We have seen hot temperatures that are not normal for this area or this time of year.
We have also been very dry with less than inch of rain in the month of June so far. Some crops are probably a loss for this year.
Still the beaches are beautiful, and the waters along the shore are the only natural relief from the unusual heat.
Our granddaughter who is almost two visited us recently. She had a ball visiting the beaches.
With winds and heat challenging us, every day out on the water has been special, but we did get one that was particularly dazzling.
I enjoy my mornings puttering around the tomato plants and making sure everything is well watered.
It is that time of year in the South when you do your outside chores early in the morning or suffer the consequences.
Yesterday I started mowing my yard at 7:30 AM. I think I drank nearly a gallon of liquid in the twelve hours before mowing.
This weather seems to be challenging even some folks who are normally immune to the heat.
There is something really special about riding down a ripple free river with no other boats visible.
Skimming across the water at 30 MPH is certainly a great way to enjoy a coastal river.
I feel really fortunate to have access to the river when I need a little excitement in my life.
A few minutes floating around in the pool watching the clear blue skies makes you almost forget the heat and work of mowing your yard.
This week when I tried that I found that the swimming pool was nearly the same temperature as my body.
I only got in as far as my knees before I turned around and went looking for some cooler water.
It is not unusual for my wife and I to go for a short sunset cruise on the White Oak River.
We often find time to ride over to the Island to check out the beaches. We enjoy talking to the local shrimp fishermen and finding out news from their perspective.
I do not even get upset when our grocery stores are crowded. I have decided that it is just part of summer.
I like seeing Emerald Isle busy. It means our economy is humming along.
Still there is always room for improvement even here on the Crystal Coast. I would like to see our normal temperature return, some gentle rains, and I would be really happy it something besides a shark wouldy come after my bait.
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.
These are additional sites not mentioned in the above post.
Ocracoke Waves
Crystal Coast Blog 09
Crystal Coast Blog 08
Some archived articles