Kids at the Beach

Kids LOVE the beach. What a great family vacation! It's a chance for grandma and grandpa to invite their adult children, and more importantly, the grandkids. And really, isn't that what's it's all about! Come on, we all love our kids but grandkids give us another chance to relive the great days of discovery of youth. Your kids may not be able to afford a get-away vacation at the beach, but they'll love you for inviting them and the kids. And the kids love the beach.

Can life be any better than that?

Call us to rent your family vacation spot. 919-454-7701 or look at our beach houses at http://beach4rent.org

The Days Are Getting Longer - See It All From the Beach

I hate the dark short days after Christmas. So one thing I do to rev myself up is to remind myself that each day after Dec 21st is getting longer. Then I start thinking about seeing the whole day from sunrise to sunset from the beach.

This is a picture of the sunrise from off the deck of Answer to Prayer. When you get up in the still of the morning, pour a hot steaming cup of coffee, and step out onto the deck as the sun rises, you experience a peacefulness and clarity that you never get back in the city. Things come into focus, possibilities flood in, favorite memories replay in your mind, thankfulness overflows in your heart. God put the sunrise there for you. Why not come and enjoy it. Contact Answer to Prayer here.

Hey...That's ...Lily by Patti Arrowsmith

Have you ever noticed those older couples whose children are grown and they now seem to have a NEW baby, their dog? Somehow, my husband and I have started to fit into this stereotype. Two years ago we became the proud “parents” of a golden retriever puppy, Lily, and now we are inseparable. We were so thrilled to find “Amazing Grace”, where we could bring our furry child to enjoy Topsail Island with us!

Lily delighted in running and fetching in the waves, chasing the birds, and visiting with strangers. When she was ready to go in the house for the day, we would clean her off with the hose and dry her before letting her back in the house. Once we had done that, we were NOT going to let her back out into the sand and water.

One night we got cleaned up to go out to dinner. My husband took Lily out front, away from the beach, to relieve herself before being left alone in the house. She was off leash, and while she was looking for the place with the right “karma”, my husband was taking the trash out. Well, she decided she needed to see what was on the other side of the dunes.

As I waited inside, I stood by the windows, lost in thought and admiring the beautiful view. The tide was out, and there was a massive amount of all sorts of birds on the hard packed sand, pecking for edible buried treasures. Suddenly, all of the birds rose as a unit, obviously startled by something. Usually humans didn’t seem to bother them, and as I puzzled the reason, a slightly crazed looking energetic golden retriever leaped into the scene, spinning wildly, enthralled with her power to cause such an exodus. Just as my mind seemed to be thinking in slow motion “Hey…that’s….Lily..”, she spied the water and raced into it. My husband appeared about then, chasing after her and trying to lure her out. She ran to him, with an expression of pure joy on her face. As he chastised her, he thought he could dry her off and sneak back in. “Don’t let your mommy know what happened”, I heard him say, as he followed her back up the deck stairs. Right about then he saw me watching the whole thing, rather bemused. As he tried to explain, we both burst out laughing. That was just the first day of lots of laughter. We also found we didn't have to worry about her when we were out.....she was so exhausted she didn't move from her favorite spot by the window. What great memories we will always have!

Island Time Vacation by Darlene

A restful vacation is on beach time

When you go on a vacation at the beach, our favorite beach is Topsail Beach on Topsail Island. (Pronounced "Topsul" by the locals). Be prepared to relax and do nothing. Doing nothing is quite good for your health. We have found it to be a great stress buster.

When we arrive at our Answer to Prayer beach rental, it is right on a beach, so be prepared to take your watch off, put your to do list away and sit in your Adirondack chair and do nothing but listen to the ocean waves lap the shore.

Our first year, one of our guests put a “Beach Etiquette” list together and we read it every September when we are there and laugh as we put our cell phones away and take off our watches for the week.

BEACH ETIQUITTE

1. TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH – It is island time! If anyone asks for the time, proper responses include “daytime”, “almost dinnertime”, ‘time to pray”, "time for another swim”, “night time”, or "time for a drink”, All of these answers can be given confidently without the aid of timekeeping devices.

2. LEAVE ALL SAND OUTDOORS – if you fail to do this it will follow you around and chafe you in the darndest places when you least expect it.

3. NEVER SHAKE OUT A BEACH BLANKET IN AN INHABITED AREA – (THIS IS A COROLLARY OF #2) the sand will come back to get you or someone else.

4. THOU SHALT REGRET IT IF THOU FEEDEST THE SEA GULLS - They're beautiful, but they tend to thank you by leaving "white stuff" all over your deck, chairs, beach towel, and so forth.

5. THE OCEAN NEVER SLEEPS – it is cool and refreshing and can be enjoyed at any hour of the day (please refer back to #1 for hours of the day).

6. ALWAYS SWIM WITH A BUDDY - preferably with the name “Bob”.

7. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE WAVES WHEN SWIMMING – No two waves are alike and some are downright sneaky.

8. Almost anything you collect from the beach (except well washed shells) will smell just terrible after 2 days, especially if you pack it in a suitcase. Spread it back around the beach so someone else can collect it the next week.

9. Peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches are NOT approved eating.

10. Bodysurfing requires no equipment and is to be recommended. For technique, just watch the natives.

11. Use outdoor shower whenever possible and keep showers short to preserve hot water – exceptions can be made for group showering.

12. With regard to #11, NO PEEKING!

13. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES may be consumed by those 21 years of age and older at anytime after the SUN IS "OVER THE YARDARM". Since no one can ever find yardarms on the island, this rule is subject to broad interpretation. IN THE PICTURE ABOVE, the crew is checking to see if the sun is above the yardarm!

14. The tide is always either coming or going in, usually when you least except it.

15. Finally, walk in love, have fun, and remember that God giveth us richly to enjoy, the ocean is one of them. Yippee let the good times roll!

Come to the beach and enjoy beach etiquette. Check out our website www.beach4rent.org

Surf City Repairs Dunes

Channel 6 reports on the efforts that Surf City is making in rebuilding its dunes. Dunes are a healthy and natural way to protect the island. Sometimes winter storms will wash out part of the dunes. The natural wave action slowly builds it back up, but sometimes, we help mother nature by pushing the sand back up from the beach. Then natural vegetation can start to grow on it sooner:

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A nearly $90,000 project to repair beach dunes in Surf City will begin Tuesday night.

Last September a storm ripped through the area causing erosion to the dune line, so the Surf City Council decided to do a beach push.

Surf City is spending $89,000 to repair its dunes along the six mile beach stretch.

Officials say dunes are very important to the beach because they protect structures that stand behind it.

"If you leave it [the dune] like this, it's going to collapse on itself," said Surf City official Christina Watkins. "We need to build it back up in order to protect all these structures.

Read more here.

How about some Surf Fishing?

Dad or Grandpa helps pack up the car and rustle the kids into the back seat. He drives all the way down to Surf City, then hauls everything up stairs. They're barely done when Mom asks if they'll take the kids out swimming. After chasing the kids around, he tiredly brings them back inside for meals, showers and eventually that night, bed.

The good thing is that the kids will sleep in - at least longer than Dad or Gramps will. But what can Dad or Gramps do with those early morning hours of peacefulness?

How about fishing the surf? He can catch small sharks, jacks and other ocean delights while he sits back and enjoys the peacefulness of the morning. Yet, unlike deep sea fishing, with surf fishing he can reel them in and join the family when they get stirring and ready to do something.

He can rent equipment for the week and get a license at East Coast Sports in downtown Surf City. Click on East Coast Sports or click here for more places to buy or rent fishing gear on Topsail Island.

Snow on the Beach??

Can you believe snow on the beach in Surf City and Wilmington? It's rare because the ocean acts to modify the land surface weather. That's why you like to come in the summer, because when it is HOT where you live, the ocean breezes make it very comfortable on Topsail Island.

But in the fall, winter and early spring, the opposite happens. When it is cold where you ive, the ocean warms up the beach. That's why so many people come to visit in the "off-season".

Here are some pictures taken of snow on the beach sent in by watchers of WECT TV in Wilmington.

Fresh Shrimp on the Grille

One of the great things about coming down to Topsail Island and Surf City is the fresh shrimp. In the picture above you can see one of the local shrimp boats fishing the waters by the drop off for some fabulous Carolina shrimp.

How about cooking your own fresh shrimp? I mean fresh - right off the boat. There is a seafood market located in the parking lot of the Crab Pot and it has what they are catching. Shrimp, flounder, sometimes shark, and more. Click here for a picture of the Fresh Seafood Market.

If you're not good with preparing fresh fish, try this. Get some shrimp and skewers. Boil the shrimp until white. Rinse and place on the skewers - kabob style - with sliced green peppers and some quartered onions. Braise with butter and put on the grill. Take off the grill when they have grill marks and enjoy with a "sundowner"

What's The Best Place to Beach Vacation on the East Coast? Yahoo Voters Say Topsail Island!!

Yahoo Answers is a forum where people post questions and then other people - regular people - respond. People can either give an answer or vote on the best answer already given. Well when somebody posted a question about where the best beach vacation was on the East Coast, somebody answered Topsail Island and enough other people voted for that answer, that it won.

Here is the exchange (which can be found here.)

Resolved Question

What East coast beach would you recommend for a family vacation? Any suggestions on where to stay?

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

We are on the way to TOPSAIL ISLAND in North Carolina next week. It is a family beach WITHOUT a carnival atmosphere and theme park attractions. There are many good and inexpensive seafood restaurants, small shops for souvenirs and two large grocery stores. If you put TOPSAIL ISLAND on Google, you will find more information than you want to know. If you are looking for a "beach" experience with miles of sand and a gentle surf, this is the place to look.