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Spending the last couple of days at Topsail Beach reminded us why we enjoyed our vacations there so much.

Our extended family rented a house or a couple of condos for a week at Topsail Beach every summer until 1996 ... when Hurricane Bertha blew in just a couple of days before we were scheduled to arrive. That plan was washed out.

A couple of months later, Hurricane Fran delivered a second and heavier blow to the barrier island. From then on we shifted our vacations to Ocean Isle -- a major reason being that the kids were getting older and were more interested in proximity to Myrtle Beach for evening outings.

Not my thing, or my wife's. As parents of small kids, we liked the low-key family atmosphere of Topsail Beach. Now, as a middle-aged couple with kids grown and gone, we're looking for quiet evenings and peaceful walks on the beach. That's Topsail -- especially this time of year.

We stayed at the Sea Vista Motel -- or Sea Victim, as a dubbed it after the ocean took out the ground floor years ago. Now guests stay on floors 2 and 3 and a high dune has been pushed up to guard against the surf.

The Sea Vista isn't the Ritz, but it's clean, comfortable and right on the beach, near the southern point of the island. What's more: Pets are welcome, for an extra fee.

We'd never take our dog to the beach in the summer, but with cooler weather we figured, why not?

The only problem: Not all breeds are allowed.

Specifically: No Dobermans, Chows, Rotweilers, Pitbulls, Akitas, Boxers, German Shepherds or any mix thereof.

That last part gave us pause. Our dog is or might be a mix of any or all of the above. Who knows? But she doesn't look conclusively like any of them, so we decided to take a chance.

Turns out some rules are made to be broken. Guests in the next room over included a full German shepherd. Also on the premises: a full boxer.

By the way, every boxer I've ever met has been a sweetheart. That breed shouldn't be on anyone's list of dangerous dogs.

The Sea Vista attracts lots of dog people at this time of year. Fine with us. Our dog loved the beach, but not the surf, and there were no dog problems during our stay.

The weather was awesome. Although Wilmington set a record low for the date Friday, at 32, by Saturday afternoon it had topped 70 on the beach -- warm enough for a quick dip in the ocean. Refreshing!

Funny, I never saw anyone else venture in, except for fishermen knee-deep.

The beach drew quite a few fishermen Saturday. With a town permit, they can drive their vehicles on the beach at the island's south end. The beach is incredibly wide down at the point, which remains undeveloped as a bird sanctuary. Birds and fishermen seem to get along fine.

We walked early this morning, beating all but a couple of fishermen to the point. Otherwise, we had probably a half-mile of sand to ourselves -- along the ocean and around on the sound side.

A real highlight Saturday afternoon was watching a school of porpoises playfully swimming along the shoreline, even leaping straight up out of the water several times.

We drove inland to Snead's Ferry Saturday evening, our first visit there. SF is a bit like Calabash -- a few seafood restaurants built up around the docks where the fishing boats come in with their catch. SF is on the New River -- we ate at the aptly named River View restaurant -- across from Camp Lejeune.

Topsail Beach looks pretty good. There are still a few beach homes under construction and plenty for sale. More lots are available. Even if I had the money, I probably wouldn't risk a major investment out there -- there will be more Berthas and Frans -- but it's a great place for a relaxing getaway.