Just when I thought things could not get any better, the temperatures started dropping into the sixties at night.
This morning, there was a little fog on the gut behind our house because the air was cooler than the water.
My youngest daughter was here, and I got to watch her fall in love with the Crystal Coast.
We had a number of firsts during her visit. Our granddaughter’s took her first swim in the pool and managed to have her first ice cream cone. I think it was also the first time my wife did not get in a car for four days.
We managed to eat at home during the whole visit with my daughter. It is much easier to feed an eight months old baby at home than in a restaurant.
I cannot complain about the meals, fresh shrimp, crab cakes, fresh flounder, shrimp and grits, and softshell crabs.
There is nothing like zooming down the river when there is hardly a ripple showing.
My wife thinks that I am crazy, but a quick ten minute trip to Swansboro in the boat is almost as good as a walk on the beach.
Getting into the boat brought some balance into my life. It is hard even for Pisces to achieve perfect beach and boat balance.
I have been a little hooked on the beach lately. I came up with a new plan called the Six Shrimp Road to Enlightenment.
My beach time mainly revolved around me fishing in the surf. It is a good way to clean the cobwebs from your mind.
I find almost everything unimportant disappears when the saltwater gets up over your knees.
I love being on the beach when the sun goes down. I especially love standing in the water and casting for fish.
Fishing has been fun lately, but I have thrown back everything. I am pretty sure that I have caught the saw flounder measuring 14.75 inches at least four times.
Still they are beautiful fish and fun to catch. It is certainly a great way to spend your time when you are either on the beach or boat sitting.
It is easy to have fun with a boat here on the Crystal Coast. It is also easy to end up high and dry if you do not pay attention.
One of our neighbors was over at Hammocks Beach recently. His wife was supposedly watching the boat. When he came back at five PM, the boat was high and dry.
He managed to get his wife and daughter a ride home, but he had to wait another three hours before his skiff would float. Then he got the pleasure of navigating the White Oak almost in the dark.
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The White Oak is a wonder river but no place for practice runs in the dark. We are lucky to live in Bluewater Cove which is just off the river. With a lift behind our home, we can go fish for a few minutes in the evening and still be home before dark.
The river is absolutely beautiful, especially early in the morning and late in the evening. The picture with the motor was taken as the sun was setting a few days ago.
During holiday weekends, the White Oak is one of the few places that does not get crowded.
The oyster rocks and the challenge of having to follow a marked channel seem to keep most folks away.
I know one thing, the the gut behind our home and the inlet around our clubhouse are filled with bait fish and shrimp.
No gamefish should go hungry.
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I worked the Bluewater Rentals check-in today.People were really excited about getting here since many were coming from places which seem to be skipping summer.
One person even asked if we charge extra for the blue skies.
We have had plenty of blue skies and not much rain lately.
The corn down the road from us could use a shower. It would be nice to have some rain so I could stop watering our hard.
Still this has been great tomato growing weather. Our crop is about to overwhelm us.
Fortunately we have not seen a lot of the extreme heat. We managed to skip a few days of it by heading to the mountains.
By the time we got back the heat had moderated, and the tourists were pouring into the area.
You will find no complaints from me on tourists streaming into the area. Without them this would be one very quiet area.
Actually we will be back to being a quiet area in about eight weeks which is soon enough.
In the meantime, it is nice to have company in the summer. I would add Southern hospitality to my list of things that have not changed here.
Of course there are plenty of changes even here on the beach.
Why we love it here?
It is hard to say that any place is perfect. There always a balance between what you like and what you don't like. That also changes as you age. At one time I was close to homesteading in Newfoundland.
Today I would steer you to my articles, Ten ways Carteret County met our needs, Why I love living in Carteret County, and to the Crystal Coast Electronic Village Homepage as answers to why we have chosen this area.
From that reading it is easy to understand why we enjoy living in a small subdivision called Bluewater Cove near Cape Carteret. It is what we were looking for in a place to live. It's close to services and close to the beach but not on the beach. We have a dock behind the house and are close to some great trails. I can ride my bike in the neighborhood and not face a lot of traffic.
I also use my kayak on the White Oak River and have learned to love exploring the river and surrounding waters with our skiff.
This area also has some great festivals like the Newport Pig Cookoff, the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick's Day, and the Swansboro Oyster Roast. We were also impressed with the Emerald Isle Christmas Parade.
It is a friendly area with a great future. So right now it is the spot for us. I often write about the area in my other websites. If you are a very avid reader, you might find some content on multiple sites, but usually the content is fairly specific to the sites.
View from the Mountain
Ocracoke Waves
Crystal Coast Living Blog
Crystal Coast Blog 09
Crystal Coast Blog 08
Some archived articles
More Crystal Coast Info