On Saturday Sandy and I attended a sweet wedding in a little coffeehouse on the riverfront in Wilmington, NC. My friend JoJo and I have been friends for longer than either of us can remember – probably since we were babies in the nursery at our church. Because same-sex marriage finally became legal in North Carolina a couple of months ago and we’re looking at an unfortunate political situation in DC come January, they hurried up their plans to get legally hitched. I’ve been an advocate for equal rights for a long time, so this wedding was extra special. This is one of the most loving couples I’ve ever known, and I got all sentimental and cried tears of happiness throughout the ceremony.
Then Sandy and I stayed overnight at Shell Island Resort at the end of Wrightsville Beach. It’s showing its age a bit but it was nice to have an oceanfront room for about the same price as staying in town. I got 6000 miles for staying there too – paying for 1/4 of my next flight to Portland, so woo-hoo for that! I walked on the beach the next morning. Chilly, but pretty.
I thought about the difference in the West Coast beaches I’ve fallen in love with and these Carolina beaches I’ve grown up with. On the west coast, there are big boulders and mountains and cliffs and sea creatures on those rocks that make me look up and around and draw me in to explore the nooks and crannies. On our sandy beaches, my eyes are always looking down because there are so many cool shells and stones to gather. I’m not one of those people looking for perfect shells. I look for interesting textures and shapes, so the old worn-out pieces of conch shells with holes from starfish and barnacles and other sealife are my favorites. My friend Missy taught me some tricks for finding shark’s teeth. I did find one – can you spot it?
We joined the newlyweds and a few of their friends at the Oceanic for lunch (I highly recommend it!) and then came back to Greensboro, where the work on our house renovations should be wrapping up today.
slowly she turned 