The Nook, part 2

Ahhh, the beach...

When we left off, we were hanging out on the beach, waiting for Kevin and Amy to drive over from Chapel Hill to join us.  The sky was still a little overcast, but thankfully, it didn't last long.

Side note:  This is Jonah's new thing - arm flung wide.  When you hold him, he doesn't snuggle close.
Rather, he throws his arm out like he's ready to take on the world.  Sometimes it seems like he's directing
you where he wants to go, or at the ready to grab anything that comes within range.  Cracks me up.

We had fun while we waited...

It wasn't too long before Kevin and Amy arrived.  Here's a good look at their condo balcony from down on the beach.  They quickly unloaded their car and joined us down on the beach.

 Jonah was happy to see them again, even though we'd only been away a day.  

This kid is so smiley!  I love it  :)

Whenever Brandon puts him up on his shoulders, the first thing he does is lick Brandon's hair,

and then make a terrible face.  After that he's all smiles.

 It was nearing time for Jonah's nap, but we decided to take a little walk up the beach first.  He was getting pretty sleepy...which is about the only time he will snuggle in.  The tide was getting pretty high - it reaches right up to the buildings at it's highest, which doesn't leave much beach for walking.  Things got pretty wild and crazy, but we all made it back without be swept out to sea.

Toes!

We got Jonah settled for a nap, and then took turns babysitting the monitor while the rest of us headed for the beach.  The tide was headed back out, leaving plenty of sand for sunning and sitting, and plenty of surf for swimming, splashing and body surfing.  The weather was perfect!  Such a relaxing afternoon!!

After we all cleaned up from our fun at the beach, we headed to the local crab shack, and Kevin and Amy treated us to fresher-than-fresh peel and eat shrimp.  We were literally about 25 yards from the water.  You could see the boats that brought in the shrimp that day.  You can't get food like this in Iowa!

 After dinner, we took a walk on the boardwalk that winds its way through the marsh on the northwest side of the island.  We saw lots of fishers on the dock, fishing for everything from crabs to shrimp to some kind of fish.  Here the gang was checking out a monster crab someone had lured with chicken nuggets.  The family caught a whole bunch of crabs, actually, but tossed them all back.  This thing was about the size of a football!

We also caught the sunset over the water before we turned around to head back to the condo.  Kind of cool to see the sun rise over water and set over water all in the same day.  Ahh, island life.  After we got Jonah to bed, Kevin set up the telescope and we all got to take an awesome, crystal-clear peak at the half moon.  So cool!  Then we sat on the balcony, listening to the waves and enjoying the stars and each others' company.  Great ending to another great day at the beach.

We still have one more day at the beach, so stay tuned.  We'll be back soon...