http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/index.htmlCarteret County Newsendsobotta@coastalnc.orgCopyright 2007 David Sobotta2008-07-09T23:17:16-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:33:03 -0400dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-07-09T23:17:16-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/summerflyingby.html#unique-entry-id-36http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/summerflyingby.html#unique-entry-id-36It seems like I hardly have time to record what is happening these days.

I knew I was in trouble when I started seeing the signs for the area’s famous Bogue Sound Watermelons.

We have been enjoying tomatoes since June 1 and local corn since the first part of July, but watermelons are a sign that cannot be ignored.

When the watermelons come in, you know that the end of summer cannot be far away.

I wrote some Canadian friends and told them we were just sitting around waiting for the sweet potatoes to come in and the snow to start flying. I was trying to make them feel better since they have been fogged in for several days.

Obviously we will be waiting a long time for the snow to start flying. I have not seen any in my two years here.

Unfortunately I haven’t had time to be sitting around either.

I think part of my problem is that I am not as young as I used to be and that I am getting more physical exercise which means I have to call it quits usually by 11:30 pm.

There was a time when I could write until one in the morning and get up at six with no real problems.

Maybe living at the beach has made me appreciate sleep more and consequently need more sleep to function properly.

Today with the morning devoted to mowing and triming our yard, I barely had time to finish my real estate work in the afternoon. By the time I helped cook and clean up dinner, there isn’t a lot of time left for writing tonight.

In the mornings I have taken to riding my bike whenever the humidity isn’t oppressive. That takes up another half an hour.

All in all I am sorry that I’m not posting as much as I did last summer, but at least I have taken the time to stop and taste those Bogue Sound Watermellons.

Tonight’s seedless edition was delicious and nearly perfect.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-06-23T10:50:14-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/hydrangeas.html#unique-entry-id-35http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/hydrangeas.html#unique-entry-id-35Summer is slipping by us very quickly.

It seems like June 1 was just the other day. Now July 4 is on the horizon.

So far it has been a great summer with only a week of really hot, humid temperatures. I ended up swimming in the ocean four times that week.

Ocean water is the best cure for heat in my book.

It must be true that time acclerates as you get older. I try to seize every day, but getting up very early and working hard sometimes requires a catch-up nap.

On Sunday afternoon after church and a quick lunch, I had to pull four hours of duty at our Cape Carteret real estate office. When I got home a little after five pm, it was the end to a very busy week.

This past week, I went fishing twice when we were on the water at close to 6 am.

One day we fished until 11:30 am when I stepped off the skiff while the lift was still rising.

I ran in, showered, shaved, changed, and gathered all my real estate stuff together, and met the family for lunch at Fairway at 12:10 pm.

They had already ordered my food. There nothing like knowing the specials menu by heart to get speedy service.

I finished eating by 12:40 pm and drove to the office where my clients pulled up just as I was getting out of the truck at 12:45 pm. They were fifteen minutes early. I felt lucky to have managed to get there when I did.

About an hour and one half later I was waiting for an offer to be picked up.

That night after a Chamber of Commerce reception I got a call from the seller’s agent. The sellers had countered with their bottomline. I called my buyers, and they accepted.

It was a nice change to find buyers and sellers on the same wavelength.

After all that we came home, and I cleaned the fish we had caught the previous morning.

Of course by then it was after ten pm, and a little late to start scrubbing the boat.

Saturday morning I managed to clean the worst of the dirt off our skiff before our much needed rains came. I even got the the tomatoes gathered.

Saturday afternoon the long week caught up with me. The after lunch nap of ten minutes turned into a snooze of two hours. I was dead to the world.

In the evening I managed to crank out an update to CoastalNC.org, a slide show of our trip down Hammocks Beach and one of our trip out the White Oak to Bogue Inlet one morning when there weren’t even any ripples.

By the time I got to the third slide show, one of the Arts Festival in Swansboro, I didn’t have the energy to do captions.

By the time you throw in some biking, swimming, kayaking, and beach walking, it is no wonder I sleep well at night.

Perhaps I should check those two posts, Technology cannot replace common sense and The great coastal tomato crop, that I wrote Saturday and Sunday, I am pretty sure I still have keyboard imprints on my face.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgLocal Service2008-05-28T14:17:21-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/d5b3c412da3f99c9df47d6c01eb505e4-34.html#unique-entry-id-34http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/d5b3c412da3f99c9df47d6c01eb505e4-34.html#unique-entry-id-34We were all hoping that it did not take as long to open the Cape Carteret Walgreens as it did the one in Swansboro.

Fortunately that turned out to be case. It quietly opened around May 21.

It certainly is nice to have a drug store right in Cape Carteret. It's a good gas saving measure.

The holiday passed without too much excitement unless you tried to go buy groceries.

We made the mistake of going to the Emerald Isle Food Lion last Thursday morning. It was like Thanksgiving.

After that we stay away from the island until about 4 pm each day.

We did get over to the Sweet Spot, our favorite ice shop, on Memorial Day evening.

The ladies said that the day had been busy. We got to see their ice sculpture before it melted away.

Of course we also enjoyed some great ice cream.

From all indications the Memorial Day weekend was a very successful kick off to the tourist season.

We managed some boating, a few beach walks, and a trip to Morehead City and Beaufort (pardon the cat, tomato, random shots of things of interest only to me.)

I can even take the sprinkles of rain that we are getting today, since the forecast looks pretty good for the next couple of weeks.

I keep the beach pictures close to my heart so a little rain isn't going to bother me.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-05-19T21:10:01-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/a4f3d32071d28a692d6ea6cc4171608f-33.html#unique-entry-id-33http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/a4f3d32071d28a692d6ea6cc4171608f-33.html#unique-entry-id-33I have been patiently waiting for the season to come.

The last couple of weeks have finally brought some shrimp relief.

The shrimping boats are bringing in local shrimp and other assorted delicious seafood.

Today we actually saw one on our walk down the beach at Emerald Isle.

We have enjoyed a couple batches of fresh local shrimp recently. We did one our normal way of creating perfect shrimp, and I grilled one batch.

Both were excellent and confirmed my belief that there are no better shrimp than the ones that come from NC.

The weather is approaching perfection. We just need for the winds to drop a little more and everything will be right with the world.

I finally got time to stick my GPS back on the boat so today we headed down the White Oak and went out Bogue Inlet to the Point. It was good to be back out in the water.

I posted a set of slides of the trip from Swansboro up the ICW and out Bogue Inlet.

I will do a more exhaustive job of taking pictures the next time. I was busy piloting the skiff today

You have to watch where you are going with boats getting stuck near the ICW.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgLocal News2008-05-17T23:18:06-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/0c5e0fb2eb12253ea6e89fc895266c78-32.html#unique-entry-id-32http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/0c5e0fb2eb12253ea6e89fc895266c78-32.html#unique-entry-id-32Saturday afteroon we were driving down to capture some shrimp at Captain Sams.

We were almost there when we saw some black smoke coming from behind some buildings.

I looked in my rear view mirror and in the distance I could see fire trucks approaching.

I wisely kept moving and focused on the shrimp and let the professionals go to work.

While we were buying the shrimp, the Swansboro department joined the battle. By the time we drove back by and snapped these pictures, even the Stella truck was there.

I haven't heard any details, but I hope no one was hurt.

When we went back by the fire, traffic going westbound on Highway 24 was stopped and backed up past the intersection with Route 58.

We headed on over to Emerald Isle and down to one of our favorite beaches to check and see if our beach chairs were working okay.

You don't want to have equipment malfunctions in the middle of beach season.

The winds were a little too persistent for our tastes over on the beach so we did not stay long. I still got to cool my heels a little.

After the wonderful couple of hours we had on the beach on last Thursday, it is hard to settle for anything less.

That day was so good that I wrote about it in a post, Practicing my chapel skills and posted a set of web slides.

I am looking forward to some warmer weather and quieter winds next week. At least that's what Weatherunderground is promising.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgFood, carteret County2008-05-11T22:07:32-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/7263d286ed3570a1d8ce66e9cf7805a4-31.html#unique-entry-id-31http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/7263d286ed3570a1d8ce66e9cf7805a4-31.html#unique-entry-id-31Farm fresh eggs just happen to one of my favorite foods. When we lived on our farm in Canada, we had own hens.

My Aunt Molly got some "biddies" each spring. She always supplied my Mother with wonderful eggs. Having a flock of hens is an old southern tradition.

Since we have moved to the coast on the western side of Carteret County, we have been looking for a source of fresh eggs.

Not long ago my wife and oldest daughter discovered the White House at 3346 Freedom Way (Highway 24) in Hubert, NC not far from Swansboro.

On Friday we took a trip over so I could meet the hens. I have never seen happier hens. I had no idea that pine straw is the ultimate scratching material for hens.

We took home lots of beautiful eggs. They are as nice as the Malu Aina Farm eggs that we used to enjoy in Roanoke with our perfect Saturday morning breakfast.

I never made it inside to see all the neat decorative items for beach homes that I suspect is the real business of the White House. I stayed outside and watched the hens who are far more entertainment than television.

All I can say is that if the decorative items are as high quality as the eggs, they must be very good.

You can give the guys at the White House a ring for more info at 910 326 3049. They are open Tuesday - Sunday: 11am - 6pm]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgBoating2008-04-30T15:36:30-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/343aaa9f5120f55682e06ed32930d728-30.html#unique-entry-id-30http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/343aaa9f5120f55682e06ed32930d728-30.html#unique-entry-id-30Yesterday after we finished our pine straw project, I decided to go kayaking.

I figured that doing 51 bales of pine straw entitled me to a little relaxation.

Even if it did take a couple of days to get it done, I worked hard spraying and handling those bales.

Anyway it was a good excuse to get out in the kayak. Except the wind seemed to be blowing a lot.

In fact one of my friends saw me getting ready to stick the kayak in the water and yelled that he thought it was too windy out in the river.

The White Oak is a big wide river and can have whitecaps so I was mindful of his warning.

However, I told him that I was going stay in the inlet. It didn't turn out that way.

The temperature was nearly perfect as I paddled out. In fact I did not have to paddle the whole way.

Once I got my kayak positioned right, the wind carried me along as I took pictures and fished.

My big surprise was when I got out to where the inlet meets the river, there was hardly any wind. That's where I took the picture at the beginning of the post.

Of course I just kept on paddling into the river.

While it wasn't as glassy as the water by the inlet, it still wasn't bad.

I fished a while with no bites.

As the wind turned I let it blow me back towards Bluewater Cove. It was a perfect afternoon to relax on the water.

As I got down to the Bluewater Clubhouse, I realized that I had been out on the water nearly two hours.

I knew that I would be in trouble with my wife, but the time on the water was well worth it. It certainly did not turn out to be as windy as it was at our home.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-04-21T23:25:26-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/7e1aa615b46c65ca15db02d8fd7009f9-29.html#unique-entry-id-29http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/7e1aa615b46c65ca15db02d8fd7009f9-29.html#unique-entry-id-29This morning was one of those days that begs for you to get on the water. I had a few things which had to be done, and a lot more which needed some of my time.

I thought carefully about all the options and then I decided to go kayaking.

I once read something that helped me immensely with my decision making. It said to always choose that activity which you will find easiest to remember in ten years.

Would I remember spraying weeds or writing a post on a blog that might even be gone in ten years? The answer is no.

However, I will remember this warm, blue sky day when the winds softly carried me out Bluewater Cove towards the White Oak. I will also remember catching a nice flounder for lunch and just getting back in time to clean the flounder as the first raindrops from the afternoon storms started falling.

I made some memories today. For that I am thankful.

We made more great memories this past weekend when we visited Tryon Palace with our oldest daughter. We had a magical time, and I have posted pictures of the outside of the palace, the flowers, and the magnificent vegetable gardens.

It is well worth a visit.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgPlants, Hiking2008-04-18T22:56:40-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/798b44fe0e36b09c84d18d1776540134-28.html#unique-entry-id-28http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/798b44fe0e36b09c84d18d1776540134-28.html#unique-entry-id-28Well there are finally some signs of green on the Tideland Trail.

Unfortunately the green is an explosion of poison ivy.

I would recommend that anyone dogs be very careful. The poison ivy is growing along some of the rails and is close to being in the trail in places.

Even as a hiker, you have to be careful since the poison ivy seems to be everywhere. It is pretty easy to get poison ivy from touching your pet after they have rubbed fresh poison ivy.

My wife often got it from one of our casts.

I am hoping the park folks get to work soon and knock back the evil poison ivy.

Going to the beach was a pleasure after watching each step to make certain we did not brush any juicy poison ivy.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgBeach2008-04-17T22:22:15-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/c7732f980d2fd20333c31ea00dfe049e-27.html#unique-entry-id-27http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/c7732f980d2fd20333c31ea00dfe049e-27.html#unique-entry-id-27Today we were over at the western regional beach access in Emerald Isle.

There were lots of piles in the ground and plenty of treated lumber stacked up. It didn't take us long to figure out that the lumber and piles are part of Emerald Isle's project to expand beach accessibility.

Emerald Isle already provides beach wheel chairs on a first come, first served basis from the fire station.

Adding some additional ramps to the beach where there is plenty of parking and a paved lot is a great way to open our beaches to people who cannot climb the steps up and down the dunes.

From what I have heard the project is expected to be finished in three weeks. I also noticed that Emerald Isle is doing some paving in their annual campaign to look good for all their visitors.

I am actually starting to look forward to seeing something beside spring break beach visitors. This week seems to have been the New York week.

I am sure that in five or six weeks I will be complaining about the tourists clogging up the restaurants. Actually since I know how important they are to our economy, there will be no complaints from me, but I will hold out some hope that we might see some folks interested in coastal property this year.

The prices have not been this low since 2004 so it is a great time to buy. Just call me at 252 646-8689 to get started looking.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orggardening2008-04-09T22:16:05-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/f3a6377eb33a133275acf6604049985a-26.html#unique-entry-id-26http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/f3a6377eb33a133275acf6604049985a-26.html#unique-entry-id-26There were some real reasons for our move to the Southern Outer Banks.

One was to get a head start on the growing season.

While I do not grow the huge gardens that I used to in the past, I take my tomato gardening seriously.

Getting a few weeks head start on my friend Mike in our annual great tomato race is well worth moving.

All the other great benefits of living in Carteret County and Bluewater Cove are just icing on the cake.

We just made a trip down from Roanoke, VA to Carteret County. We got to go from the daffodils, cherry trees, redbuds, and tulips in Roanoke to Dogwoods and wisteria here on the coast.

I am really hoping the pine pollen is mostly gone. It was giving me a fit last week.

The biggest surprise on arrival home was seeing a couple blooms on my early tomato plant.

It was a great trip with a fantastic reward at the end. Just maybe I will have ripe tomatoes before the middle of June this year.



]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgFood, carteret County2008-04-03T10:47:22-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/2969c9dc0a321403f23664347eee247c-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/2969c9dc0a321403f23664347eee247c-25.html#unique-entry-id-25One of our favorite spots to grab a quick meal is Andy's in Swansboro.

When we get a craving for a cheeseburger or a cheese steak sandwich, Andy's is often at the top of the list.

It is a great alternative to your normal fast food places. They cook their food to order, and the food almost always makes it to your table quickly.

We really enjoy their fresh orange-aid and lemonade. They also seem to have a very clean-cut group of teenagers running the place. There's often good music playing, and it is always clean.

You can either eat at the counter or have a seat and your order will be taken and the food delivered to your table.

The restaurant is spacious and bright so you do not feel crowded or rushed. It just out of the way enough so that many of the tourists miss it.

The great food, friendliness, and cleanliness make Andy's a favorite for us locals for an inexpensive meal.

In April they are running a six inch Cheese Steak special with fries and a drink for $4.99.

Their official address is 686 W Corbett Ave. Swansboro, NC 28584 and the phone number is (910) 325-0300.

If you are headed out of Swansboro, turn right at the light just before the Walgreens and Andy's will be on your right.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-03-30T11:03:56-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/274bafafbadc0df2dc897aa6ab2b7bfd-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/274bafafbadc0df2dc897aa6ab2b7bfd-24.html#unique-entry-id-24We took a trip down to Myrtle Beach earlier in the week.

The trip just reaffirmed what I already knew. Carteret County (and Swansboro) is a much better spot for me.

I do not need all the night life, shopping, and multiple six lane highways.

It does not take long to realize that while the beach is still nice in Myrtle Beach, getting to it and enjoying it become challenges.

For a few years we lived in Columbia, Md. almost exactly half way between Baltimore and Washington. Obviously there was no shortage of wonderful things to do, as long as you did not mind sitting in traffic or fighting for a parking spot.

We ended up organizing our lives around the rhythm of the traffic. Whatever was happening in the natural world had to be shoehorned into traffic patterns.

That ends up being backwards. It reminds me of many of the trips that I took on business to California. I would often have some free time between meetings in Cupertino which was not far from Santa Cruz and even Monterey.

I rarely chose to go down there, because the traffic was so bad.

I guess my trip to Myrtle made me feel good about living in an area where I do not have to wait for a bad day to clear the roads before I can visit the beach.

When the weather is cool and damp as it is this weekend, we relax by the fire with the knowledge that the next great day, we will head over to the beach or find some time to walk the trails of Croatan National Forest.

According to my calculations it took at least three walks on the Croatan Tideland trails before I cleansed my memory of all those beach high rise buildings.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgFood2008-03-19T22:40:28-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/2e80edb9d864011fcc9ec041bcc274a6-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/2e80edb9d864011fcc9ec041bcc274a6-23.html#unique-entry-id-23Grouper is one our area's favorite fishes.

Certain there is nothing wrong with the occasional meal of fresh pan-fried flounder.

Of course when you can get them a tasty Spanish Mackerel, or some local Trout hit the spot.

However, our own local Grouper remains my favorite area fish.

The advantage of Grouper is that it is widely available in our area and likely to be fresh. I have enjoyed it at other restaurants in the area, but I am pleased to report that I have found the spot for the best Grouper Sandwich.

These days I am trying to make conscious choices which result in a diet of healthier food. With that in mind I was excited to find a grilled Grouper Burger on the menu at Ballyhoos.

I have now had Ballyhoos Grouper Burger at least four times. It has been consistently good so I can highly recommend it.

It has become my meal of choice when I am looking for good fish. It is well seasoned and sometimes is even a little spicy which I love. It is also only $8 and is a healthy portion of Grouper.

The folks at Ballyhoos are flexible enough to let me get some steamed veggies instead fries so the meal turns out to be delicious and good for me. I even had a nice Red Stripe beer with it tonight just so I could get the full health benefit.

My wife has decided that the Chicken Quesadilla is her favorite dinner at Ballyhoos. She got hers with a Spinach Tortilla tonight. Based on the taste that I got, its also a delicious meal.

The food always tastes better with good service. I can say the service at Ballyhoos is always professional, and it is a smoke-free environment.

It is a great place for a meal.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County2008-03-17T17:38:38-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/b434c6382a832cf328ee596d3b1f24e0-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/b434c6382a832cf328ee596d3b1f24e0-22.html#unique-entry-id-22This weekend marked the beginning of the beach season if festivals are any indication.

We attended the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick's Day festival on Saturday.

Later in the day, after a short wait in line, we enjoyed the Swansboro Oyster Roast.

The weather could not have been more perfect.

I actually think that I could have worn shorts instead of blue jeans.

We had a great barbecue sandwich at Emerald Isle, but we were careful not to overeat since all you can eat Oysters don't come around every day.

Shorts would have been a good uniform for the Swansboro festival.

There was quite a crowd there, especially around the Oyster tables.

Also it is hard work eating your way through those piles of steamed Oysters.

There was definitely something for everyone on Saturday.

I can highly recommend the festivals which seem to always be the same weekend.

If you are smart, you will circle the weekend on your 2009 calendar.

What could be better than few dozen steamed Oysters or fantastic barbecue?

As long as you are not afraid to use an Oyster knife, and you have a good glove to protect one hand, this is great sport.

I find a towel helpful to keep my knife clean, and a beer to quench my thirst the only other ingredients needed.

If you love Oysters, you will go away happy and full from the Swansboro festival.

It was a great Saturday, I cannot wait until the next festivals along the Crystal Coast.

I am happy to see the season moving towards summer. Now if the weather will just warm back up to what it was Saturday.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgTravel2008-03-13T23:13:42-04:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/b269575421ba740c0568f42682a7c7bc-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/b269575421ba740c0568f42682a7c7bc-21.html#unique-entry-id-21It is always a pleasure to get back home.

I always feel like I am home when I can see the White Oak.

When we got back yesterday, there was no temperature differential.

We have been leaving Roanoke in the thirties and arriving here on the coast in the sixties. Roanoke and Cape Carteret were both in the sixties yesterday.

Raleigh is even a little farther ahead with spring than we are. I heard it was in the mid seventies there today.

Still it was nice to walk into a home where the heat hasn't been running. It was also nice to have the windows open all day today.

I hope to catch both the weekend festivals in Swansboro and Emerald Isle. I will post pictures later this weekend.

Right now Saturday looks to be a lot warmer than it was last year.

I am looking forward to getting over to the Island festival before the pipers are gone this year. I am counting on finding great barbecue for lunch.

Of course I expect to enjoy a bunch of oysters for dinner in Swansboro. Last year was a real treat.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-03-05T21:59:08-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/bec0b2b8af8bdae05604d79e2252f745-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/bec0b2b8af8bdae05604d79e2252f745-20.html#unique-entry-id-20Our youngest daughter and her significant other, Alex, visited us for my birthday this past weekend.

Among other things Alex is a fantastically skilled boater, having practically grown up in boat.

That means I will venture out in the boat with Alex when I would probably leave it on the lift if the job of captain was in my lap.

Monday March 3 we decided to down the White Oak to Swansboro and then over towards Hammocks Beach State Park where rumor had it there might be some fish.

We left on a falling tide, knowing we didn't have a lot of time. Usually the trip to Swansboro is pretty uneventful if you just follow the channel markers.

Fortunately I have a GPS in our boat and took the time last summer to mark all the buoys.

I say that because there are a couple of markers missing as you get to Swansboro.

There is buoy missing before the island and the last marker after the island as you turn to go towards the bridge is also gone.

If you have boated on the White Oak, you know that having missing channel markers on a falling tide is the last thing you want next to fog or darkness.

We managed okay, but by the time we got down to the Hammocks Beach area, the supposed fishing hole was a dry spot so we turned around and headed home.

One of the great disadvantages to visiting our area on a short trip is that you end up forcing what you do into a tiny window.

That being said we took off in the boat the next morning. We did that knowing that there were winds of ten to fifteen miles per hour. We also knew that sometimes the White Oak can be choppier than the sounds.

As we were riding by the dock of a neighbor, he told us to be careful up by Swansboro since some buoys were missing. We thanked him for the warning even if it was a day late.

Even with some wind we were hoping to make it up to Stella and perhaps fish for a few minutes in the White Oak after it narrows. Unfortunately the farther up river we got, the worse the waves became.

Just as we were close to making our last turn up the river by the campground, the waves were at two to three feet. I was too busy then to take photographs.

We made the decision that we should make a run for home before things got any worse.

Of course by the time we got back to Hancock Point and Bluewater Cove, the waves dropped substantially.

The picture at the top is after we got back to the markers in mid-river.

This picture at Green 15 is just as you see Worthy of the Lamb before getting to the Bluewater Cove channel at Red 16.

Of course the closer we got to home the quieter it got.

As the kids were packing to leave the next morning, there seemed to be an extra foot or so of water behind the house, the sky was blue and the winds were calm.

Oh well, there is always next time.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-03-01T23:13:58-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/423f783bed38ff7f91dd11984a1c5b1a-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/423f783bed38ff7f91dd11984a1c5b1a-19.html#unique-entry-id-19This was a great day. Our warm weather came back.

I had to work all day so I did not get to do a beach walk or anything exciting.

I still enjoyed the 70 degree temperature and not wearing a coat.

I have only had a coat on four or five times this year which is just about right in my book.

Today I did manage to sneak down to the Emerald Woods pier on Emerald Isle and take a number of pictures of yet another spectacular Bogue Sound sunset.

It is just amazing how different each of the sunsets can be.

We continued our break from cooking at home. Some friends treated us to lunch at Mike's on Emerald Isle, and I had oysters on my mind so we managed to get into Jordan's before the crowd hit.

The oyster were great. Lunch was delicious also. It is hard to beat Mike's stuffed pepper soup and their grilled reuben sandwich.

That's not bad considering we had some great pizza with friends at Trattoria in Swansboro Thursday evening.

Tomorrow I am hoping for some time to relax and catch up on my writing. We may even cook all our meals at home.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-28T22:37:34-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/98e5095071f3866b9e1b02a7d3c098a1-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/98e5095071f3866b9e1b02a7d3c098a1-18.html#unique-entry-id-18We have had a great winter so far, so I am not really complaining.

However, it has been pretty nippy the last two days.

My hands got pretty cold standing out by the Cedar Point boat ramp waiting for the sun to set.

Our weather here on the Carolina coast is not really that cold compared to where we lived in Canada.

Still we would all rather have some seventy degree temperatures instead of the upper forties.

I did a couple of unusual things today. First I baked bread and then I made some oatmeal cookies.

This is the fourth loaf in this iteration of my bread baking career which has only be going on for a few weeks.

I did bake bread once in a while in my early days in Canada before I got married.

These days I keep experimenting because I have been unable to find a good bakery here on the Crystal Coast. I love whole wheat bread.

This last loaf got the advantage of cracked wheat to go a long with the oatmeal flakes that I had been using.

We also added some millet which gives the bread a nice crunch. The initial taste this afternoon was very good so I am looking forward to my breakfast toast.

The oatmeal cookies were for my wife who complained that we didn't have any dessert around the house. I made cookies regularly when I lived in Canada on our first farm in Nova Scotia.

This was my first pan of cookies in 35 years so I guess baking cookies hasn't been a priority over the years.

Still it was sort of fun doing something different. ]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-25T21:49:22-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/81784a2f9c789b518f4bb5df0db67f80-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/81784a2f9c789b518f4bb5df0db67f80-17.html#unique-entry-id-17We made a quick trip to Beaufort to capture some Marmite for my breakfast toast.

After we made our way across the bridge, we drove down a street with a patch of some freshly mown grass.

Seeing grass being cut in late February reminded me of why I love living in Carteret County.

On an earlier foray we had located Carteret County's only supply of Marmite at the new Coastal Community Market. Fortunately there had not been a run on the Marmite which I consider to be a market of civilization.

My wife has a different opinion and likes to describe it as country ham flavored axle grease.

We turned out to find some other things that I have had on my list for a while.

I bought some cracked wheat and millet for my next loaf of homemade bread. I have gotten frustrated with the lack of a good bakery on the coast. I have taken baking into my hands.

I am enjoying the fruits of my bread baking labor, but I have to be careful not to drop one of my lead loaves on my feet, I might end up in the emergency room.

It has been many years since I baked any bread except with a bread maker. Those long ago years were when we were living in an old farm house on the coast of Nova Scotia.

My wife baked many loaves when we ran our large cattle farm in New Brunswick. She tells me that she is baked out so if I want homemade bread, I have to do it myself.

Still I will get better at it. Kneading dough is very therapeutic thing to do in a challenging real estate market.

I think my bread not rising as much this time was related to buying slow acting yeast and not feeding them any sugar.

Sugar for the yeast is one of those crucial ingredients that wives don't write down. I suspect the info is passed from generation to generation carved on the back of their bread boards.

The next iteration of bread will have to wait for another evening. Tonight I had to get ahead of those sprouts of green showing in my yard. I put some pre-emergent weed killer on so that it would catch tomorrow's rains.

Spring is coming though it will not seem like it on Wednesday and Thursday with a blast of cold air.


]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-19T23:11:46-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/5cdd9ff15a4c5cf2546092bf8c75a132-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/5cdd9ff15a4c5cf2546092bf8c75a132-16.html#unique-entry-id-16It was a little cool and breezy yesterday over at the Point.

The winds were not really bad, but as is often the case, I had no coat, and only sandals on my feet.

I knew as soon as I took the pictures that I would have a hard time choosing just one to send to Marvin at WITN.

There were a lot of great pictures, but I got my favorite for the day in at 9:00 pm. It was the first one that they showed on the 11 pm broadcast.

We managed to get three quarters of an inch in rain on Monday morning early with the thunderstorms that moved through the area. At least they waited until 5 am.

Our area has seen reasonable precipitation since the first of the year, but it still does not take the winds long to dry out the dead grasses.

I am hoping we can avoid any wild fires. The one that we saw in Roanoke, VA took a week to control and burned over 4,000 acres.

I did create a neat new map of the area using Google Maps and a service called Map Channels.

Google is amazing. I just wrote up an article on the impact of their tools on Apple.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-13T23:25:20-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/231dc42d098f799c9bbc5d878fed1fe6-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/231dc42d098f799c9bbc5d878fed1fe6-15.html#unique-entry-id-15It is nearly impossible to complain about the great weather around here.

A bike ride in the middle of February when you get to wear a tee-shirt and shorts is almost heaven.

We needed the 1.25 inches of rain we got last night, and the rain today held off until after I had finished my late afternoon ride.

On top of that the skies cleared just enough for some great photographs just before dusk.

This weekend we are headed back into the sixties again. There is nothing wrong with the temperature staying in the sixties in February.

That is especially the case since I can hear the weatherman saying that there will be a couple of inches of snow near Richmond tonight.

It was not a day to get in the surf.

I have to say that the surf was really impressive given that the winds were not that bad.

We just got back from a trip to Roanoke, Va where we endured winds close to 70 mph.

On top of that some forest fires got started and have burned thousands of acres.

I guess we are pretty lucky down here. The weather is mild and so far we have not even had a bad nor'easter this winter.

I am sure that our time will come.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-06T23:21:36-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/677865364fdf769278548fe6942ca881-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/677865364fdf769278548fe6942ca881-14.html#unique-entry-id-14On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we have seen some fog slide in at times.

Tuesday afternoon we were at home on the White Oak, and it looked like we were going to have a nice sunset.

It was nice to see the sun since the fog had been hanging around Swansboro and Emerald Isle for most of the day.

We left home in clear skies and before we even made it to Cape Carteret the fog was back.

A little later we stopped at the grocery store for a few things. By the time we headed back home, it was so foggy you could barely see the street lights.

Today we went over to Emerald Isle for lunch. We ran into fog on the bridge but ended up in the sunshine by the time we got to Mike's.

Later we drove down to the Point, and I snapped today's picture of the fog hanging just off the coast.

My guess is that the fog will disappear when the record temperatures take a hike this weekend.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-02-04T23:19:28-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/c759c43b5eedaa7f15aa7c36c48135f1-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/c759c43b5eedaa7f15aa7c36c48135f1-13.html#unique-entry-id-13Today was a great day.

We visited the nearby Eastern Regional Access on Emerald Isle.

Surprisingly there were no other vehicles at 5:15 pm when we parked.

It me only a couple of minutes to get down to the water.

For the first time in 2008, I left my shoes up on the steps.

The sand was not that cold. That must have gone to my head since the next I knew my bare feet were in the water.

It might be just a little early for wading, but I did it and my feet did not turn blue.

My guess is that the water temperature is in the fifties, but it is hard to tell if you are only using your feet as a thermometer.

The sunset was not nearly as spectacular as yesterday's golden sunset on Bogue Sound, but I cannot complain.

There was no wind, and we had the beach to ourselves on a very nice February evening.

The even better news is that even warmer temperatures are expected later this week.

I put up an online picture tour of Emerald Isle during the winter.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgFood2008-01-28T22:43:28-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/0d72ec4d8022a322991bbae47b0b0105-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/0d72ec4d8022a322991bbae47b0b0105-12.html#unique-entry-id-12Sampling burgers around the coast is a good way to stay warm.

Our ice age should end shortly, and maybe I can get back to cooking some of my own burgers.

Cold weather is good for one thing, stimulating the appetite. Last week we accepted the challenge of Sam Shipp, the owner of Ballyhoo's Island Sports Grille on Emerald Isle.

Sam had read my article declaring the burger cooked at the Fairway Restaurant as the best burger on the beach. He took exception to his burger not being considered, and he was right.

I take rating burgers seriously. In Roanoke, Virginia after numerous taste tests, I declared the Burger in Square as the finest burger vendor.

One of my previous careers was chasing 200 head of Angus cattle around the Canadian wilderness in New Brunswick, so I know my beef.

I'm glad Sam called. Not only have we found another great burger, but we have also added a restaurant to the list of places to enjoy a meal here on the Crystal Coast.

We were pleased to find Ballyhoo's has a broad menu, good service, cold beer, great food, and reasonable prices. Those $1 beers hit the spot.

However, I am not ready to declare a new burger champion. To make this fair, I have to eat at least three burgers before I am willing to crown a 2008 beach burger champion.

Also it is a little hard to compare Ballyhoo's burgers to Fairway's since Fairway has been closed for renovations for a month, and I have not had one of their burgers since September.

I will be headed over to Ballyhoo's for another burger this week while my wife samples some of their other food. We had some excellent wings there last week. I have high hopes that I can convince my wife to try the Grouper bites.

Fairway is supposed to open in early February so I can probably have this Burger War settled by the end of February.

Whichever way it goes, both burgers are already head and shoulder above any others I have tasted in the area.

In the meantime, while you're waiting for the official results, give Ballyhoo's a try, I know you will not be disappointed. The restaurant is even non-smoking.
]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-26T22:58:55-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/686697cec2627aa82f1919cbbaaed635-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/686697cec2627aa82f1919cbbaaed635-11.html#unique-entry-id-11We have had some nasty weather here on the coast lately.

Today it rained most of the day, but I don't have the heart to change my main site and warn people from visiting.

I was working the Swansboro local businesses festival. As I get older, I find myself more suspicious of cold weather. I could live forever without any more ice and snow.

Weather causes far too many changes in my attitude. Even without winter storms, the currents by the point have made huge changes to the dunes. The place looks pretty weird with all of the fall sand disappearing.

Less than a week after getting my beach driving permit, most of the sand disappeared

Still it is one my favorite places.

This year we have seen the weather either very cold or very warm. There seems to be no happy medium.

Perhaps the sixty degrees that they are calling for next week will do the trick and snap me into the mood to go boating.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-21T11:37:50-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/9ac427c4b9b13f11af5b763068db133d-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/9ac427c4b9b13f11af5b763068db133d-10.html#unique-entry-id-10Last night was a cold night.

According to our gauge it was 22 degrees when I got up at 7 am.

It is now 35 degrees just before noon.

This would rank as one of the colder days we have seen since moving to the coast.

Fortunately there is no wind, so we didn't even turn on the fireplace this morning.

We keep the heat on 68 but my office which is upstairs and has a nice south facing window is already 72 degrees.

This morning I have watched frustrated Herons looking for open water this morning. I suspect they will have to wait until afternoon.

I don't plan on a lot of out of doors activity today, but I did manage to take a picture of our cove iced up.

Yesterday I did venture over to the beach and took this picture of the sun setting near the eastern regional access.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-19T22:57:21-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/8d46757b3b9e115440961fd250affa0a-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/8d46757b3b9e115440961fd250affa0a-9.html#unique-entry-id-9Today our rainy weather continued. It's true that we need the rain, so I will be happy that we are getting it.

Yet, it does not take much observation to notice that our ground is so saturated with this week's rains that most of the water has headed to the river.

We stayed in the mid-forties all day today.

Tomorrow we are not supposed to get out of thirties.

It could well be the coldest weather we have seen since we moved here eighteen months ago.

Based on my rough calculations, we are close to three inches in rain for January. I would say that is good start on restoring soil moisture especially considering our area close to the coast only got dry for two or three months this fall.

It looks like the snow promised for the area will mostly stay west of Highway 17 which is about sixteen miles from us.

It did not take any snow to get us curled up in front of the fireplace. We bought some take out Chinese on the way home from a quick trip to Morehead City, then we settled in to relax in front of the fireplace and watch a little Discovery Channel.

A rainy day is just as good an excuse to relax as a blizzard, you just have a few more options on what you can do.

We will see what things look like tomorrow morning. Maybe I will have a picture of coastal snow to post.



]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-17T23:03:46-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/1cde3e928aa5e90d1a9faac6d986fdfb-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/1cde3e928aa5e90d1a9faac6d986fdfb-8.html#unique-entry-id-8We were driving back from our sunset chase this evening.

I noticed how neat the sky was at Cedar Point boat ramp so we pulled in to add a few photos to the ones that I had taken over at the Swansboro bridges.

Fog does strange things to light. It was so mild out that it was a lot more fun taking pictures than it was earlier in the week.

There is nothing like sixty degrees in January to make you start thinking about spring.

Considering that we got this snapshot from our friends in Roanoke, Virginia, I think I will hold off on planting the tomatoes a while.

It is January, and most years the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina get snow. That is why I am living on the coast.

As I look at this picture I will remind myself that today we were thirty degrees warmer than our mountain friends.

Winter hasn't impacted us too much. On the way back from the sunset chase we got some shrimp from Clyde Phillips Seafood and enjoyed what I call perfect shrimp before dinner.


]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-11T08:27:23-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/dbdb096a6170b8cde0d9ff477238c0f7-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/dbdb096a6170b8cde0d9ff477238c0f7-6.html#unique-entry-id-6Yesterday on the beach the skies were cloudy. This morning we are getting rain which we need and thunderstorms.

The weather is changing. From the forecast it looks like next week will be significantly cooler than this week.

We cannot complain. This has been a spectacular run of weather with lots of great time on the beach.

I guess we have to go back to our "winter" and look forward to warm days in the future.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgBeach2008-01-07T23:14:51-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/3629bc69c2d5c9942c385e65e977e98a-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/3629bc69c2d5c9942c385e65e977e98a-5.html#unique-entry-id-5We took advantage of the warm weather and went walking yesterday just off Inlet Drive in Emerald Isle yesterday.

I wanted to get close to the Point so I could see what the beach is doing.

According to what I have heard, the large wide beaches are moving towards the Point which would be a good thing since there isn't much left of the beach over there.

It is hard to believe how fast this has changed. I bought my permit to drive on the beach and went over to the Point and noticed the beach was getting smaller. A week later the access point was closed.

I am really impressed with how wide the beach is just down from the Point.

It will be interesting to watch this since I do not have a house there.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWinter starting to relent2008-01-04T21:41:53-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/d19952f42ee9a4b67ac4f40b56b75a70-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/d19952f42ee9a4b67ac4f40b56b75a70-4.html#unique-entry-id-4This morning when I rolled out of bed, it was clear that Raymond's Gut behind our home had ice on it.

The thermometer read twenty degrees. That is the coldest day I have seen here on the coast.

The good news was that the wind has stopped. When I snapped the picture last night, the wind has slowed only briefly. I suspect the cold clear air has something to do with the intensity of the colors in the picture.

Later in the evening when we pulled into the Bogue House along with several other folks from the area for a nice evening meal without any effort on our part, the wind was a serious part of cold.

I managed to walk in with just my sweatshirt, but when we went back to the car and discussed the possibility of going to the grocery store, it was quickly voted down in favor of heading home and relaxing in front of the fireplace.

Today I went down to Morehead City to get my NC driver's license. I was a little amazed to be taking a pencil and paper test in this age of computers, but I managed to get through it.

Fortunately I had found a neat website which had a much better study guide that NC's very boring driver's manual.

If you need a link to it, send me a note.

At least the weather had moderated a little so it wasn't so cold getting in and out of the car.

I have to be careful since I just talked to former neighbors of ours in Canada. Our farm in Tay Creek, New Brunswick was often snowed under.

Still I was surprised to hear that they have six feet of snow on the ground. Our friends reminded us that they had seen that much snow since the winter of 1976 which was our third year on the farm.

I think they can keep it. I am looking forward to those warmer temperatures that are predicted for Monday.

]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-03T00:32:20-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/05e44b44cdb1cf20b823e5e9d771ce2e-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/05e44b44cdb1cf20b823e5e9d771ce2e-3.html#unique-entry-id-3I did manage to stick my nose outside this afternoon.

Actually I think standing on the point at Cannonsgate is more than that.

It qualifies as sticking my whole body into the cold wind.

The good news is that this cold weather is only going to last a couple of days.

It was already 30 degrees Fahrenheit earlier in the evening so I expect a cold night.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2008-01-02T16:24:55-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/1ab395f7f6115acf5ea2336f486c7f3f-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/1ab395f7f6115acf5ea2336f486c7f3f-2.html#unique-entry-id-2The skies are a beautiful blue and the waters look pretty nice.

However, today has been the coldest day that I have seen since moving to the coast.

The temperature has not reached forty so our high is going to be in thirties.

On top of that the wind is blowing.

I am headed out to catch some sunset shots. A nice sunset always helps me forget the cold.

The knowledge that we will be have a warm meal including some of my wife's famous cornbread does not hurt either.

Hopefully I will have a nice shot to post later in the evening.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgWeather2007-12-30T11:16:59-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/f18cc6c8c2da19d595cb3eaf7e55aa08-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/f18cc6c8c2da19d595cb3eaf7e55aa08-1.html#unique-entry-id-1This morning we awoke to a blanket of fog. I have always enjoyed foggy days. We used to have many on the shore in Nova Scotia.

Fog seems somewhat rare on the Crystal Coast. I would guess that our Blue Ridge mountain home in Roanoke, Virginia actually experiences more fog than we do down here on the coast.

I suspect the reason we aren't fogged in more is that our coastal waters are never too far from our air temperatures most days.

It seems that we need a differential of twenty degrees or more between air and water temperatures before we get significant fog.

Later this week we are expecting a couple of days of very cool weather. That will let us see another coastal phenomenon, steaming waters.

This happened a couple of times last year. When the air temperatures got into the twenties while the water temperature was still in the fifties, fog or what I like to call steam would rise off of the water.

The weather is setting us up for a good opportunity to see some steaming water on Wednesday morning. We might even get a little ice on Raymond's Gut like we did last year.]]>dsobotta@coastalnc.orgCarteret County News2007-12-28T22:30:14-05:00http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/bb85499ba11878fad05228bc0779255f-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://coastalnc.org/carteretcounty/files/bb85499ba11878fad05228bc0779255f-0.html#unique-entry-id-0I have been writing about Carteret County for a long time. About eighteen months ago, I started my Daily Record Blog.

As sometimes happens in technology, the weight of the past makes change necessary.

Just as sometimes it is necessary to buy a new computer because your hard drive is too full, I find it necessary to move on to a new blog.

I tried podcasts and movies in my old blog. While they were nice, they slowed updating the blog to the point that I stopped writing for a month.

I plan to get back to regular posts about what I see and hear in Carteret County.

My first snippet of news is that one of my favorite restaurants, The Fairway on Route 58 in Cape Carteret has closed for renovations.

The last 2007 meals were served on Saturday December 22. I had one of my favorites, Pork Supreme. I will have to wait until February 3rd to enjoy some more Fairway cooking.

On another note, I know there are lots of questions about Cannonsgate, the new development on Bogue Sound along Highway 24. I can tell you the project is moving forward and that construction on the Post Office and Clubhouse is progressing daily.

The expectation is that the first homes in Cannonsgate will be under construction early in the new year.

Here are some pictures taken around the beautiful marina. I will be posting more pictures after I get another sunny day.
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