Once upon a time it was Administrative Professionals' Day. And I am that.

Ever had your boss offer her vacation home as a gift for Admin Profesh Day?  I can now say, "I have."

Remember this house?  Well that's her house.  Her second house.  Her vacation destination house.  Her sanctuary.  Her home away from her normal home.  Her baby.  And for last weekend, it was ours.  And it was great.  Minus the weather wasn't completely cooperative.  But like people fail to realize...we're from Oregon.  A little drizzle doesn't kill you!

So where are the Outer Banks?  It's this strip o' land that's technically North Carolina, but in reality...it's just a thin ass strip of land waiting for a hurricane/tropical storm/severe-Al-Gore-global-warming to wipe it out.  I don't think my mother would be on board with this vacation.

All 7 feet above sea level.

Friday was spent at work.  Standard.  From there, I rushed home, packed, grabbed some snacks, Mr. Wookie hit up the liquor store, and we were ready for the 3-hour trek South.  We got in a little late.  But we had enough time to unpack, have a nightcap, listen to the gorgeous waves, and fall asleep knowing we were very fortunate to vacation in such style (for free!).


Saturday morning was ADVENTURE DAY.  And with that, we headed South to take the ferry to Ocracoke (another small-ass island only navigable by ferry or aircraft - so good luck).

Perfect timing by Mr. Wookie as we barely wait 5 minutes before we load up onto the ferry.  And for some reason, the ferry system wasn't charging.  Maybe it was Winter Hours, but the free price tag was a great start to our day. 

What's a car ride without snacks (jerkey!)? 

Southern portion of Outer Banks = McMansions.

The 5-mile ferry ride took about a half hour total.  And thankfully Mr. Wookie closed the sunroof, otherwise someone's arm (mine) would have experienced the birds.  And Ocracoke was a complete break from reality as there wasn't even cell service (and it's not like we could have gotten lost - there's one road, and the island is only 13 miles long).  The island is completely dependent on tourism, and it's the infamous hide-a-way of Blackbeard the Pirate!  Argg!!! 

Mr. Wookie wanted to rent scooters.  The whole town could be walked in 20 minutes.  Scooters weren't really necessary to cover that terrain.  Although some other tourists were complaining about having to walk.  Lazies!  No wonder the US has a obesity epidemic.

 Thank goodness for the signs to the lighthouse!

The one place you get groceries.  And they were closed that day.  Hope you weren't out of toilet paper!

So this is their infamous lighthouse.  It's one of the longest still-working lighthouses in the Outer Banks.

Now I apologize if this offends you...but I thought it to be kinda weird to have Gramps and Granny buried in your front yard?  Doesn't that hurt your resale value?  What if it floods?  Will they be popping up outta the ground a la Poltergeist????


Anyways...the reason for our visit to Ocracoke: Blackbeard.  This island was his hide-out as it allowed him the perfect coverage to view ships from afar before determining to take their plunder.  And it's also where he met his demise.

But in order to get to where he bit the dirt, you must take a hike through the foliage.

We don't have Poison Ivy in Oregon (at least, not where I'm from), so we made careful notes to not use it as a natural sunblock.

Mr. Wookie paying his respects to the Pirate.

Haha, just kidding!  He was admiring the fishies. 

And, of course, the one time he wants to take a picture, I have a sneezing/hacking/coughing/mucus fit.  Thanks Mr. Wookie.  You document my illness so well.  Now where were you when I yacked up that green boogie last week?  The blog could have definitely used that! 

So Middle Sister hates stick family.  They kill me.  I think they're hysterical.  I've debating getting one.  But I'm not sure if they have a vodka tonic to put on my window also.


Thanks to Mr. Wookie's dad, we landed at a great place for lunch.  It's called Howard's Pub.  Howard's is a beachy pub with over 200 beers.  And because North Carolina isn't Communist (Virginia is with their beer importing), I was able to indulge in some West Coast flavors.

Oh, I'm sorry, you have complete and utter love for all things Oregon license plate and Oregon State??  Oh, well then, looks like I'll have to stay for 2 beers.  To make it worth your effort, and all.

Yes, 2 pint glasses came home with us.  And no, we didn't steal them.  We bought them like up-standing citizens.  This time.

I'd say, "Let's play a game and have you spot the error."  But, not to deter some new readers from utter confusion, I'll just tell you.  New Belgium 1554 is NOT from Holland, MI.  It's from Fort Collins, CO.  I know this people I have a slight obsession with this company.  I would have brought it up to Management, but I feel that maybe a letter to the owner will warrant more Howard's swag.  Or at least, that's what I'm holding out for. 

And because Mr. Wookie was so kind to take the camera for documentation of Heaven.

And so now comes story time.  The ferry system leaves on the hour, every hour.  And about 40 minutes till, we decided to make the trek back to the loading station.  And we're driving, and driving.  Meanwhile, some Gramps McGee decides to go slower than BALLS.  Like patient Oregonians on a meaningless stroll, we don't care that his ankle/gas pedal doesn't work...so we just go with it.  Well, some people *coughTHEDOUCHEINTHETRUCKcough* deem it necessary to burn by us.  Okay, whatever asshole, you flip your truck after skidding on sand.  Your death = not my issue.  Well fast forward to loading on the ferry.  We're the last vehicle TO NOT MAKE IT ON.  W.T.F???  Mr. Wookie = PISSED!  Irate.  Livid.  I...had to use the bathroom (remember, 2 pints), so I couldn't care less.  So now I know...pass as many people as you can so you're not THOSE PEOPLE at the loading dock.


Thank goodness another ferry was cycling through in a half hour.

Mr. Wookie, after calming down.

And we had cell service again!

Yes, Mr. Wookie felt the need to yell at the ocean for getting saltwater on his car.  Because the ocean will listen.  And totally refund you on your next car wash.

This is what he does.  He takes unsuspecting photos, doesn't tell me, then I die laughing when I upload them. 

And in case your wonder what the view was like from the house, here it is.

While it's not great to be atop your neighbors, just look at where you are.  It's not like you'll have an episode of Cops filmed next door.  If anything, it'll be Blow.


It's the perfect vacation destination if you want to do NOTHING.  Beach, book, beer, and Mr. Wookie.  Okay, well, not this weekend, as it was perfect jean weather.  But you get the idea.


Stay tuned for Part 2!  Sunday = more adventure and one helluva history lesson!