I fell in love with North Carolina some thirty years ago. The reason was – the Outer Banks. In life, sometimes somebody brings one lover to another. National Geographic made my love affair with NC possible. An article depicted a string of barrier islands and spits with sounds and marshes on the inside and the Almighty Atlantic on the outside. Their enormity from the border with Virginia through Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills – where Wright Bros proved that humans could fly, Cape Hatteras, and Ocracoke enticed me, and for many years I drove there for a week or two, sometimes around the Labour Day because I liked to end summer with an oceanic splash. And this exposed me to hurricanes, and once, I had to evacuate – a euphemism for “to flee”. The first time is always the most memorable. We camped on the campground on Bodie Island near the bridge and walked twice a day across dunes to the beach, which was narrow or broad depending on the tide, and watched crabs running, cars driving, and waves falling upon us with a roar …

I just returned home from a trip to NC, this time to Charlotte, where my family lives. The visit spanned Labour Day and the finals of the US Open on tennis courts in NYC. I spent time in the gym, in a sauna, and at the pool. Moreover, I watched sports on TV and right on the field before my eyes, with my camera in hand for the latter because my grandchildren played baseball and field hockey. By the way, they call me “Dziadek” in Polish translation. And here are the photos of #16 and #11, respectively. Sport photography is not my leading hobby, but the shooting of nature, especially in a macro mode, I am perhaps better. Hence I added a bonus (ahead of Halloween). As always from NC, my batteries are charged, so to speak, and I can write.