Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, January 27, 2020

What do the Adams' do while at the BEACH in December?

A view from our room at the Islander Inn
Hello Blog Friends!!!!!   How are YOU?   As I write this post on a cold,  January day in Tennessee,   I am yearning to be back at that beautiful area NOW!!!!!!  George and I love going to Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina,  and we try to get there almost every year in early December.

This year,  we visited  George's son and family in Florida for Thanksgiving --and then headed to the beach,  by way of Savannah and Charleston....  It was a great 11 day trip for us --but it was nice to get home to enjoy Christmas with family and each other!

Our trip this year at the Islander Inn in Ocean Isle Beach was between Dec. 2-6...So today's post is a look at our time there.   What did we do on this amazing vacation????    Sit back,  grab a cuppa and enjoy!!!!


What do we do?????   We love watching the sunset from our balcony.



What do we do?????   EAT of course;  This was my dinner of shrimp and scallops from the Dockside Restaurant at Calabash,  NC



What do we do?   We walk the beach --at least twice a day.  It's wonderful to have the beach all to ourselves.



We love watching the waves around the Fishing Pier



What else do we do???  WELL---we love walking at our favorite park in the area,  Sunset Beach Waterfront Park.  



As we walked in Sunset Park,   I just had to go down to the water's edge and search for any alligators.... They say there are alligators in the area,  but we've never had the 'privilege' of seeing any!!!!!



Nobody on the beach except us and a lot of water BIRDIES!!!!!



What do we do????   Not only do we enjoy sunsets from our room/balcony --but we also got up early enough each day to see the beautiful SUNRISES.... (This is the time of year to be here --in order to see both sunrises and sunsets.)



Another day--another walk on the beach.... You can see the Islander Inn in the distance.  It's a perfect place to stay --if you want a vacation ON the beach!!!




 What do we do?????    Of course,  we EAT again (and again)!!!!!!!   ha ha....We enjoy another delicious meal (Prime Rib and Garlic Mashed Potatoes) at the Boundary House in Calabash!!!



A walk on the beach on a VERY cold and WINDY day!!!!    I always post a picture of the big house in the distance --since we have taken pictures of it for many years,  since we watched it being built!!!!  I always say that it is 'my' house!!!! ha



What do we do?  WELL---we just had to visit CALLAHAN'S of Calabash while there...  They have the BEST  Christmas store I've seen in a long time.... Some little goodie always just calls my name,  when we are there.  This year a cute little OWL jumped into my arms and begged me to bring him home...  Of course,  I didn't want to disappoint him!!!!!  He's so cute.  His name is Hooty!!!




My new baby --HOOTY,  the Owl!!!



There are so many Christmas things to see at Callahan's.  Here's an 'upside-down' Christmas tree for you!!!!



Every time we walk on the beach,  things look different each and every day...I love this picture with the sun's reflections on the water....  The water looks like a sea of diamonds.



What do we do?????   WELL---after a nice walk along the beach,  we enjoy a little rest on the Gazebo!!!!



Another gorgeous SUNRISE
WELL as you can see---we picked a gorgeous week to be here....  I'm a 'mountain' gal at heart --but LOVE getting my Beach Fix--at least once a year.... Hope you enjoyed a visit to the beach today....

Have an awesome week, my friends.

Hugs,
😁BETSY💕

19 comments:

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

beautiful white sand on the beautiful beach Betsy and the sun is out. Now what more could anyone ask? Glad you enjoyed your trip. You certainly eat enough!!! Have a great week ahead.

Ann said...

It's so beautiful there and how wonderful to have the beach all to yourself. I would love to browse through Callahan's. That looks like my kind of store.

George said...

You've convinced me -- I'm ready to go back. I'll be it's as nice in January as it is in December.

Judy said...

What a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for sharing.

David said...

Betsy, Glad to hear that you had such a nice stay on the islands. I will admit that I've never seen an upside down Christmas tree...but we have seen an alligator fairly close to where you were staying. It was in the water next to the USS North Carolina at Wilmington. Love the seafood at Calabash! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Betsy said...

It looks like a lovely time and remarkably similar to Lincoln City, Oregon and the D'Sands Condominium hotel. Seriously, I would almost have thought that you were there. It's our favorite beach destination but we don't get to go often as it's a 9-10 hour drive for us. Since Dennis is still working, we have limited vacation time. Maybe someday we will get to visit more often, because like you, the ocean and this beach is one of our happiest places on this earth.
Thank you for sharing with us Betsy.
Blessings always,
Betsy

Ginny Hartzler said...

If we went there, I think I would do the exact same things that you do!! The front of Callahan's is beautiful!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Oh such gorgeous scenes. That kind of beach time I could enjoy as well.

Lowcarb team member said...

Oh Betsy, what fabulous photographs.
The sunrises and sunsets are beautiful.
Love Hooty the Owl :)

All the best Jan

Happytrails said...

I Think your little owl is precious!! And that Christmas store...wow!!
You know how much we love the beach since we visit the Gulf so often but I'm with you, I love the mountains just about as much!! Your pictures were gorgeous!! Glad you had such a great time!!

linda m said...

To me there is nothing nicer than having the beach all to ones self. Many much needed "time alone with my Maker" was spent on an empty beach.

Beatriz said...

Hello Betsy!
I love those sunsets at the beach!!!
It's very special walking along the sand looking the ocean...even in the winter (in your cas). Here in South America we are in midsummer!

Many hugs :)

Bia
www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Lady Fi said...

So gorgeous!

Linda said...

Looks like a beautiful trip!

Carol said...

This is the first time I've read your blog which is funny. I live in Calabash. I moved here permanently in 2018 from Baltimore. It's so nice and quiet. I'm always going to Callahan's and when it's warmer, Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle. I enjoyed your pictures!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

HI Carol from Calabash..... We LOVE that area and have gone there for years... We used to go in May and December. May got too crowded for us --so now, we usually go in early December...

You are so lucky to get to live there.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Hugs,
Betsy

William Kendall said...

The sun on the water like that is stunning.

Connie said...

Gorgeous photos, Betsy! Isn't it great being at the beach and having it all to yourselves. We went to Florida in January this year, and I'm missing it now too. It was a great time to go there though. We had wonderful weather with temperatures in the 70's the whole time we were there. Now we are back home in Ohio under a blanket of snow and with a temperature of 29 degrees!

Kay said...

Wow! Gorgeous gorgeous photos, Betsy. However, your food photos absolutely made my mouth water. Yuuuuum!