|
After
having lived on
the island for a year while building
the Cottage, and vacationing at Seven Cousins Cottage for years,
we
have begun
to shed the distractions and complications, focusing on rest and
relaxation at
the beach. We would like to share with
your family our experience and observations.
A
little organization
prior to departure from home will let
you hit the beach sooner. Remember “divide and conquer”? Divide the
small but necessary responsibilities of a smooth vacation among the
family
members.
There
needs to a
Captain – think of Seven Cousins as a ship, with
one person responsible for the safety and security of family and
Cottage. There
are small but important things like making sure the doors are closed at
night, and
truly important things like making sure there is always an adult responsible
for kids
in or near the water.
Select
a Chef, not to
cook all the meals, but to organize contributing chefs, plan menus, appoint kitchen clean up crew (kids
love the kitchen
and billiard room floor vacs and will quickly volunteer to sweep the
floor),
and answer questions about the kitchen and stove.
Select
one or two
purchasing agents, to organize purchases of
staple food and household items. We
recommend purchasing as many staple items and drinks at home as possible and
bringing them
with you. The local Food Lion can be
very busy, and you don’t want to be debating too many purchases in the
aisle. Do that before you leave
home. We recommend that you purchase
seafood fresh daily at Risky
Business Seafood (5 minutes away). For an
extra $1
a pound, they will steam your shrimp for you, mild, medium, or spicy. They also have crab cakes that are excellent
and quick and easy to fix.
Select
a “fun guy”. Someone to help others with
activities and
sightseeing (limit
sightseeing to two or three morning or afternoon events, because you
are at
the best sight of all – the beach!) and setting up and returning the
beach gear. The lighthouse is on most
peoples’ list, and
is worth a visit even if you don’t intend to climb.
If you are climbing, go early to avoid long
lines
and heat. Be sure to have sun protection. You may want to take the free ferry to Ocracoke.
Watch the lines (across the street) for the best time to go. You need your car
there, as it is a 30 minute drive to the village when you leave the
ferry.
Early
risers can
start the day with coffee on the deck
or at poolside to enjoy the cool sea breezes and beautiful beach views.
Beach gear could be set up as you enjoy a morning walk. Lunch can
be poolside or upstairs. Afterward, we
grownups take a “reading rest,” since kids don’t like the “n”
word.
Then it’s back to the beach for lounging,
swimming, and perhaps surf fishing (basic gear is in the garage and
bait can
be purchased at any of the marinas).
Around
4:00, a delegation can visit Risky
Business Seafood
docks and market to check out
the
daily catch and pick up steamed shrimp or clams for happy hour,
and
perhaps seafood for dinner. As you gather on the deck
for snacks and beverages, serve chips out of the bag! If
it is breezy, you'll find out why. Some may save calories by
remaining in the spa at this time.
As
prepare and enjoy dinner, keep an eye open for the sunset. If it’s a great one, dash up
to the
shipwatch to view it, taking care to turn off the stove. Or, look
toward the beach to see the dunes and sky turn golden while shadows
appear. We
call this the “back” sunset. For the
kids and young adults, it may be time to start an evening
Monopoly
game at the Shipwatch game table, or billiard tournament downstairs,
both of which
can endure to week's end with heightened tension.
Another
fun thing to do is to walk on the beach at
night with flash
lights brought from home. Our Cousins
have a great time catching the ghost crabs that scurry around. (Please release them to catch another night.)
However, on a starry night, you can’t beat a family gathering in the
spa.
We
don’t intend to
meddle in your family vacation, but it’s
such a short time, we want our experience to help you enjoy your
vacation
at Seven Cousins Cottage. Please notice that we did not mention
shopping for T-shirts, going to the water park, etc. We
did not even mention the pool! And, across the street is Kitty
Hawk Kites, where our cousins tend to spend all their money.
Leave
rested and refreshed, and be sure to come back to Seven Cousins Cottage!
|
