We made it. One day and a bit of another driving, but here we are … the much vaunted Outer Banks of North Carolina : OBX , as you’ll see on bumper stickers. Why all the hubbub? What does this place have over other shore locations?

Truth be told, we were here six years ago, but felt the need to revisit that question. It’s probably safe to say that we were a little underwhelmed. Or perhaps we just didn’t fully appreciate the reason behind the popularity of this place as a destination : Parties. Big parties and ocean frontage galore.

We’d been here six years ago for a family reunion. 100 people were in attendance; several sub-families, if you will : us, The Tuckers, the Deelys, (Judy’s older sister was notably prolific ), the Freedmans (every family needs its Jewish variant ), the Kellys ( another prolific family) and, of course, the Hardings ( Judy’s brother’s family.)

So, yes, accommodating these big family gatherings is the Outer Bank’s niche. This year, the house we’ve rented sleeps 16, more than enough for our contingent. It’s newly built and beautiful. It has ocean frontage, its own path and stairs over the dune and to the beach . A sizable swimming pool is temperature controlled.

From a development and infrastructure standpoint, OBX is markedly more squared away, it seems, than six years ago. Also, there are future plans that bode well. In the meantime, I’ll just take a trip down to Duck Donuts to hold me over.