I'm Back

**No Poker content**

Getting back into the "swing of things" is not much fun. Someone told me today that no vacation goes unpunished. How true!! I am writing this during the tail end of my first day back in the office since the 21st of July. What a day.... but, I feel lucky that I have a job to complain about. Catching up on Jordan's blog makes me thankful that I seem to have some job security. Waiting for these two computers to finish doing what they need to do, and then I will go home and let the poor dog go to the bathroom. While they crunch merrily along, let me catch up on my blog world.

I started my vacation with a bang. My firm had their Ohio Office Golf Outing at Rose's Run, a pretty nice and challenging golf course. It was a 4 person scramble and my team TORE IT UP!! We really played team golf, and were rewarded with a -8 on the front nine. We parred two holes and birdied (one eagle) the rest. The back nince was much tougher with many dog legs, blind shots and good bunker placement. We went -4 on the back for an amazing 60! We won handily (next closest team was a -6 with most teams right around par. It was sweet, I was driving well and putting out of my ass. It was a great day with plenty of beer and good company.

Geeked from my unusual golf course dominance, I drove home to finish packing and start the tortorous drive that lay ahead. Having sat in OBX, NC beach traffic once, I am in no rush to do it again anytime soon. Solution? Leave Ohio at 10PM and drive through the night. Stupid? maybe.... but I can sleep on the beach when I get there. Dangerous? Probably, but D is my middle initial and maybe it does stand for Danger. Done? You bet. We pulled into the Food Lion parking lot in Corolla, NC at 0945 hours the next morning. I drove from 2200 to 0330 (dropping the dog off at the in-laws at midnight). The wife woke up and handled 0330 to 0630 and then I finished it off (after a stop at the last Waffle House on the route, thank you GPS and Garmin).

If you have never been to the beach at the Outer Banks, I highly recommend it. I love the beach (as mentioned in my 50 Things) and I really like a beach without all the restrictions. You can bring alcohol, pets, radios, volleyballs, even 4x4's at the North end of the barrier island! If you have never driven on the beach, it is fun as hell. There are even some houses up there that you can only rent and get to if you have 4 wheel drive. It does not even need to be a truck, my Honda Pilot handled it fine after locking it into 4W. I was bouncing and sliding all over the place riding up over the dunes into the part with houses (note: there was only a few places that you could cross the dunes, this was one of them.. I was "treading lightly")

Since we could check into our rental house until 4PM, my plan was to clock some Zzzz's on the beach. We stopped at the only grocery store at the North end (Food Lion) and got some essentials (beer and ice) and drove up and onto the beach. Right where the road ends and you enter the sand, there was a wild horse just chilling! My wife was so excited she made me stop and grabbed the camera. The horse was sitting on the beach facing the ocean catching some rays I guess. When we came back later in the day he had gone.

Sleeping on the beach is the best....until you discover later that the little umbrella you brought does not block the UV rays! I was sporting a serious farmer's tan when I arrived and put on a sleeveless t shirt while I napped in the shade created by the umbrella. Stupid me thought that I did not need to put on sunblock since I was in the shade. I also sleep on my back with my hands interlocked under my head. My wife says I look cocky when I sleep, maybe she is right, but my sleep cockiness caused some seriously pink armpits. Ouch.

to be continued....