A Castle, Seafood, Lighthouse and Pier

 Another super hot day with high humidity.  We left early to get our exploring done while it was still “cool”. 

Atalaya is a castle built in the 1930s by a couple, Archer and Anna Huntington, artists and philanthropists from New York.  Built as a winter retreat, the castle has 30 rooms with additional space for horses, dogs, bears and a leopard.  Anna was a sculptor of animals, hence the multitude of animals.

One wing of the castle with the servant quarters, laundry room, outside dryer room (Ha!), and garage.

Coming in the main entrance, this enchanting walkway leads to the middle of the compound.

 Beautiful wrought iron on both the stairs and windows.  The access to the roof was closed off to visitors.  :(  I need some stairs to climb!

Rounded hallway.  Why  not?

The main kitchen located just off the servant's quarters.  Almost every room had a fireplace.  I have to wonder how often they were really used.  I could use a little cold right now!

The indoor space for Anna for Anna to work on her sculptures.  She also had a large outdoor area for her to work in natural light.  

Where the dogs were boarded.  There was also a fenced in area for them to run.  The space seemed larger than the stables for their three horses.  

And no castle is complete without it's own room for shucking oysters!

The wrought iron window bars, hurricane protectors, were designed by Anna.  The inner courtyard and water tower were beautifully done and we were definitely cooler in their shade. 

 

The state built an extensive playground for the kids, pavilion with changing rooms and the beach access was short.  (As was our visit to the beach due to the extreme heat and sun!)  What a spot to bring the kids.  Large open areas with plenty of room to run.  Sand, water with bathrooms and outside "showers", playground, bike path - perfect for little people!

 

On our way to our next overnight stop, we stopped in Calabash.  Calabash is quoted as the “Seafood Capital of the World”.  Not North America or the U.S. or even the East Coast but the WORLD.  Of course we had to stop and try.  I was not disappointed.  Blackened scallops, clam chowder with very tender clams, and Paul’s flounder – Yum!

Onto Oak Island.  Down on Caswell beach is the lighthouse.  Unfortunately it was closed and we unable to climb it.  Why???  I love climbing lighthouses and this one has a series of ship ladders instead of the typical spiral staircase.  Ugh!  Might have to return some day!  Across the street is a walkway leading to the pristine beach.  At the mouth of Cape Fear, the water is clean and gentle.  

                                        

Today we were not part of the 30%.  The downpour did not last long but it was sudden and intense.  

The local flooding should be concerning.  A 20 minute downpour and the roads were iffy.  This is a barrier island.  It seems that water should be able to flow back into the ocean easily.  

The pier on Oak Island is at Yaupon Beach.  This area is congested with low to moderate homes, shops and restaurants that are overflowing during the holiday week.  Very pretty beach and well built pier that seemed to go on forever.  The rain held off and we managed to avoid all casting fishermen and children!

We arrived at Holiday Inn well after check-in time.  Awesome!! We were given the handicapped room.  It has a lot of space and no unnecessary doors and drawers.  But... the fridge defrosted and the carpet in front was soaked.  Okay - we can deal with that.  However, the TV would not function.  Nothing!  They gave us a new room but the move was a little painful.  Settled again we are now planning our next stop and new explorations.  Best life new adventures.   Bring it on!