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I found myself humming the song “Rainy Night in Georgia” on several occasions last week even though I wasn’t anywhere near the Peach State.

Rather, I was visiting the Outer Banks…that narrow strip of sand where my family traditionally spends our summer vacation. We always take vacation the week of my daughter’s birthday, which is July 21.

Typically, the weather in late July in North Carolina is hot and dry. Neither was the case last week as it was warm and wet for the most part, prompting me to think of the song penned by Tony Joe White way back in 1967 and made popular in 1970 by R&B vocalist Brook Benton.

However, the rain didn’t dampen our spirits as it actually served as a way for our family – to include a son-in-law and grandson – to spend more quality time together.

When we did venture outside between rain showers, there was a time to show our skills on the putt putt course. Yours truly – thanks to a trio of aces (a hole in one) – took top honors, despite shooting a dismal 5 on one easy hole.

On Thursday – where it basically rained all day (really heavy at times) – we opted to visit the OBX bowling alley. There I managed to put my poor bowling skills on full display. I tossed a gutter ball on my very first attempt and never recovered. I barely managed to hang on and finish in third place, just a few pins ahead of my 10-year-old grandson.

The real competitions were held after dinner. We would gather nightly around the dining room table of our cottage to play UNO. That popular card game will put your strategic skills to the ultimate test. But despite all your efforts to position yourself (and the cards left in your hand) to collect the win, you’ll find yourself the recipient of a Pick 2 or Pick 4 card at just the most inopportune moment and all your strategy up until that point goes flying out the window (and into another rainy night on the OBX).

I managed only one UNO win all week!!

My daughter discovered a new game that we thoroughly enjoyed, so much to the point where we hurt from laughing at each other. “Things” is where everyone writes a response to a particular prompt on a Topic Card, such as “Things… you shouldn’t put in your nose,” and the players then try to guess which player wrote which response. A reader is chosen. This reader reads aloud a Topic Card.

Some of the other topics are “Things you wouldn’t want to be allergic to.” “Things…you shouldn’t say to your husband.” “Things…that make you uncomfortable.”

After each player jots down their answer on a small slip of paper, those responses are revealed verbally by the chosen reader. Then, each player gets one guess as to which player said what. A correct answer earns that person one point.

We came up with some funny answers…which was encouraged in an effort to confuse the players.

And of course you can’t go to the OBX without visiting a few of their outstanding restaurants. My favorite is The Dunes, located off the bypass near Whalebone Junction. I ordered a combo plate of fried shrimp and oysters. Both were lightly battered and cooked to perfection, which is also the correct word to use to describe their homemade tartar sauce.

I have to give a shout out to our waitress, Jennifer. She is a pro…a seasoned waitress that knows the correct way to treat her customers…fast, efficient, and courteous. From talking with Jennifer we learned that she waits tables at The Dunes from March to October and lives in Halifax County the rest of the time. She and her boyfriend share a home on Lake Gaston….so I guess she loves being near the water year round.

While on summer break I had the opportunity to read a book – “Murder in Manteo.” Written by John Railey about an actual homicide in Manteo in 1990, he goes about the task of laying out all the facts of the case and allowing the reader to conclude if the person arrested and sent to prison for the death of Stacey Stanton, a 28-year-old part-time waitress and part-time hairdresser, is actually the killer.

I’m not about to give away the killer’s identify, you’ll need to read the book yourself. But I do agree with the author as to who did this dastardly deed. I also devised a theory of why the man charged with the murder was arrested, despite a critical piece of evidence in his favor.

Read the book if you get a chance (I finished it in less than two days) and let me know who you think is the killer.

Vacations, no matter where one goes or what activities they choose to (or not to) engage in, are a time to unwind from the day-to-day grind. I sure as heck didn’t miss all the work-related email last week. And I didn’t shed a tear my missing all the political email from both sides last week. I haven’t spent a single dime on any candidate and don’t plan to between now and Election Day.

Vacations allow you to do the things you want to do, and when you want to do them. I threw the clock out the proverbial window. I stayed up later than my normal bedtime and slept in as long as I wanted. Breakfast at 11:30 am….that was fine with me!!

Perhaps the best thing of all was being with family. Sure, we’re together at times all during the year, but spending last week with them reminded me of the importance of family and how much I love each of them.

If the Lord is willing and the creek (or river, or sound) don’t rise, we’ll be back in July 2025 with or without the rain!

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.