The Middle

Well, to summarize, we went to the beach and the NC Aquarium and the girls had a fabulous time, although honestly we could have gone down the road to the Hampton Inn and they still would have had a fabulous time, because what they liked best was the swimming pool and eating donuts for breakfast. Other highlights:

• Mallory trying one of my fried shrimp at dinner, pushing away her chicken strips, and saying, "I want all of your shrimp for me!" Which was okay, because I also had some divine crab-stuffed shrimp which she did not want to share. Yummy. And expensive, thus explaining why we had donuts for breakfast.
  
  
• Phoebe and I found the ocean water way too cold, but Chris and Mallory managed to wade in up to their knees for a while. A group of teenagers in bikinis ran past them into the waves and Mallory said, "Those people are from Crazyland!"
  
  
• Phoebe announced, "This was a good idea. My favorites were the beach and the swimming pool!" ... when the only things we'd done were go to the beach and the swimming pool.
  
  
• I found this too cool: Coming to the very end of I-40 on the way there, and joining it at its origination point on the way back, where there stands a sign proclaiming "Barstow, Calif -- 2554 miles." If I'd known that was coming up, I would've had my camera ready.

And, well, there's not a whole lot more to say. It was fun. Here are pictures.

The beach! My three favorite people, standing at the edge of the continent.







Sad little girls leaving the hotel:



At the aquarium. These turtles were so perfectly still I was convinced they were fake.



My favorite, the octopus:



And now my little night owl is demanding attention, so I guess that will have to do. Speaking of trips, however, I want to wish my mom and grandma a safe journey to Italy next week. Have fun over there!