our mini-vacation

Marvin and I just got home from a "mini-vacation" to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Early yesterday morning, we met up with my sister and her husband (from South Carolina) and my parents (who stopped and picked up my brother-in-law's mom and her friend). We combined into two cars, and from our meeting point (somewhere in the middle of all of our houses), it was about a four and a half hour drive to Maneo, NC.

We went for a specific reason. My sister's oldest son (Zach, who is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina) has been working this summer as the Stage Manager for "The Lost Colony" (an outdoor symphonic drama about the doomed English settlement off the coast of NC -- 1587). Zach is double majoring in Cardiovascular Technology and Theatre at Univ. of SC, and he has worked in various shows in South Carolina as a stage manager. This was a BIG job for him this summer. We went to see the show (it's been about 15 years since Marvin and I last saw it), but we mainly went to see Zach.

OMG -- you will never believe the summer Zach has had! Even though he's only 20 years old, he oversees the six-days-a-week show and supervises about 150 actors, dancers, singers, production staff, and stage hands. He's the youngest one there -- and I do believe Zach is the MAN. The producer has gone back to NYC, and the executive director said he just "hangs out and watches Zach work." Zach is next in line in the administrative staff.

Monday, we ate a late lunch with Zach, visited for a while, and then went to the show (Zach had reserved VIP seats for us -- what great seats we had!). Then today, we met Zach again for lunch and drove back home. It was a lot of driving -- but it was worth it!

The historical society there has rented a house for Zach for the summer (it's about 200 yards from the Lost Colony Theatre), and the Roanoke Sound literally laps up in his backyard. The house is a typical "beach cottage," and it's about a 20 yard walk from his back porch into the waters of the Sound. It's beautiful --- absolutely beautiful. I could live there!

We were all so proud of our Zach. He's a very, very, very smart and hard-working young man, and the folks at "The Lost Colony" seem to love him as much as we do.

If you ever get the chance to visit the Outer Banks of NC, you should go and see "The Lost Colony." Be sure to ask for Zach and tell him you know his aunt (he calls me Pete, too). Can you tell I love this child almost as much as his mom does?

I took pictures.
1. Marvin being silly at the Currituck Lighthouse
2. Marvin (or "Bear" as Zach calls him), Zach, and my daddy
3. Petey and Zach
4. Zach in his backyard (look close to see the back of the theatre in the background -- the pier is where they shoot off the fireworks during the show)
5. Zach and Bear (aka Marvin) in Zach's backyard
6. my sister (Mandy -- Zach's mom), Zach, and Grammy (my and Mandy's mom)