Day one of any vacation to the Outer Banks is always THE DRIVE. Cause, "they ain't no airports out-deir"!
I've already mentioned that, around Chesapeake, Virginia, we started smelling the smoke from the forest fire(s). That lasted pretty much for two hours or so. Or maybe we just got used to it - who knows!

Avon, NC:
This year, for the first time, we rented a house on the sound-side of the island instead of the beach-front. We figured that would keep The Boy more entertained (easy water access) and also keep my Dad equally entertained. Again - water access! There were crab-traps and fishing lines in the water outside our house 24-7! They even caught a thing or two!

The first day we got there, we just basically checked out the place. I did make a very good mental note that there was a bead-shop on the corner (more on that later!) We looked around, ate some dinner, and gazed at the water surrounding us.

The house was just great - it was actually surrounded on 3 sides by water! It's right on a "point" that juts out into the sound, so there was water to the front:

Water on the left:

And water on the right:

Granted, it was about 3 feet deep at the deepest parts, but it was water, nonetheless! There was also a hot tub to enjoy, but that first night, we just chilled - driving can take a lot out of you, and the drive there, from here, takes a full day! It was about 7:30 when we got there, so we were done! The Boy and his Pop-Pop got the scoop on the crab traps that had been left at our own little pier (right in front of the house - you see the boy standing on it here), but other than that, we just ate dinner (pizzeria-pizza), unpacked, and settled ourselves in. It was lovely, and we were ready for a week at the beach.

Tomorrow, Day 2 - the fun begins!!

:O)