bad list, right? I think it’s totally achievable, and if I get even half of these things done it’ll be a happy fall season indeed. What’s on your fall to-do list?
Ugh. I don’t know why, but I’m starting this week out extra grumpy, which is not the best way to begin a new week, but whatever. This weekend sort of flew by, and I don’t know where it went. It doesn’t feel like we got much done, either. On Saturday we made it to Letchworth State Park for our October hike (recap coming soon, after I recap our September hike!) and to check out the turning leaves. We missed peak by a week or two (don’t get me started) but it was still pretty. On Sunday I’d hoped to get more work done around the house, but I didn’t really accomplish very much. Nugget and I ran some errands, and I made lentil soup for the week’s lunches (I’m not a sandwich person, but still try to pack lunch to save money), but that’s it. The house is trashed and our home improvement projects are still in rough shape. Well, you can’t win them all, I guess.
As far as reading is concerned, I do have a personal victory to report: I finally finished Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, the new Salman Rushdie novel. I liked it, but not as much as I have liked the other Rushdie novels I’ve read. Still, I’m glad I made the time to read it. Other reading last week: I finished Between the World and Me, which was every bit as stunning as the internet said it would be, and also the first volume of the 2012 Captain Marvel. So a bit of a light week of reading, but that Rushdie was kind of slow going for a short-ish book. Now I’m midway through Sorcerer to the Crown, another one that came highly recommended, and I’m loving it so far. (It’s been billed as a diverse, feminist Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and that seems to be right on the money. I loved Jonathan Strange, and I love diversity, and I AM a feminist, so I’m digging Sorcerer to the Crown.) In addition to Sorcerer, I have two more books due back to the library on Wednesday: My Brilliant Friend and Honor Girl. So it’s looking like a busy week ahead in reading.
Coming up this week on the blog: my fall list (yes, really) on Wednesday, and the penultimate vacation recap post on Friday. Check back!
What are you reading this week?
The Hatteras Light, with its ascending black and white spirals, is one of the most recognizable and beloved sights on the Outer Banks. It’s a must-visit for us each time we vacation on Hatteras. As kids, my brother and friend and I used to make a beeline for the lighthouse as soon as possible – in addition to being imposing and extremely cool, it was the headquarters for the Junior National Seashore Ranger program (a favorite vacation activity) and the backdrop for a Wednesday night campfire at which the adult Seashore Rangers would strum guitars, sing songs, and tell ghost stories to a crowd of appreciative kids and parents. All this is to say, the Hatteras Light is a fixture of our beach vacations and I couldn’t wait to see my kids enjoying it too.
In an effort to get a little more ocean time, Steve and I decided to mix up the routine one morning and hit Lighthouse Beach instead of doing our usual sound-lunch-nap-ocean. The first order of business was a visit to the lighthouse itself.
(I had to walk halfway across a field to get the entire lighthouse in my frame.)
Near the lighthouse is the ranger station, a small Outer Banks museum, and gift shop. We didn’t stop in this time, but hopefully next time we’re in the area we’ll find ourselves there a lot – I can’t wait until Peanut is old enough for the Junior Seashore Ranger program!
You can climb the lighthouse, but Steve is not a fan of heights. So we kept our feet planted on the ground and just enjoyed a stroll around the structure.
On our way to the beach, we spotted this imprint of a little friend in the concrete!
After visiting the lighthouse itself, we set up camp for the morning on Lighthouse Beach. We don’t usually go to Lighthouse Beach during the days because it’s a bit further from our rental house than our usual beach is. But it made for a fun change from the usual.
Nugget and I hung out in the beach tent and checked out the action. The waves were a-rollin’!
And the view in the other direction was pretty nice, too:
You can see why it’s called Lighthouse Beach!
Nugget wasn’t as impressed with the lighthouse as I was. Well, he’ll get there.
Goodbye until next time, Hatteras Light!
What landmark (man-made or natural) says “vacation” to you?
I’m writing this post with a cup of hot tea by my side and the new Salman Rushdie novel waiting for when I finish drafting. ‘Tis the season of darkening skies, falling leaves, howling winds, hot beverages and long books, blankets and baking. Summer feels like it both just ended and like it has been gone for a long time. And while this feels completely ridiculous – it’s almost November! – I’m going to force a final update of my summer list, and next week I’m going to share a fall list (with several items I’ve already done, but whatever). Anyway, before any more time passes and makes this post even more self-indulgent, here is the final result of my summer to-do list, in all its absurdly late glory:
So! Not too shabby. Considering that I spent most of the summer in a fog of sleep deprivation, I’m going to pat myself on the back a little bit and tell myself, Self: good job. The main thing I wanted was a fun family summer, and I got exactly that. Some good reading in there too. And lots of fresh air. I’ll call that a success. And with that we’ll end this completely self-indulgent post and look ahead: next week, a (better late than never, and at least before Halloween) fall list!
Here we go again – a new week. Last week was a bit quiet on the reading front. Not the quietest I’ve ever had, but I certainly didn’t read as much as I’d have liked to. Steve was sick with a kid-borne illness and was out of commission for most of the week, which meant I was running around even more than I usually do – handling all of the daycare transportation (instead of just pickups) plus running up to feed Nugget during the days, and taking on extra work at home, too, because Steve was contagious and unable to touch clean dishes or laundry. It was exhausting, and I was ready to crash over the weekend. But – instead of crashing – I spent the weekend continuing to go-go-go at ninety miles per hour. On Saturday we started knocking out some house projects we need to finish ASAP: I primed the foyer and Steve worked on sanding the playroom to get it ready for primer and paint. Then we all dressed up and headed out as a family to the wedding of one of Steve’s and my dearest college friends, Betsy. Betsy was my little sis (sorority, not biology, as we used to say) and we have been friends since before she even started Cornell (I was her host on her admitted student visit, and I flatter myself that I convinced her to choose Cornell over Brandeis). She was a glowing, radiant, happy bride and we loved sharing her special day. Sunday was spent recovering from wedding festivities and then getting more house stuff done – Steve primed the playroom and I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, went grocery shopping, made baby food, and prepped cut veggies for the week. Whew! I’m exhausted just typing all of that. So I didn’t get much reading done, as you can see – which feels strange in a weekend in which it seems like the rest of the reading internet was readathoning it up. I was a little jealous of those who were participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon this weekend, but it felt good to check things off the to-do list and make some progress toward a couple of life goals we are working towards.
That said, I did get some reading done over the course of the week. The highlight, of course, was the second trade paperback of Lumberjanes, which came out on my birthday and wrapped up the first story arc. I read it over several nights and what fun it was. (“Who wants ice cream for dinner? I’m a cool dad!”) I also finished Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert’s new nonfiction book about “creative living beyond fear.” It wasn’t bad, but also didn’t blow me away – more on that when I wrap up my monthly reading. And this weekend, while presiding over a lap nap (love) I read Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula for Readers Imbibing Peril X, and then finally started Between the World and Me, which has patiently waited atop my library stack while I read seven-day books. I’ll finish that up – because I just couldn’t wait any longer to dig in – and then, hopefully, finally get through Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Days, the new Salman Rushdie novel that I keep checking out from and returning to the library. It looks SO good, and I need to sit down and give it some attention.
On the blog this week: a better-late-than-never final roundup of my summer list on Wednesday, and then another installment in the vacation recaps on Friday. Given that we had snow flurries yesterday and today (are you KIDDING me) I think some summer memories will be just what the doctor ordered.
How was your week? What are you reading?
Another one of our can’t-miss Outer Banks traditions is a trip on the ferry over to Ocracoke Island, which neighbors Hatteras. Again – and I know I’m a broken record on this topic – I have so many fun memories from our jaunts over to Ocracoke. Like the year our family friends’ son talked like Goat Boy the entire trip. You had to be there.
Anyway, it’s not an OBX vacation without an evening on Ocracoke! Off we went.
The rest of the family pulled out of the driveway while we were still tossing sunscreen in our diaper bag, and as a result they got on a ferry that left fifteen minutes earlier. It was bad luck. I was really sad that they missed Peanut’s first ferry ride (and Nugget’s first boat ride of any kind!). But at least we got a money spot on the boat.
Peanut thought the ferry was pretty awesome.
Nugget was unimpressed. Look at those cheeks! (And that pout! He’s going to be trouble in fifteen years.)
We looped around and around the ferry, staying in the shade as much as possible – but we did spend some time gazing out at the wake off the stern, and at the water and shoreline.
I love the ferry. It was so much fun to ride with my little ones.
Ferry family!
Eventually, after my arms got tired of lugging Nugget around, I wised up and put him in the Ergo. (I have the Ergo down to a science now, and I love it. Peanut never took to it, but Nugget really likes being worn. Especially now that he’s grown out of the infant insert – it’s so much more comfortable for both of us.)
After about an hour of ferry fun, we pulled up to the dock on Ocracoke, and then it was off to rendezvous with the rest of the family at Howard’s Pub.
We always eat at Howard’s Pub when we’re on Ocracoke. It’s a fun place, and the food is casual but yummy. (I didn’t do too well with ordering this time, though. I got the fried shrimp basket and it turned out to be mostly fries – hardly any shrimp. I should have stuck with my usual veggie burger.)
After dinner we had about an hour to wander around the island before we really had to get the ferry back so the kids could get to bed. I was clamoring for a visit to the Ocracoke Light – my favorite of all the OBX lighthouses (of which there are quite a few) but the rest of the fam wanted to walk around the village, so that’s what we did. The pic above was as close as I got to the lighthouse. Next time!
We watched a bigger ferry coming into another dock…
Checked out the boats in the marina…
And then wandered into the village.
Peanut befriended a large metal rooster. Actually, she asked if she could ride on him. We said NO.
We named him Alan. He looks like an Alan, don’t you think? This wasn’t just a local art installation – it was outside a gallery, part of a metal menagerie that was on display for sale. I was legit worried that Alan the Rooster was going to have to come home with us. Fortunately we escaped without buying him (or any other metal animals).
We rode the ferry back to Hatteras just as the sun was setting.
Gorgeous!
Next time we visit, I’d like to spend more time on Ocracoke. Our flying trips over there never seem like enough. I want Peanut to see the wild ponies of Ocracoke (well, once wild – now most of them are in enclosures on the island, but they’re still a sight to see), and I want to get back to the Ocracoke Light. And I’d love to mix up the dining; Howard’s Pub is fun, but there was a cute little flatbread pizza place in Ocracoke Village that looked like it would be a lot of fun to try. It’s always good to leave something for next time, right?
Happy couple on our way back from Ocracoke. Always a fun evening!
Next week, we do make it to a lighthouse!
Oh. My. Goodness. Nugget is seven months old, which means he’s officially closer to one year than to brand new, and that blows my mind, man. (He’s not that close to one year, yet, but you know.) I feel like I’m just starting to come out of that newborn fog, just a little bit, and still getting used to being an actual family of FOUR now. Nugget makes every day such an adventure. He’s the sweetest, cuddliest little pal, and I’m constantly in awe of how much joy and fun he brings to our lives.
What to say about this month? It’s been full of running around and doing all that fall stuff. Having two kids in daycare makes the days feel extra full. Peanut and Nugget’s daycare has a real “school” feeling – classrooms, teachers, back-to-school night – and I love it, but I am also getting a taste of what it will be like when they’re really in school. So many forms to fill out, snacks to plan! It’s a different experience having one in the baby rooms, too. Peanut was always home, either with me or with a family member, until she was two, so when she started school it was in a really structured classroom setting. With Nugget, I have extra juggling to do – remembering to pick his bottles up for washing at the end of the day, constantly checking the classroom freezer to make sure he’s not running out of pureed pears (because I like to make life extra difficult on myself, so I’m providing his fruits and veggie purees in addition to pumped milk) and running up to feed him during my lunch hours (which is special for both of us).
I’m really cherishing those lunchtime visits. They make it easier to send him off in the morning, because I know I’ll be seeing him in just a couple of hours. We usually try to snap a selfie to send to Dad, as well. Going up to the school to feed Nugget is such a privilege. It’s sometimes hard to cram everything I need to do into my day, but it’s so worth it. I’m going to really miss those stolen lunchtime hours when they’re over – but I don’t need to think about that just yet.
Oh, I love that snuggly bug.
Nugget had a fun month with some exciting visitors, too! He got to meet his Aunt Rebecca for the first time (we’ll be seeing her again, for his christening, in just a few short weeks!). She had so much fun cuddling her little nephew guy, but she did say she felt a little weird about giving him kisses since he’s such a miniature Steve – haha!
And we also got to meet baby Hudson! Hudson is our friends Zan and Paul’s little nephew and he came to town for a visit with his mama Elissa and daddy. It was so much fun to meet them after hearing so much about their family from Zan! We all got together for a trip to the farmers’ market followed by lunch, and it was such a lovely day. Nugget had fun bouncing on some different laps, giving Ms. Elissa a taste of some snuggles with an older baby, and topping up Ms. Zan’s cuddle stash. He just loves her!
Of course, at the end of the day, he always comes back to Mom’s arms.
Nugget at 7 Months:
Weight: 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
Height: 27 inches cooperative. (I measured him myself this month, so take this with a grain of salt.)
Clothing Size: Moving on up to nine months! I’m still squeezing him into six month onesies and sleepers, but the nine months’ wardrobe is washed and ready and I’m about to switch it over, because some of those six month clothes are looking suspiciously short. It’s hard to let go, though – I love his six month outfits so much.
Sleep: Last month I said I hoped I’d have progress to report, and I do – not as much as I’d wanted, but some, and that’s good enough. We finally started sleep training right around the time Nugget turned six months old, and it’s going. Some nights it goes well, other nights it just… goes. We do the same routine each night: final feeding, cozy bath, rubdown with lotion, story (Time for Bed, by Mem Fox), lullaby (“Peace Like a River”), prayer (“Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep”) and lights out. The sleep “experts” promise that most kids will get with the program and stop crying after about three nights… HAHA! It’s been a month and Nugget is still voicing his displeasure loudly and vehemently. (That’s my boy. He’s nothing if not tenacious.) The pediatrician advised that we put Nugget down awake and check on him periodically when he cries, but not pat or touch him – just tell him that we love him and it’s bedtime. Well, we’re not exactly capable of not giving him kisses, so we do that, and some pats too, but otherwise we are careful not to take him out of the crib. Lately, he’s been protest-crying for about fifteen to twenty minutes and then he’s good to go for awhile. Still waking up to eat once a night or so (last night was twice, and I was feeling it the next day, but most of the time he’s good on one feeding) but this has opened up stretches of time for us in the evenings, which is really nice, and Steve and I are getting to bed earlier and with less bickering. I’m not quite caught up on rest just yet, but I’m getting there. As hard as it is, I know that sleep training Nugget was the right thing to do. We’re all happier – including Nugget – when Nugget is well-rested.
Likes: Cuddles with Mom, laughing at his sister, jumping in the jumperoo at school (the other day I dropped him off and they put him in the jumperoo and I seriously thought he was going to break it, he was going so wild), checking out the trees on our family hikes, looking at the other babies at daycare.
Dislikes: There’s one particular kid in his classroom that Nugget just! can’t! stand! when she cries. There have been multiple times that I’ve picked Nugget up to find his little face screwed up with dismay and the teacher murmuring, “Yes, M is loud, I know you don’t like it when M is loud.” I’m told that he’s getting a little better about not getting too upset when the other babies cry (I guess it was really tough the first couple of weeks, poor guy) but something about this one other baby’s crying really gets him going. I feel terrible for everyone in this situation.
Favorite Toys: We have a couple this month! Nugget has developed a deep and loving attachment to this perforated goldfish-shaped cup that came with his bathtub. (We recently got him a new one – he’d been using Peanut’s old tub and it was just becoming clear that the thing had reached the end of its life – and it came with this little cup.) He’s totally obsessed and will hold the goldfish cup all day if he’s allowed to. He’s also getting into books, which I love! Although it’s harder to read to him when he’s grabbing for any book I have in my hands. Peanut went through this stage, too, and at about the same age (I think) so let’s hope it’s a sign that Nugget will love reading as much as his big sister does.
Milestones: So many this month! After a few months of what seemed like not that many developmental milestones, Nugget made HUGE strides from six to seven months. He can now sit unassisted for longer and longer periods of time (he still needs a spotter, but he’s getting really steady). He’s also getting better and better at his fine motor skills; just the other day he leaned over and picked up a block from the floor! This is exciting stuff, people! He’s gotten really good at holding toys for long stretches of time without dropping them, and he’s even starting to pass them back and forth between hands. And – the best! – he’s starting to babble. Steve and I were both trying to steer him toward our particular consonant (Steve was encouraging “dada” and I was gunning for “mama”) and Steve won the consonant war – Nugget loves to say “Dada! Da! Da! Da da da!” But I can’t even be mad because it’s soooooooo cute. (And, for the record, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s just latched onto the sound. But it doesn’t stop us from pretending that he’s really saying “Dada” because he means it.)
Quirks: I guess it was only a matter of time, but Nugget is SUCH a little brother, already trying to annoy his sister! Peanut has gotten her hair pulled more times than I can count this month. (I’ve explained to her that he can’t help himself – he waves his little arms around and if hair gets caught in his grip, he just has to grab and pull it; I’ve gotten my hair pulled quite a lot too.) But I have to say, it kind of makes me laugh to watch Nugget with Peanut. It’s obvious he worships the ground she walks on, but… all the same… he just can’t stop himself from pulling her hair. Little brothers, man!
Happy seven months, darlingest buddy! We all love you!
Happy Columbus Day to my American friends, and Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbors to the north! I hope you’re all having a lovely holiday weekend. I have always loved Columbus Day because it falls right around my birthday – some years I get a three-day weekend for my big day, which is always extra fun. (Not this year, but I’m still enjoying the holiday weekend birthday proximity, so.) The kids and I celebrated with a trip to our local bookstore this morning (Peanut got A Pocket for Corduroy, and I grabbed 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories, which I’ve been eyeing – happy early birthday to me!). We had sort of a roller-coaster weekend. Saturday started off annoying – it’s a long story, but we drove to Letchworth for a family hike (my birthday wish) and ended up getting turned around and having to go home without even getting into the park. Really annoying, and I was bumming hard. We salvaged the day with a trip to the pumpkin patch after nap, but everyone was a bit out of sorts. Yesterday we went for a stroll through Tifft Nature Preserve, to make up for the missed hike of the day before – but it wasn’t the same. I’m really hoping to get to Letchworth before the leaves are all gone, but I’m not sure if it will happen – insert sad face here.
Last week was a productive one in the reading life! I didn’t even realize how productive until I looked back at my Goodreads activity and I finished four books! The highlight was Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi – a graphic memoir of growing up in revolutionary Iran. It was shocking and powerful and I don’t know how I missed it when it came out a few years ago. I read it in honor of Banned Books Week – it’s one of the most frequently challenged recent graphic novels. (Although it’s a memoir, not a novel.) It was hard to read in parts, but really, really wonderful. Then I finally read Go Set a Watchman, the “new” Harper Lee novel – and as I expected, I didn’t like it. I’ll have a whole post coming soon on why I decided to read it, and more detail about what I thought. After that I read the new Patrick DeWitt novel, Undermajordomo Minor, which I really enjoyed, but which lost a “star” (went from four to three) because of a bizarre scene involving baked goods that made me want to gouge my eyes out. If you’ve read it, you know what I’m talking about, and let’s agree to never speak of this again, mmmmkay? Then, because I really needed a palate cleanser, I finished re-reading Where’d You Go, Bernadette? – one of my favorite books of recent years. It was just as funny and charming as I remembered, and exactly what I wanted to read after a week of violent revolution, hero-besmirching and weird food… oh, right, I said I wasn’t going to talk about the Undermajordomo Minor food scene again. Sorry.
For this week: I’m currently reading the new Margaret Atwood novel, The Heart Goes Last. In vintage Atwood style, it started off moderately unsettling and has escalated. I’m on about page 120 and it’s thoroughly weirding me out – but it’s well-written and engaging and so, so good. I also have the new Salman Rushdie checked out from the library, but it’s non-renewable and due back on Wednesday and, once again, I think it will be heading back unread because I just won’t have the time to finish it. So back on the wait list I’ll go. And instead, while I’m waiting, I will fiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally pick up Between the World and Me, and I can’t even tell you how excited I am to read it. I’ve read a few excerpts and they’re just beautiful and heart-rending and I can’t wait. I can’t wait. Oh, and speaking of buzz – I’m also in the middle of Big Magic, the new Elizabeth Gilbert book, and hopefully I’ll be able to finish that this week, too. Oh, and Tuesday is LUMBERJANES DAY! Which means that all this other reading is going to get tossed aside as soon as I have the new trade paperback in my hands, because FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!
Okay, enough babbling. This was supposed to be a short check-in and here I’ve been rambling for three paragraphs. What are you reading?
When my family used to vacation on Hatteras Island when I was a kid, we had a pretty iron-clad routine: sound in the morning (the dads would windsurf, the moms would sit in the sun and read, and the kids would splash in the shallow water), then lunch, then ocean beach in the afternoon. We mostly stuck to that routine on this trip, too, although it was a little harder to get into a good groove because we couldn’t split for the beach right after lunch – instead, we had to wait until Peanut finished her nap. Most afternoons, that meant getting to the ocean (a 5-minute drive away) after 4:00 – not leaving much time for beach play before we had to go back to the house and get showered and changed for dinner. Still, we made the most of the time we did have at the ocean beach. I love watching the waves crashing up against the sands!
On our very first day at the beach, Nugget had his toes dipped in the surf.
He wasn’t quite sure what to think. He wasn’t opposed to it, exactly, but he wasn’t overjoyed either.
Peanut, by contrast, had definite opinions about the ocean. Specifically, she was violently anti-swimming. She spent most of our beach time sitting on the towel and digging in the warm sand.
If one of us did carry her to the water’s edge, she clung to us like a barnacle and whimpered until we took her back to the towel. I know some members of our party were pretty bummed that she didn’t want to play in the water, but I personally did not want to push the issue. The beach is supposed to be fun, after all. So we let her have fun in the way she wanted to.
Fortunately, Peanut was willing to partake in a very important Hatteras tradition: burying Uncle Dan in the sand.
It’s not an official vacation until Uncle Dan is neck-deep in sand with a ladies hat on his head.
Aunt Danielle was totally into it.
What a goof.
Peanut did get braver as the week wore on. By Wednesday she consented to let Steve carry her into the surf as long as he did not attempt to put her down or get her wet at all.
Nugget did not have similar scruples.
Well, maybe. No, I swear, he had fun. Uncle Dan and Aunt Danielle are good swimming buddies.
Finally, by Saturday afternoon, Peanut was ready to cautiously dip her toes in the water. And guess what?
It turns out… the ocean is AWESOME, MOMMY!
She spent a good half hour scampering in and out of the waves, shouting “One, two, three… WATER!” and running toward the crashing surf until someone scooped her up. Seriously – the last half hour of our beach time, on the last day of our vacation, she became a total fish. I wish we were staying for a second week; I felt badly that she missed out on swimming fun all week. Maybe I should have pushed her more, but she was so frightened of the ocean earlier in the week, and I just wanted her to have a good time. At least I know that next time, she’ll be into it!
Next week, a fun excursion to a neighboring island!
covered in flour 