July 2, 2011

We had some time to kill before our friends' Bill and Candace's wedding, so after free breakfast in the hotel, we went swimming in the ocean.

Morning swim in Nags Head

It was much colder than the water off the Gulf, but you could get used to it. 

Candace and Bill were sent off on their honeymoon by parasailing over the ocean. Candace told us at the reception she brought a dress from Craigslist for $40 for the occasion, and then cut it to fit the harness. They said you could see them from the access road on the Sound side. We tried to watch over there, but the park closed at 7 (they were expected to launch at 7:30 and be in the air at 8. So we headed to Jockey's Ridge State Park.

Shortly after we arrived, Jon spotted some parasailers, but it was only 7:45. It was too early to be them, right?

Is this them? It's too hard to tell, even with the longer lens

A closer inspection in Photoshop reveals...

It looks like two people, but no one looks like they are in wedding attire.

At least we know for certain that we're in for a nice sunset. (The long lens does work here!)

Sunset viewing at Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags Head, NC

While we were waiting, we decided to take pictures of ourselves...

... to the soundtrack of a girl of 8-10 who basically accused a younger brother of ruining her day and then her father threw water at her (I would think as a playful gesture) that did not go over well. We were about to bail when we saw another balloon in the air. The timing was closer to 8 now. Could THIS be them?

Is this them?

It was too hard to tell, so we turn once again to Photoshop.

Is that a bridal dress hanging from the sky?

It looks like it might be!

Deciding that if this wasn't them, then we must have missed them, we set back out down the hill. Colleen, who struggled walking up the hill with all her camera and books to read, had to smile when she heard a parent say to a child going up, "You can do it, Regan." (We miss our little girl, who is vacationing in NY and PA!)

We then headed to Mutiny Bay Adventure Golf, since that had looked cooler in the daytime than the adjacent Blackbeard's Miniature Golf and the mini golf places we passed.

The place was packed! And it was very cool, with pirates speaking to us from the loudspeakers and canons being fired off a big pirate ship, with water shooting out of the places where the "cannon" hit as well. Our only complaint was that the water that ran through the area reminded a little too much like a sewage plant.

-- POSTED BY COLLEEN