Today as we crossed the bridge over to Emerald Isle to enjoy a birthday dinner at Rucker John's, it felt like things are getting back to normal.

We had a great, reasonably priced meal and saw some more locals who are beginning to come out of evening hibernation.

There are actually still a fair number of tourists around, mostly those with very young kids or with no kids at all.

The weather has been beautiful, but the wind has been blowing more today that it was when Gabrielle visited us this past weekend. In fact there is a small craft advisory for the area.

I had hoped to attack some dollar weed in our beds this afternoon, but it was too windy to spray.

Yesterday we had a nice walk on the beach. The waters were still stirred up but beautiful. The water is still really warm.

We are really lucky here on the coast. We have had a reasonable amount of moisture so things are still wonderfully green.

All you have to do is add in a gorgeous sunset and some blue waters for a beautiful picture.

Not far inland close to Kinston, I heard that a forest fire had closed Route 70. That is pretty amazing since just a few miles away in Beaufort, they got over 8 inches of rain Sunday night.

Tags: Beach, Sound, Wind

Gabrielle has come and gone.

In western Carteret County we got a nice rain and little more than that.

Sunday afternoon's sunset was a pleasing reminder that sometimes storm predictions are little more than best guesses.

We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.

We got the best which was some moisture for the crops and our yards.

For me it was good practice for the time when we do have a storm. We secured the skiff to the lift and in general battened down the hatches.

More than anything we did some thinking about what we would do if a serious storm showed up.

I think we are better off for having had a visit by Gabrielle. I hope other areas are as fortunate.

I did post some storm shots in a web gallery.

Saturday I posted my revised Emerald Isle Travel Guide. I hope people planning their vacations find it useful

If your fear of hurricanes is keeping you from considering Carteret County as a spot for a second home or retirement, you might want to read my post on hurricanes.

Pictures are a great way to view our area, and I have created a web page dedicated to slides shows and images from the Southern Outer Banks.

If you want a quick tour of what it is like to live on the coast, check out this link to a brief tour of my first year on the coast.

I also have another web page with some of my favorite posts and recipes.

Tags: Crystal Coast