More March Beach Days

After our eventful day at the beach last week,

Orin and I decided to take a little vacation to see the other coast.

Actually,  our trip to the Atlantic had been planned months prior

when we first heard that my father and sister would be spending 

March at the beach house in North Carolina.

(Remember from last year, the site of the 

catastrophic van engine collapse?)

Well, Orin and I were heading back, and this time he would get to 

appreciate the beach from a different vantage point.

We arrived on Thursday night and were greeted at the airport by 

Aunt Andy, Grandpa Jack, and deliciously warm weather.

The next morning we set out early for a long day of walking on the

beach and enjoying the sunshine.

Orin wasted no time in getting comfortable in his temporary home.

Maybe he was just still tired from the plane ride,

or maybe he was taking pointers from Indy, my sister's greyhound.

When we planned the trip, we made sure to be in NC during 

a time when Uncle Alex might have a break from his SF training.

However, the break was contingent upon his performance in the field

for the five weeks prior, 

so we weren't sure if we would get to see him.

So, on Friday night when he called to say he had been released 

for the weekend, we were all thrilled.

It was great having all the siblings together,

and the weather was beautiful the whole weekend.

My brother brought his friend from training, Brad, 

and his wife, Brandi, with him for the visit.

Orin enjoyed the extra attention he got from Brad, 

who clearly had a soft spot for babies.

Orin also enjoyed taking full advantage of a non-baby-proofed house,

complete with exciting new things to play with

like pieces of dog food and cabinets without locks.

My brother, Brad, and Brandi left on Sunday afternoon.

The boys will have two more weeks of field training before they

start language training (they have both been assigned to learn French)

Good luck guys,

Andy, Orin, and I are off to the beach.