Great day on the Outer Banks

Today is just about as good as it gets for December 9th. I took a walk down to the ocean front this morning, and the beach was so beautiful, I just couldn't resist taking a walk on the beach. I walked north, toward the army research pier, and only saw a couple other people along the way. The temperature was in the mid-fifties, but with only a very light SE wind, it felt much warmer. I was dressed in warm up pants and a sweatshirt and it felt just right.

After walking to the pier and back, I sat for a while on the walk-over benches and just looked at the ocean. The water was calm, but not slick like it's been for the last couple of days, there was just enough breeze to cause a slight surface ripple and the smallest of shore breaks, with an occasional foot-high breaker. Far out, there were some terns flying low over the surface, and occasionally a gannet would crash dive into the water. There must have been some bait fish near the surface, but I didn't see any signs of fish breaking the surface, or any dolphins rolling.

After taking in the peaceful scene for a while, I made my way back up the hill to home, reflecting on how lucky we are to have been able to live in this marvelous place for more than twenty years.

We talked to David and Susan for 3/4 of an hour after I got back from the beach. We had been playing telephone tag with them all weekend, so they called us from the car. They were on the way to St. Louis (about a 3 hour drive for them) to see a Christmas music concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. David filled us in on his latest job search activities, and everything seems to be going very well for him. He has three very promising personal interviews scheduled, and a few others in the early stages of development. As usual, he's treating the job search like a job, and he's getting results.

I'm back on the road tomorrow, for five straight days of leaving early to see clients in remote areas, two days on Hatteras Island, one in Currituck, one in Elizabeth City and one in Nags Head. That's my most demanding work period for the month, so I probably won't be posting anything for a few days unless something really exciting happens.