Ocean Isle Beach, 2021

Most families have some version of “vacation” they look forward to every year. For some this means long flights to tropical places. For others, it’s going on a camping trip to the middle of the woods. This year for me, it’s a beach trip to Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina.

A Short but “Turbulent” Flight

This vacation started out a little different than normal. Instead of making the 11-hour trek down via jam-packed car, I decided on a short one-hour flight. I live close to an airport, and the flight was only $36!

I make my way onto the plane and find my window seat on the other side of a mother and her five-year-old daughter. After we take off, I begin to let my mask slip so I can actually breathe (since masks cause respiratory issues). The woman, let’s call her “Karen”, takes notice and asks if I’m vaccinated.

Masks, although optional in most places in the US now, are still required in airports and during air travel. This is because government has stifled the free market. The monopolistic, heavily-subsidized airlines operate as just another government agency.

My natural instinct is to tell the truth, so I say “No”. She asks me to adjust my mask since she hasn’t had the chance to inject her toddler with the mysterious fluids yet. I roll my eyes, pull the mask up over my nose, put headphones in, and turn away to try and forget about Karen for the short one-hour flight.

I’m wearing a handkerchief for a mask, so inevitably it slips back down again. Karen gets triggered and threatens to tell the airplane staff on me if I don’t keep my mask up. I’ve heard several stories of planes turning around mid-flight because of crying newborns not wearing masks, and I wasn’t about to risk missing out on my family beach trip because of this lunatic. I decide wearing a mask to shut Karen up is in my best interest.

We finally land, Karen apologizes for snapping at me, and I give her a card that takes her to this website. It seems like she enjoys being told what to do, so I doubt the card got very far with her, but I figure it was worth an attempt.

With that BS aside, I step out from the airport into the hot Carolina sun, I’m filled with excitement and eagerness to start vacation. Any anger or anxiety I might’ve had from Karen immediately melts off me. One Uber ride later and I’ve reached the sandy shores of Ocean Isle Beach.

Let's Go to the Beach, Beach

Our family beach trips include extended family, and this year there were 39 of us total! This year we opted for a big beach house that could fit all of us, with its own walkway to the ocean.

As you could assume, there’s rarely any reason to be bored at the beach with this many people. Between the annual cornhole tournament, lounging or splashing in the waves, playing bocce ball, spike ball or other beach games, going on long walks, causing mischief at the pool, or simply basking in the sun to work on your tan, there’s always something to do.

For the annual corn hole tournament this year, I was paired up with my Pap. We were the favorites in every game we played, but that didn’t get us very far. We ended up 1-2 and with that, we exited the tournament early. My brother paired with our cousin would end up taking home the trophy this year after coming back from the losers bracket.

As you may know, I love to read, and that includes while I’m at the beach. This year I brought a book by Jimmy Buffet titled “Tales from Margaritaville”, which I thought was very fitting for the occasion. To set the mood even further, I listened to “Margaritaville” and his other top songs while eating lunch and watching the waves crash.

Slowing Things Down

Vacations always go faster than you expect. I blinked twice, and before I knew it we were halfway through our trip. It’s astounding to me how fast things seemed to move.

I wanted to slow everything down a bit.

What I’d come to realize was that my headspace was full of unprocessed thoughts and emotions. Because of this, I wasn’t paying attention and fully experiencing my surroundings.

The solution? I decided to go on a walk.

Walking is hugely beneficial to our mental and physical health, and it helps me personally make sense of my feelings.

As I started taking more walks on the beach to clear my mind, my trip started to slow down too. I would return from my leisurely walks and become consciously aware of the pleasure of baking in the intense sun, listening to the dull roar of the waves crashing, and feeling the hot sand between my toes.

A Tasty Ending

Fishing at the beach is always a treat because you never know what you’re going to reel in! When we gather our supplies for the beach every year, the fishing rods are never forgotten.

As nighttime approaches, we throw some squid or shrimp on a couple hooks, head to the surf, and hope for the best. It’s hard to tell when you have a bite, because the current is always tugging back and forth at your line. Normally, we don’t have much luck.

This time though, between the two rods in the ocean, I managed to bring in a baby shark!

Few people know however that in the bay behind the tall condo is where the real action happens. In the past we’ve caught some big sea bass there, but it’s not always a walk in the park. 

On our last night, we decided to try out our luck at the bay. In the wee hours of 3am, I drug a shrimp past a big Red Drum, and he bit!

I landed the two foot long fish, threw him in a bag, and thought about how good he’d taste the final night for dinner. The next day we dressed him up with lemons and butter and threw ‘em in the oven. It would be a nice addition to our dinner entrees.

The fish meat was falling off the bone, and everyone who tried the fresh catch-of-the-day loved it. We don’t always have success in the bay, but when we do, we eat good.

At the End of it All...

The best part about vacation is spending time with family. Inside jokes are made, we catch up with everyone’s personal lives, and we plan even more trips to take together in the future.

It’s not easy to get a big family like mine together, so when the family trip comes up every year, I make sure to plan everything else around it.

The parents have already started scheming about vacation for next year. I can’t wait to find out what they come up with!