NC vacation pics - part deux

Finally got photobucket to accept the files. Whew!

Looking west on the island in the afternoon


Took Riley down to the beach after we arrived so he could stretch his legs.




Channeling his inner Koolie


He still needs some practice


Early morning, looking east. We always tried to get out around 6am so Riley could play off leash.


More...

Riley - early morning




It was actually kind of chilly in the mornings


Played on the beach every morning




A storm had cut a wall into the beach, but Riley didn't have any problems with it.


On the other hand... clumsy, short-legged humans didn't do so well.


If you've lasted this long, yes, there's more!

Met this guy at a art fair in Morehead City. He uses a chainsaw and hand grinder to create some pretty neat sculptures from cedar/pine trees that were being cleared from construction sites.



Explaining to Sis how he makes the initial cuts


Cedar shark - one piece


A really nice guy, we enjoyed talking with him.


Went to the NC aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores (on the island). They've improved it quite a bit over the years.







This little guy was found last year, they named him Nimbus. Emerald Isle is a sea turtle sanctuary and they have people patrolling the beaches for nests so they can mark them and keep the public away. They do what they can to help the hatchlings get safely to the sea.


Just a few more...

Jellyfish washed up on the beach on the last couple of days. Kind of curtailed our wading...



But that was offset by finding turtle tracks one morning. Pretty cool!



The Turtle patrol was on top of it and decided they needed to find the eggs and move them further ashore. The mother turtle had trouble getting up the wall of sand and had made a nest too close to the high water mark. Took awhile but they eventually found 116 eggs and moved them.



This last pic was taken at Beaufort, which has a deep water marina. I saw this, and for some reason, thought of Sparks and had to take a photo...



That's it! Have a cookie if you lasted through the whole thing!

Oh, those are GREAT shots!

Especially the ones of Riley in the morning <3

Especially this one

Thanks! Sis took that one, it's one of my favorites, too.

NIMBUS LOOKS SOOOO SAD.

Looks like Riley had a blast

Oooooh... You went to Emerald Isle?! I used to live right there!! I loooooved it and miss it SO much.

Beautiful pictures!

JessLough: Riley did have a great time. The weather stayed relatively cool so he got to play on the beach in the morning and afternoon, then walk again at night before bedtime. I actually lost weight on this vacation. Thank you, Stripey Dog!

Yeah, Nimbus does look sad but with that white coloring the aquarium is afraid he would be an easy target for predators if they released him into the wild. They're planning to set up an exhibit for him.

Jules: Did you live in Emerald Isle or nearby? My dad's family lives in Broad Creek (across the Sound) and his mother was actually born on the island (near the Chapel by the Sea). The settlement was called Bell Cove back then.

Gorgeous pictures!!! Looks interesting with the turtles, and that wood carving is ace face.

I'm so jealous!!! Gorgeous pictures... Riley looks like he had an absolute blast!