Wednesday

Chef Cecil made us skillet French toast for breakfast. He made it on our mountain trip back in June and we loved it. Only a few ingredients and super easy to make. I even had leftovers for breakfast on Thursday!

Rain had been forecast so we decided to stick close to “home” by going shopping and taking it easy in the room. We went to the Life is Good store, two thrift stores, and the Seagreen Gallery. The Seagreen Gallery was by far my favorite! The family-owned store is “a reinvention destination. Our gallery sells repurposed antiques, local art and nautical fines, jewelry, seaglass, crystals, shells, fossils and recycled art. A gallery with the repurpose.” It is a beautiful and peaceful store and I wanted to buy one of everything! Art is everywhere, not just on the shelves for sale, but on the exterior of the building and in the whimsical garden out back.

Some of the incredible repurposed art at the Seagreen Gallery

After forcing myself to leave the store, we went back to check on Percy and spend time in the room. We enjoyed reading, napping, and making sandwiches for lunch.

For my afternoon coffee we went to a coffee shop we had passed by in the morning. Ashley’s Espresso Parlour had such a fun vibe, and my iced mocha was delicious. Of course, I had to buy Percy a vacation pup cup, complete with a little dog biscuit on top.

We continued relaxing in the room and then decided to go to dinner just up the street. The Bonzer Shack is filled with surfboards – on the ceiling, the walls, and even repurposed into some of the tables! Cecil enjoyed the Bang Bang Burger and I loved the Super Shack Salad complete with curry dressing.

The Super Shack Salad

For dessert we went to the Surfin’ Spoon Frozen Yogurt Bar. You can choose between the self-serve frozen yogurt or one of their famous frozen sammies. I settled on a swirl of chocolate fudgesicle and creamy vanilla with toppings. Cecil thoroughly enjoyed his “Old School” sammie – a chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream.

The Surfin’ Spoon Frozen Yogurt Bar

Thursday

For our last full day on the Outer Banks, we headed north to Duck and Corrolla Beach. Corrolla is the only beach that doesn’t have a leash length requirement, so we wanted to give Percy the opportunity to run around on the beach without us holding him back. Needless to say, he loved it!

Sir Percy on Corolla Beach

Thoroughly windblown, we headed back to Duck for a walk on the town boardwalk, coffee from the Duck’s Cottage, and a half dozen donuts from the original Duck Donuts location. We chose six different flavors – blueberry lemonade, blueberry pancake, chocolate explosion, cookies and cream, sunrise, and the boardwalk.

Happy and windblown on the Duck Boardwalk overlooking Currituck Sound

We continued our routine of an afternoon nap and Red Sox baseball game. For dinner Cecil picked up take-out from the Thai Room (pad thai for me and basil fried rice for him) and two frozen sammies from the Surfin’ Spoon (lemon lavberry for me and chocolate dreams for him). A perfect ending to our week on the beautiful Outer Banks.

Friday

As with every trip we go on, we were sad to leave but ready to be home. On the last day we aren’t the type of traveler to hang around until the last possible minute. We’re ready to be home so once we’re up and dressed, we load up the car and hit the road.

We picked up coffee and breakfast to go from the Waverider’s Coffee, Deli, and Market. Their bagel paninis are absolutely scrumptious. I had the Walkover (plain bagel, bacon, egg, and cheese) and Cecil had the Ben (everything bagel with bacon, ham, egg, pepper jack cheese, and house-made peppercorn mayo).

Our first stop was in the lovely, historic town of Tarboro on the Tar River. They have the second oldest legislated town common (second only to Boston’s!) and it was perfect for Percy. We had the 15-acre common to ourselves, so we put him on the long leash and let him run to his heart’s content. I grabbed an iced mocha to-go from the Tarboro Coffee House and made our way to our second stop for lunch and a stretch break at the Umstead State Park.

Tarboro Town Common

It’s hard to believe that our trip is already over (it felt like it would never get here!) but we are so thankful for the opportunity to take the time to rest and reset. We hope everyone will be able to experience the Outer Banks some day!