Oak Island 2011 ~ Team Timmons

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it's been a busy month or so. With the long holiday weekend ahead, I'm going to try to catch the blog up, so keep your eyes peeled...

We are lucky enough to have access to a great house on Oak Island, a great group of friends and a great tradition (8 years, 9 years running?) of making a trip down to rest, recharge, and act a little bit dumb. As everybody gets older and lives get more complicated, it's getting a little more tricky to coordinate schedules. This year we extended the trip out to 5 days, but had some folks that had to come and go while a few of us lucky ones got 5 days of R&R.

Our group (especially Mike) is a firm believer in traditions, and we have a few key things that aren't to be missed on these trips.

Tradition 1: Chicken Chalupas

We try not to eat out a lot at the beach, and really, who wants to waste time cooking at the beach? Chicken chalupas are tasty, able to be made at home and popped in the oven, and are required for me to be allowed on this trip. Yum.

Tradition 2: Daiquiri Tiiiiiiiiiiime

(to be clear, that is a cyclist tan, not a farmer's tan)

What's a vacation without frozen, fruity drinks on the beach? We've taken this tradition to the next level by creating an a cappella theme for daiquiri time. While this song is sung well and often at the beach, it is rarely heard if feet are not in the sand.

Tradition 3: Wii

There is not multimedia component for this on the blog....yet. Time playing with the Wii (haha) is sworn as a safe zone, seeing as how there's really no way to play The Michael Jackson Experience without looking completely ridiculous (even if you do nail Thriller, right Nathan?). I'm not saying there are, or there aren't videos documenting this tradition. And I'm also not saying that Sara and Thea should be sure to stay on my good side...

Tradition 4: Provisions/The Fish House

Perhaps the most consistent traditions of this trip are lunch in Southport at Provisions and dinner at the Marina/Fish House Restaurant at the end of the island. Provisions is the picture of a beach joint. Outdoor seating, laid back atmosphere and great seafood. It's really not to be missed if you're in the area.

The Fish House is another popular spot and there is always a lengthy wait for a table. For a larger party like ours, the wait tends to be long, which leaves plenty of time to hang out outside, take pictures, and, uh, quench your thirst before dinner. In years past, we've been known to shut down the joint by leading its patrons in singalongs of the Eagles' greatest hits. Here are some pics from this year's trip to the end of the island.