So what's been going on this week, you asked...

Well, it was all quiet here on the Eastern Front… until long about the time Prank rolled into Mayberry-By-The-Sea in that gorgeous sleek silver Mustang convertible seven days ago. Coincidently. ;) Mercy, it was nonstop mirth, mischief and merriment after that!

Oh, Prank sure knows what a girl likes! We dropped the top on the Pony during the warm, sunny days and had fun, fun, fun! One afternoon, we sat in gridlocked traffic on the way to see The Blue Angels, but luckily, we could watch all of the air show we were “missing” in the skies roaring overhead since we were, uh, topless. Once there, we were both trying out and learning the video feature on our respective cameras as those elite blue and gold F18 jets thrilled the crowd with their precision and power. We won’t mention the unknown feet, elbows, and knees that mysteriously commandeered a lot of the video footage. Gotta learn how to turn that darn thing off properly, right Pranky? Luckily, there was no camera on either of us during any of our chronic, slapstick blonde moments.

One evening we cooked out on the grill. Or, rather, I did… thinking I could impress the Rocky Mountain boy with my amazing culinary prowess, live from Redneck Court. Somehow, I managed to horribly char the best and fattest piece of chicken out of the six that were on the grill. Thankfully, the others were fine, but mortified at my operator error, I told Prank there was a “hot spot” on my grill… yeah, that’s it… a hot spot which I had forgotten about… and sorry that I torched the good piece. I’m not sure whether he bought my story or not. But, don’t you know, he picked the burnt one for himself at dinner time and actually ate it all. Awww... he’s so sweet. :)

We went down to the Tap House and kicked it all night with our friends’ punk rock band, and heard a couple other bands as well. I’m discovering that Prank knows his microbrews to a most impressive degree. He is also someone who knows no strangers when he is out. We laughed about meeting the local “mayor” of myspace, and I think he and Prank will end up being good friends.

Closing down the bar and getting up early the next morning for an all day road-trip was harder than I remembered it being… but we came thru! It was a beautiful drive down to the Outer Banks of NC. We stopped at a roadside farm market in Carolina and picked up some fresh fruit to snack on. I just love those places, with all the aromas and home grown flavors. We tarried for awhile, and I thought of Biggie T when I saw all the bottles of local muscadine wine for sale.

Soon we were over the bridge and onto the barrier islands. We drove the beach road and admired all the wooden beach homes on stilts along the shore, and other places of interest. Stopping in a little restaurant for lunch, Prank commented on how he hasn’t been able to find any food spicy enough to suit him whenever he’s been back to the East Coast. Apparently “we” don’t know HOT like the West does. Well, let’s just say the spicy fish tacos he devoured left his sinuses draining for hours and a smile on his face afterward.

Hurricane Florence might have been bearing down on Bermuda, but she was certainly kicking up some rough surf in the Outer Banks. The hurricane flags were flying, and there was no swimming allowed due to the dangerous rip currents. We pulled off the highway along the deserted beaches and walked in the sand, in awe of the sheer power of the waves and fury of Mother Nature in a storm. We also stopped by two lighthouses along the way, and we laughed about the “report from the road” that somehow we just knew Mr. Happy would be filing on his blog after visiting the Cape Hatteras Light. I’m still laughing as I remember Prank taking the pictures... and the strange looks from passersby when he was positioning himself “just so” in the grass.

So it was another wonderful week in Mayberry-By-The-Sea. We dined in quaint restaurants on the water nearly every night (hmmm… could it be Prank dares not have me cook again? lol) and we enjoyed some of the best seafood around. Prank had several job interviews as well. We shared so much laughter, and even a few tears along the way...

And this bond we share grows deeper.

See you again in October, Prank.