Everyone has a story about great and unexpected connections made over the course of their lives. Duck, NC is just such a point of convergence for my wife Ashley and I. Little did I know when we met that Ashley’s family had been making the short drive south from Virginia Beach and visiting Duck since she was a child. When few homes existed there, her parents courageously bought a lot on an empty sand dune with plans to build a rental cottage for family vacations.

Although my trips to Duck began later in life (during my teenage years) and originated from further south, they were no less memorable. My first visit to Duck, NC came about when a friend invited me to his family’s Thanksgiving vacation for food, family, fun, and most importantly surfing (not to leave out the shenanigans we managed to involve ourselves in). The Outer Banks is for me a magical place and never more so than winter when crowds abate leaving one who has not visited in busier seasons with the impression that it’s as remote as it is beautiful.

When we met, the renovation of Ashley’s quaint family rental cottage was nearing completion and I became a beneficiary of the efforts put into it. In addition to being newly renovated and far nicer accommodations than I ever would have hoped, it also allowed short walks down to the shore just before sunrise for unexpected photo jewels.

Here’s such jewel I was fortunate enough to grab as reward for crawling from bed before sunrise. The hope of such fortune is definitely what inspires me to arise so early on mornings when one would rather not. This particular morning it was definitely worth it.