Living at the beach............

......I wouldn't want a big modern house at the beach. 

My idea of beach living would be some place like this........a little, old fashioned, "beach cottage". Perhaps painted pale pink, aqua, or sunny yellow....with a front porch to place my brightly painted rocking chairs where I'd sit and watch the people pass by on their way to the beach and the blue Atlantic beyond. Here I could shake off the sand without concern for messing up a fancy house. 

I'd have a pot of healthy vegetarian soup on the stove most days, and out back a small grill to enjoy some local fresh caught flounder and shrimp now and then. The tea kettle would be ready to boil, and if there had been no time to bake a cake, the vintage tin filled with chocolate-dipped almond biscotti would always be available. 

The furniture would be comfy, slipcovered, and the wood floors painted white. Life would stay simple, easy going, and of course you'd all be invited to stop by when driving through town......my door would always be open.

Yes, this small house would be perfect..............wonder if they'd be willing to sell!

If I was a small beach bird, this pink house seen 

in the garden at the NC Aquarium would be my home......

.........or if already taken I would snuggle in this rustic nesting box nearby for the season.

Driving around the beach and looking at the houses is 

always fun.....this one was colorful and 

obviously the home of artistic, crafty, 

"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or go without" types.....loved it.

This vintage camper in their garden was great - can you read that sign - Just Another Day in PARADISE! - 

and I know each day at the North Carolina coast is just that.......

....and their bird houses, decorating the now leafless tree, 

what a great idea.

Is there a particular spot where would you'd like to 

have a beach house?  

East or West coast, if you're in the USA or Canada?  

How about all my friends in Europe, where would you choose?  

Australia and New Zealand - how about sharing your favorite 

beach with us, there are some beautiful ones out there.

More from the coast...............

Stunning Saturday morning sunrise at Carolina Beach.

Respect for the delicate, shifting, protecting dunes 

is so important along this beautiful North Carolina coast..........frequent storms and 

hurricanes often cause havoc. The dunes are precious to the future of the shore, and those who 

choose to live and work there.

Leave a gentle footprint in the sand...........

Beautiful seabirds.....................

Always fun and interesting, a visit to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach.

This is Luna, one of less than 50 albino alligators known to exist in the world. 

Both parents must carry the albino gene to produce albino offspring. 

She is now 7 years old, approximately 7 feet 

long, and growing rapidly. She will soon be moved to 

a larger pond, meanwhile she lives a quiet, safe 

life.........it is rare for an albino to survive in the 

wild with no natural protection from the sun, and an 

easy catch for predators when first hatched.

A great sign at the aquarium.........

...........and beautiful fish.

 Grab the sandals, roll up the pants, nothing sweeter than walking the beach..............

Pics of us via Jasmin

Yes, a beach weekend in Autumn is always special. 

The shore.......the familiar and the funky!

At Carolina Beach this weekend, late Autumn brought awesome waves for surfers.......

...and early Saturday morning, the group of surfers gathered below our hotel were having a great time.

photo via Jasmin

Plenty of warm sunshine for beach walking, petting 

the cutest dogs who are permitted to walk the 

sands off-season.....

......and for Jasmin to try on 'foam shoes'......

you know how we gals never pass up a chance to 

try new shoes!

Meanwhile, those into fishing lined the pier or

found their spot along the shore........fish were biting......

....and the Carolina Blue skies just got clearer and 

brighter as the afternoon warmed up.

Along the boardwalk, and around the vintage, colorful, 

seaside buildings, Christmas decorating was underway 

big time on Friday afternoon.............

.............and, on Saturday evening, this fire pit was 

roaring as we joined with locals and other weekend visitors for 

a chat about the history of this North Carolina beach 

community, a destination for beachgoers, boaters and 

fishermen since the 1880's. 

Many seasonal shops were closed.............but the windows 

were still full of merchandise and waiting for March 

when they'll reopen.

Later, these chairs were set out and the Rudolf the 

Red-Nosed Reindeer movie was shown in the town square.

Always places for sale at the beach.  Any takers?  Loads of history here and the town is trying very hard to bring back the feeling of a true beach community by saving part of the original boardwalk, and revamping the old shops.

For me there are special memories.......Paula and I visited Carolina Beach in 1963 when we lived in Washington, D.C. 

It was fabulous and vibrant then and I would love to see 

it like that again.

No Starbucks here................but Ms. Janeen's funky 

little coffee shop across from our beachfront hotel 

became a favorite spot for a warming drink, the 

coffee was excellent......and more chatting with 

some colorful local characters! Bob, Jasmin and I 

loved this place.

A great weekend at the beach......and more to come.

Early morning visitors.........A FAVORITE THING

.......life is busy but I still wait full of anticipation for the early morning wren who visits outside the dining room window. I sip my coffee, check my mail, and try to find time to visit you or write a post. I know my comments have been slow in coming lately, forgive me, there just aren't enough hours in a day! 

A gentle brown and soft feathered wren, sometimes there's a pair, comes to the porch chairs early most mornings as the darkness fades and light gives shape to the objects through the glass. I believe they find tiny bugs hiding in the woven wicker. Later, during visits throughout the day, they call to each other with that strange vibrating burr, or sing clearly from their large repertoire of melodies......but early mornings they are silent in their diligent search for breakfast.

Do you have any special birds who visit your home daily?

This is one of my porch visiting wrens..........my favorite little bird.

Linking to Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage for the fun 

FAVORITE THING SATURDAY party.