We’re back, and I’m very well read after this short hiatus; more on that in a bit. My annual beach vacation took a turn uphill to the mountains midweek as Hurricane Earl threatened the Outer Banks. The week started with perfectly blue skies and lots of time for reading and floating, but The Weather Channel was rolling in the background with ominous threats for the latter part of the week; by Friday, Jim Cantore was actually awarded an Emmy for Best Dramatic Performance by the Whalebone Surf Shop. By Wednesday, evacuations for the southern Outer Banks were on, though we were told we did not have to leave as we stay further north. I hit the grocery store to buy food that could be grilled in case the power went out and water. Thursday morning my husband was playing golf when the auto-call came calling for mandatory evacuation for the county we were in with instructions to collect all belongings, including all food, and proceed to express checkout (I had no idea what THAT was); the skies were still blue.