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Crystal Coast Living - August 2009Monday, August 31, 2009
We live in amazing times. Life has changed a lot since I was a youngster wandering the fields and forests of Lewisville, NC, in the fifties and sixties. Those days were probably the golden days of youth. We wandered far and wide with few restrictions. Today it is rare that families can feel safe about their children, but I like to think that the Crystal Coast is about as safe a place for families as you can find these days. I was reminded of that when a young middle school teenager knocked on our door in Bluewater Cove this afternoon. She was selling chocolate bars to raise funds to replace cheerleading outfits at Broad Creek Middle School. Apparently a broken water pipe rendered their uniforms useless. I can remember going around our neighborhood as a child selling everything from first aid kits to peanuts. My own children did the same in our neighborhood in Roanoke, VA, as they were growing up. A few years ago I noticed that when the youngster came to the door, there was always a parent in the background. It was a sign of the times. Today's teenage visitor was by herself. It was reassuring to know that at least our gated community is deemed safe. I actually think that there are some characteristics of the Crystal Coast that are even more important than gates in keeping our children safe. More...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
 We were really lucky with Hurricane Bill. It did not get anywhere near us. However Bill gave us some serious waves and decided to modify the Point at Emerald Isle, If you check the pictures linked in my post, "The Ramp to Nowhere," you might just wonder what would have happened if Bill had paid us a visit. While Bill moved a lot of sand around on the Point, two years ago just after I bought my permit to drive on the beach, the same ramp was even in worse shape. Water was lapping at the foot of it. This past winter so much sand came back, that I heard talk of a parking area on the Point for four wheel drive vehicles. It is the nature of the ocean to change things. More...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
 The red flags were flying yesterday on the beach. Hurricane Bill passed us by but managed to mess up the swimming for a few days. While it is a little inconvenient to stay out of the water on a beach vacation, it is a whole lot better than an evacuation. In the end what we got out of Bill was not worth any complaints. We watched with interest as Bill headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we lived for a couple of years. I got a kick out of the local newspapers covering the arrival of Bill. Maritimers in Canada and the US are noted for their ability to handle almost any situation with complete calm. One local Nova Scotian was interviewed and asked how he felt about the approaching storm. He said that he was much better prepared than he was for the last storm. He had purchased a manual can opener so he no longer had to worry about the power going out. I think Halifax escaped Bill with lots of rain and some wind. Here on the Crystal Coast, we ended up with a lot of foamy waters. More...
Friday, August 21, 2009
 With a little more than a week of August left, it is natural to think that summer is sliding away, and September is just around the corner. Depending on where you hale from, September can be a real harbinger of winter. The first year we lived in Nova Scotia, we got over a foot of snow in the middle of September. The power was out for a week. Some recent visitors to the island from Montana have told me that they are already seeing temperatures in the high thirties at night. Last week when I was in the Virginia mountains, I even saw a few leaves changing. In most places September does mean much cooler evenings and a return to normal day time temperatures. Here on the Crystal Coast our average low temperature at night changes very little during September. Even our daytime highs only start to moderate after the middle of September. Weather is challenging to predict as anyone who has seen this year unfold, but those are the long term trends here on the coast. More...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
 We get lots of people who say that they want to live on or near the water. Since Carteret County is over one half water and no place is very far from the water, you can generally meet that requirement by just becoming a Carteret County resident. Still it is a big decision as to what water meets your needs. One of the first divisions that pops up is between beach and boat people. While it is easy to love both, usually in the end, one or the other has to give. Usually the only way to have a boat at your home if your home is on the beach is to park it in the driveway. Our big waters, the ocean, sound, and rivers each have their advantages. It often depends on your personality as to where you will be the happiest. Of course your wallet often has something to say about the location that best fits your budget. More...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
 Three years ago when we bought our home on the Crystal Coast, one of the key reasons was to have a family retreat where we could build some wonderful new memories. Our family has enjoyed many wonderful beach trips over the years. It just seemed natural that we should try to find a beach place that could create memories year round. As we looked up and down the east coast, we found that a lot of places were one dimensional. There might be beautiful scenery, but the communities nearby were not places that seemed to have much to get excited about except the changing of the seasons. Then we rediscovered Carteret County where I had fished as a teenager many years ago. It had the beautiful scenery, but it also seemed to be filled with people trying hard to squeeze as much fun as possible out of every day. There seemed to be a festival every month. We ended up in a wonderful community built by Bluewaer Builders on the shores of the White Oak River. Coming to Bluewater Cove has turned out to be a great decision. More...
Monday, August 03, 2009
 I am never surprised when someone gets in touch, and their first request is that they want to live on the water. There is something universal that draws us to the water. I have been attracted to water for as long as I can remember. I know the symptoms well. In my case, I need to see the water soon after I get up each morning. For me that means a walk out on the dock behind my house or walking across the street to the Bluewater Cove boardwalk which traces the edge of Raymond's Gut as it flows into the White Oak River. That first look at the water each morning certainly does not cure me for the day, it normally just starts me thinking about how I can get on or in the water sometime during the day. Occasionally I have to make to do with no more than a trip across the bridge to Emerald Isle. Other times I am lucky and can take the boat or kayak out in the river or over to the Inlet. Sometimes I manage to go surf fishing, and then there are those late night swims which I enjoy so much. The water is one of the reasons we came to Carteret County. Figuring out how to get close to it is often the challenge aspiring residents face first. More...
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