We are having a grand ole time here at Bald Head! I have some food and beach pics to share : )
Mazen has totally embraced beach life. He LOVES the ocean and spends hours rolling around in the surf.
We grown-ups take turns taking him into the waves. He is fearless this year!
Glorious low tide!
Emerson is quite the beach babe herself, and she loves splashing as each wave comes up.
She does try to eat the sand though, so that’s a challenge. My sister and Matt brought down this inflatable bath tub (which they also use for baths when they travel) and it was a brilliant baby beach solution! It has a little pole in the middle to help her sit up as well.
We’ve been having a very hard time getting shade to work. My sport umbrella is struggling in the strong winds and has blown away three times. We resorted to steaking it down and using a corkscrew.
We’ve also gone through two different umbrellas from the hardware store here, and both broke in 10 minutes! We observed this family who appeared to be experienced with beaching and they highly recommended these Beach Bub umbrellas. They use a clever pouch of sand to hold them down, and they are recommended for higher wind beaches. I am ordering a two-pack soon! Please share your miracle beach shade solutions!
For breakfasts I’ve been eating a variety of things – egg + bacon sammie and yogurt + fruit bowls.
Lunches have been a mix of sandwiches, snack plates, and leftovers (meatballs over a salad!)
Beach drinks:
Mazen went to a little nature camp put on by the Bald Head Island Conservancy called Budding Naturalists. He had a wonderful time and got to hold snakes and turtles and see alligators! He loved it so much he asked to go back the next day.
While he was gone I went for a beach run and got to read my book while listening to the beautiful ocean sounds. I am reading One Lavender Ribbon while I am here. It’s pretty good! I just finished The Marriage Lie, which was also good but a bit of a thriller!
We’ve been eating well and having dinners on the porch. Sunset view!
We had shrimp bowls with cabbage slaw and polenta one night –
And pizza + salad the next.
Emmie does a little turtle dance with her arms and legs when she gets picked up, so I’ve been calling her my Little Turtle <3
We took a dip in the Shoal’s Club pool too, which was very refreshing after being covered in sand for a few days straight.
Just a few days left!
Bridget says
This is awesome for beach shade and sustains high winds! Lots of colors and sizes too!
https://www.amazon.com/Otentik-Beach-SunShade-Original-Sunshade/dp/B06VWK4374/ref=sr_1_3?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1499451779&sr=1-3&keywords=beach+sun+shade
Heather R says
The sand pouch works wonders for holding your umbrella. Learned that trick in Hawaii, now we do it every time we go. Love the pics, enjoy the rest of your time.
Linda @ the Fitty says
How often do you go back and visit Hawaii?
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I love the witty title of this post. That sunset is gorgeous!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Kelly says
Try the Neso Tent. A little pricey, but works great in high wind.
Sarah says
Try these for shade. http://www.otentik.com/. They are all the rage where I live. I don’t own one myself but so far the only negative I see is that they tend to take up more real estate with spreading the sand bags out. Not cheap but if you use it enough maybe it’s worth it.
KathEats says
I am seeing a lot of these here!
Miranda says
Love all the pics! I live in coastal Maine and take lots of beach trips with my toddler and baby. The LL Bean sun tent is awesome!
https://m.llbean.com/product.html?skCatId=86182&skCatId=86182&feat=sr&term=sun+buster&SS=B&llbdrd=https%3A%2F%2Fm.llbean.com%2Fsearch.html%3FisFromSrchFrm%3Dtrue%26skCatId%3Dsun%2520buster&csp=a#86182
Mer says
This is great and used either stakes or sand bags: https://m.llbean.com/product.html?skCatId=86182&skCatId=86182&productId=1443002&attrValue_0=Brilliant%20Blue&pla1=0&mr:device=m&mr:adType=plaonline&qs=3108007_google&lsft=qs:3108007_google%2Cproduct:0PXD522000&gclid=CN3BmNmM-NQCFUpNfgodkMkMRQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIbdz9mM-NQCFUl1YgodIQQANA&SS=C&llbdrd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&csp=a#86182
Carla says
The sport umbrella works great but you have to put it in at an angle (use a rubber mallet) and low to the ground.
Cyndi says
I’m stocking up on books to read at the beach too! I had considered “The Marriage Lie” but a friend did not like it (one of her negative opinions was that it was “blatantly racist”). Would you recommend?
KathEats says
It wasn’t my favorite book and I can see why she said that, but the plot was a page turner
Jonna says
We vacation on Emerald Isle every year and typically will buy a Quest tent from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
They are easy to set up and last for the week and then we leave if for whomever comes next. They are
usually under $75 but well worth the price. We either get the nylon or canvas pouches and fill with sand
(they are very inexpensive and either Dick’s or most of the hardware stores on the island carry them). If we can’t
find them we just use 4 plastic grocery bags that we fill with sand and tie to the base of the legs. We do this
every morning and leave the canopy set up for the day since we are right on the beach. Sometimes you can
leave the metal base set up all night/week depending on where you are and just put the canopy on each day.
This provides great sun protection!!! I highly recommend this. With the high winds, the umbrellas don’t
work the best. Most folks where we stay will use the canopies. Good Luck!!!
Denise Vermillion says
I really like my pop-up tent – I don’t have a picture, but it comes in a bag and pops up as a half circle and can fit two chairs inside. Not the best for a group, but easy to weigh down and plenty of shade.
Melissa says
Looks like such a fun, relaxing vacation and the view is absolutely beautiful!
Christi says
Hi there Kath, So glad to see that you all are having such a wonderful time. My husband and I love the beach and visit often as well. We live in Knoxville, TN so we always go to Hilton Head or the Charleston area. However, I would love to visit the outer banks. It’s difficult to go somewhere else when we love our usual beach houses, but if we knew a little more about areas in North Carolina I think I’d feel much better about booking our next trips. We plan to go to the beach in August and then again in Sept. We love bike riding, of course beach walking and prefer less touristy areas. When you get home I would appreciate any advice you have for a beautiful area either in Bald Head or other outer banks area. We usually use VRBO but if you know of a specific, reputable rental home company I would also appreciate that very much. Oh, and I have an spf version of the umbrella you are considering and I highly recommend them. I have lupus so although I love being outside, it can cause a flair so sun protection is very important. I use spf tops and hats of course but the umbrella is also great to have.
KathEats says
Bald Head is a great place to go if you love biking and less touristy areas. It’s beautiful! Any of the rental companies should be good, and I’m sure you can find some VBROs too. The northern Outer Banks in places like Corolla and Duke are also less touristy and great for families. They are easier to get to as well. I have liked renting from Twiddy in the past.
Tonya says
LOL! Emerson is a doll. Trying to eat the sand. haha Babies at the beach can go either way–either they love it when the water laps them or they freak out. You never know!