DelHoyos Do 2015

OBX Scoping Results This past Monday morning Grandpa and I jumped in the car and drove to the Outer Banks to scope out the fun possibilities for our upcoming family reunion. We had a blast and have accumulated another load of in-jokes. Anyway, here are some findings for you all to consider. We are very happy with the house we rented via a catalogue, so we lucked out there. The beach which adjoins the house is fabulous. Grandpa has Already reserved a large, 10'X 15' canopy cabana which will be set up for us each morning by 8AM and will be taken down for us each evening by 6PM. All we need to do is schlep whatever beach chairs we need back and forth. Remember all of the oldest 19 grandchildren will be getting their own beach bags and beach towels from Grandpa and Grandma. The adults need to bring their own beach towel. The other recreational opportunities are a bunch of awesome miniature golf courses, several go-kart businesses, hang gliding, laser tag, jet skis can be rented for use on the sound side of the island. For the Fourth there will be limited fireworks along the beach front. They used to have larger fireworks display there but a couple of years ago an accident occurred which killed six people so they (the county) has minimized the professional fireworks. The drive in and out of the Norfolk/OBX area is beautiful. In Norfolk you will have a challenging drive but all the bridges, and a tunnel, and all the ships, etc, are fantastic. Use your GPS for sure. When you access the Chesapeake Expressway you will need $6 in cash for the toll. Along this area, after Norfolk, are a few fesh produce roadside markets. They are fun. Sights to enjoy while on the OBX are lots of black pelicans, lots of wind, and lots of sand. Grandpa and I went to scope out certain areas of interest. We went to the Bodie Island lighthouse but it is under renovation and won't be open to the public for another year...bummer! The Hatteras lighthouse is over an hour's drive south on Pea Island and the drive is fun with huge, huge sand dunes right up against the road. We also took Monday evening to check out Roanoke Island where the outdoor drama, "The Lost Colony", is performed (see earlier posting). There is also an aquarium there on that island. There is an outlet mall just before you cross over to Roanoke. There is plenty of commercial shopping and grocery shopping within walking distance from our house. Restaurants and even a Sonic are right there. Just down the street from us is the Wright Bros. Museum and another mile south of the museum is Jockey's Ridge National park which is all sand dunes and is a great place to turn the kids loose to see how much sand they can get in their eyes, hair, and mouth :). Also, it is a great place for kite flying because of the wind. There is no place suitable for launching rockets so that event will probably changed to kite flying. Back to the house, the linens and pillows for all the beds will be provided. I do ask that these four people bring their own pillows since they will be on air mattresses and I don't have enough pillows to provide them. Would Chloe, Asher, David, and Garrett bring each bring a pillow? Also, Moms, don't forget THE SUN BLOCK and THE BUG SPRAY! Also, re-read Devry blog about the color theme for our family portrait. Tomorrow I pick up the reunion T-shirts. I will post another entry about the daily calendar tomorrow. Love all of you!