Southwest Virginia Blogs

Actually the weather is almost springlike along much of the east coast.  Even my buddy in Halifax, Nova Scotia has temperatures above freezing.  The weather in Roanoke has been pretty nice and might even cause your mind to wander to the beach.

Actually the beach weather has been pretty good also with temperatures approaching seventy degrees Fahrenheit some days.  Still we all know in our heart of hearts that this cannot last and that we must have cold weather so the greedy oil barons ( I will leave coal out of this since I don't want to be lynched) can have their pound of flesh.

When we lived in Atlantic Canada, usually about this time of year, the temperature would start falling.  A huge dome of cold air would slip relentlessly south and east.  Each day would be shock to the senses.  Today's low temperature would end up being tomorrow's high.  Sometimes the cycle would continue for a whole week.  One of the worst episodes that I remember was in January 1982.  I actually looked up some weather records and found that on January 17, 1982  it dropped to one degree Fahrenheit in Augusta, Ga. and in Philadelphia.  In that particular episode of cold, seventy five cities in the eastern US set record lows for the day.

That day on our farm (now a B&B) twenty miles north of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and 1100 miles north and east of Roanoke,  the temperature bottomed out after a number of days of steady drops at minus forty degrees.  I actually remember the day well since our youngest daughter was born then.  It was so cold I actually hung blankets over the windows.  Though minus forty was very unusual, even more unusual was the snow and high winds which were said to have gusted to over 60 miles per hour.  Normally when it got that cold the winds became silent and there was no precipitation.  That day was different.  We had a near blizzard in arctic temperatures.  In fact the next day, something that rarely happened took place.  Schools were actually closed in our snow belt district. (The first year we lived there, we had three feet of snow) Officials were worried that students might touch power lines because in some places the snow piles had gotten within touching distance of the wires.

It's hard to say what kind of winter Roanoke will get this winter.  Mountain weather is a huge challenge.  USA Today had an article yesterday, "El Nino promises warmer, drier winter in north."

I haven't noticed if Kevin Myatt has issued his annual winter weather forecast for the Roanoke area, but I did notice he mentioned in his latest post, "Winter weather a matter of ups and downs," that Roanoke and Blacksburg were among the spots that did not have record lows late last week.  I picked up from the weather service that North Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, and a number of areas on NC's Crystal Coast recorded record lows in the seventeen to twenty one degrees Fahrenheit.

I am ready to put in my request for a winter weather Christmas present.  I would like one snow storm to come Christmas eve and be gone by Boxing Day, the day after Christmas.  That should do nicely.

If you are interested in deciphering the winter forecast for you area, here is a link to NOAA's final winter 2006-07 forecast.

The best I can tell Roanoke has an equal chance of being wetter or drier and cooler or warmer.  Just pick the weather you want and wish for it.  That will probably work as well as anything.

The North Carolina coast looks to have a fair chance of normal temperatures with the odds being favorable for a little more moisture. 

I guess we'll just have to see how all this plays out since there is no predicting it.

Actually the weather is almost springlike along much of the east coast.  Even my buddy in Halifax, Nova Scotia has temperatures above freezing.  The weather in Roanoke has been pretty nice and might even cause your mind to wander to the beach.

Actually the beach weather has been pretty good also with temperatures approaching seventy degrees Fahrenheit some days.  Still we all know in our heart of hearts that this cannot last and that we must have cold weather so the greedy oil barons ( I will leave coal out of this since I don't want to be lynched) can have their pound of flesh.

When we lived in Atlantic Canada, usually about this time of year, the temperature would start falling.  A huge dome of cold air would slip relentlessly south and east.  Each day would be shock to the senses.  Today's low temperature would end up being tomorrow's high.  Sometimes the cycle would continue for a whole week.  One of the worst episodes that I remember was in January 1982.  I actually looked up some weather records and found that on January 17, 1982  it dropped to one degree Fahrenheit in Augusta, Ga. and in Philadelphia.  In that particular episode of cold, seventy five cities in the eastern US set record lows for the day.

That day on our farm (now a B&B) twenty miles north of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and 1100 miles north and east of Roanoke,  the temperature bottomed out after a number of days of steady drops at minus forty degrees.  I actually remember the day well since our youngest daughter was born then.  It was so cold I actually hung blankets over the windows.  Though minus forty was very unusual, even more unusual was the snow and high winds which were said to have gusted to over 60 miles per hour.  Normally when it got that cold the winds became silent and there was no precipitation.  That day was different.  We had a near blizzard in arctic temperatures.  In fact the next day, something that rarely happened took place.  Schools were actually closed in our snow belt district. (The first year we lived there, we had three feet of snow) Officials were worried that students might touch power lines because in some places the snow piles had gotten within touching distance of the wires.

It's hard to say what kind of winter Roanoke will get this winter.  Mountain weather is a huge challenge.  USA Today had an article yesterday, "El Nino promises warmer, drier winter in north."

I haven't noticed if Kevin Myatt has issued his annual winter weather forecast for the Roanoke area, but I did notice he mentioned in his latest post, "Winter weather a matter of ups and downs," that Roanoke and Blacksburg were among the spots that did not have record lows late last week.  I picked up from the weather service that North Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, and a number of areas on NC's Crystal Coast recorded record lows in the seventeen to twenty one degrees Fahrenheit.

I am ready to put in my request for a winter weather Christmas present.  I would like one snow storm to come Christmas eve and be gone by Boxing Day, the day after Christmas.  That should do nicely.

If you are interested in deciphering the winter forecast for you area, here is a link to NOAA's final winter 2006-07 forecast.

The best I can tell Roanoke has an equal chance of being wetter or drier and cooler or warmer.  Just pick the weather you want and wish for it.  That will probably work as well as anything.

The North Carolina coast looks to have a fair chance of normal temperatures with the odds being favorable for a little more moisture. 

I guess we'll just have to see how all this plays out since there is no predicting it.

Actually the weather is almost springlike along much of the east coast.  Even my buddy in Halifax, Nova Scotia has temperatures above freezing.  The weather in Roanoke has been pretty nice and might even cause your mind to wander to the beach.

Actually the beach weather has been pretty good also with temperatures approaching seventy degrees Fahrenheit some days.  Still we all know in our heart of hearts that this cannot last and that we must have cold weather so the greedy oil barons ( I will leave coal out of this since I don't want to be lynched) can have their pound of flesh.

When we lived in Atlantic Canada, usually about this time of year, the temperature would start falling.  A huge dome of cold air would slip relentlessly south and east.  Each day would be shock to the senses.  Today's low temperature would end up being tomorrow's high.  Sometimes the cycle would continue for a whole week.  One of the worst episodes that I remember was in January 1982.  I actually looked up some weather records and found that on January 17, 1982  it dropped to one degree Fahrenheit in Augusta, Ga. and in Philadelphia.  In that particular episode of cold, seventy five cities in the eastern US set record lows for the day.

That day on our farm (now a B&B) twenty miles north of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and 1100 miles north and east of Roanoke,  the temperature bottomed out after a number of days of steady drops at minus forty degrees.  I actually remember the day well since our youngest daughter was born then.  It was so cold I actually hung blankets over the windows.  Though minus forty was very unusual, even more unusual was the snow and high winds which were said to have gusted to over 60 miles per hour.  Normally when it got that cold the winds became silent and there was no precipitation.  That day was different.  We had a near blizzard in arctic temperatures.  In fact the next day, something that rarely happened took place.  Schools were actually closed in our snow belt district. (The first year we lived there, we had three feet of snow) Officials were worried that students might touch power lines because in some places the snow piles had gotten within touching distance of the wires.

It's hard to say what kind of winter Roanoke will get this winter.  Mountain weather is a huge challenge.  USA Today had an article yesterday, "El Nino promises warmer, drier winter in north."

I haven't noticed if Kevin Myatt has issued his annual winter weather forecast for the Roanoke area, but I did notice he mentioned in his latest post, "Winter weather a matter of ups and downs," that Roanoke and Blacksburg were among the spots that did not have record lows late last week.  I picked up from the weather service that North Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, and a number of areas on NC's Crystal Coast recorded record lows in the seventeen to twenty one degrees Fahrenheit.

I am ready to put in my request for a winter weather Christmas present.  I would like one snow storm to come Christmas eve and be gone by Boxing Day, the day after Christmas.  That should do nicely.

If you are interested in deciphering the winter forecast for you area, here is a link to NOAA's final winter 2006-07 forecast.

The best I can tell Roanoke has an equal chance of being wetter or drier and cooler or warmer.  Just pick the weather you want and wish for it.  That will probably work as well as anything.

The North Carolina coast looks to have a fair chance of normal temperatures with the odds being favorable for a little more moisture. 

I guess we'll just have to see how all this plays out since there is no predicting it.

I do not regularly use the same pictures on my internet posts.  I try to pick something unique for each site. This morning I ended up using the same shot on Coastalnc.org as I have used in this post.  The picture has such warm tones that it matches the weather, and I could not resist.

I was filling up with gas yesterday, and someone across the pump island asked me if I like this North Carolina winter?  It was pretty hard to respond with anything by a strong yes since I switched back to shorts as my standard clothing yesterday.

I know much of the country has enjoyed some warmer than normal temperatures.  When we have so many other problems to worry about, it is nice to take the weather off the list for a while.  I did notice that my friends in Halifax, Nova Scotia are seeing temperature just around thirty degrees Fahrenheit.   All I can say is that there are plenty of warmer places to flee to this time of year, and the Canadian dollar is strong, so they have no excuse.

It is so bright today that even with a filter on my digital camera, it is hard to get any blue sky.  That kind of problem is the right kind to have.

I do not regularly use the same pictures on my internet posts.  I try to pick something unique for each site. This morning I ended up using the same shot on Coastalnc.org as I have used in this post.  The picture has such warm tones that it matches the weather, and I could not resist.

I was filling up with gas yesterday, and someone across the pump island asked me if I like this North Carolina winter?  It was pretty hard to respond with anything by a strong yes since I switched back to shorts as my standard clothing yesterday.

I know much of the country has enjoyed some warmer than normal temperatures.  When we have so many other problems to worry about, it is nice to take the weather off the list for a while.  I did notice that my friends in Halifax, Nova Scotia are seeing temperature just around thirty degrees Fahrenheit.   All I can say is that there are plenty of warmer places to flee to this time of year, and the Canadian dollar is strong, so they have no excuse.

It is so bright today that even with a filter on my digital camera, it is hard to get any blue sky.  That kind of problem is the right kind to have.

We feel really fortunate to have The Fairway as our local restaurant.  It is a rare place that you can find a great burger and nightly specials that rival any fancy restaurant.

I have had a crown roast of pork chops that is as good as any that I have ever enjoyed.  Then if you are interested in some local specials, you find "Chicken pastry" which my mom would have called Chicken and dumplings.  I will even admit to eating their fried okra.  One of my favorite meals is their steak salad.  Of course I am also partial to their some of their sandwiches since they cook their own turkey and roast beef.

I have also found that they have a reasonably priced wine list to go with those special evening meals.  You can find their menu on line as PDFs at this link.   The Fairway is just south of the intersection of  Taylor Notion Road  and Route 58.  Their location is about one mile from the Emerald Isle bridge.

They unfortunately aren't open for breakfast or on Sundays, but that is a fair trade off for the great food that they offer the rest of the time.  Their phone number is 252 3939-6444.

One of the legitimate and needed functions of government is the protection of our environment.  As individuals we have little leverage in stopping pollution that comes from beyond our own lots.  We can recycle , drive energy efficient cars, turn our thermostats down, and buy more energy efficient appliances.  Yet all that does not fix the problem of pollution that comes from beyond state borders.

I will join with the Raleigh News and Observer in congratulating NC's Attorney General Roy Cooper in his efforts to get the Tennessee Valley Authority to behave more responsibly.

While the biggest impact of TVA pollution is in the North Carolina mountains, we should not get complacent here on the Crystal Coast, because I am sure some of the pollution makes ti to us.   I have spent many years in Roanoke, Virginia.  There from on the side of our mountain, I have watched as the increasing traffic on Interstate 81 has often brought an ugly haze with it.  As the Roanoke Times reported in "Heading home ... slowly" traffic counts of 80,000 vehicles per day will be seen during the holidays.

One of the reasons I was attracted to the Crystal Coast was the brilliant blue skies that are so clear that you have to wonder if your eyes are tricking you and someone has used Photoshop to clean it up.

I hope we can keep those blue skies and blue waters.  They add an immeasurable amount of comfort to those of us who once had our heads stuck in smog banks like Washington, DC or Northern Virginia.

There is little doubt that I am a big barbecue fan.  I have written about a number of barbecue spots like Bastians in Roanoke, Va in my post "Friday night at the Barbecue Joint." Then I wrote about a spot actually called the "Barbecue Joint" located on Weaver Dairy Road near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was mentioned in my post, "Back to the mountains."

Then there was the visit to Allen & Sons Barbecue, Chapel Hill, NC which was recommended by my friend Cameron.  When I took my real estate broker course in Hickory, NC, I discovered a really great spot, "FireBonz."   I even hauled back barbecue in a cooler to Roanoke a couple of times from Firebonz.

There have been a very few barbecue meals that I didn't consider a success like the one we had at Olde Virginia Barbecue in Rocky Mount, Va.  However, the general rule is that any barbecue is better than no barbecue.  As I said in "Barbecue And More Barbecue," I love barbecue.

Since I have been wandering around North Carolina's Crystal Coast,   I have been suffering from a barbecue drought.  Early one morning on my way to a very useful NC broker post licensing course in Wilmington, I happened to notice a metal roofed building called "The Smokehouse" on the west side of US 17.  I made a note of the mileage, and promised myself if that I had a good day in class that I might stop by and check it out on the way home.

We had one of the most productive days that I have enjoyed in my many real estate classes.  With that as a background, I was on the lookout for The Smokehouse.  I walked in and without even looking at the menu, I asked if they did barbecue by the pound.  The young lady said yes. I ordered a pound with some slaw and two buns.  Complete with tax, the meal came to $9.08.  I did not even have to ask, I got chopped pork.

About forty five minutes after leaving, I backed down our driveway on the east side of the White Oak River in Carteret County with what I hoped would be my first successful capture of real Eastern North Carolina barbecue.

We made our sandwiches, and it did not take Glenda, my wife, and I long to decide that I will be swinging by The Holly Ridge Smokehouse whenever I get a chance in my travels to Wilmington.  The barbecue was very lean with a nice hint of vinegar without being overwhelming.  The slaw was also crunchy and tasty.  The meal was a winner, a great bargain, and there is even enough left for Glenda's lunch tomorrow.

I wonder how their fried chicken is?  There's seems to be a shortage of that also along the Crystal Coast.  The Smokehouse opens early every morning.  If a full parking lot is an indication of good food, their breakfast must be very good.

There is little doubt that I am a big barbecue fan.  I have written about a number of barbecue spots like Bastians in Roanoke, Va in my post "Friday night at the Barbecue Joint." Then I wrote about a spot actually called the "Barbecue Joint" located on Weaver Dairy Road near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was mentioned in my post, "Back to the mountains."

Then there was the visit to Allen & Sons Barbecue, Chapel Hill, NC which was recommended by my friend Cameron.  When I took my real estate broker course in Hickory, NC, I discovered a really great spot, "FireBonz."   I even hauled back barbecue in a cooler to Roanoke a couple of times from Firebonz.

There have been a very few barbecue meals that I didn't consider a success like the one we had at Olde Virginia Barbecue in Rocky Mount, Va.  However, the general rule is that any barbecue is better than no barbecue.  As I said in "Barbecue And More Barbecue," I love barbecue.

Since I have been wandering around North Carolina's Crystal Coast,   I have been suffering from a barbecue drought.  Early one morning on my way to a very useful NC broker post licensing course in Wilmington, I happened to notice a metal roofed building called "The Smokehouse" on the west side of US 17.  I made a note of the mileage, and promised myself if that I had a good day in class that I might stop by and check it out on the way home.

We had one of the most productive days that I have enjoyed in my many real estate classes.  With that as a background, I was on the lookout for The Smokehouse.  I walked in and without even looking at the menu, I asked if they did barbecue by the pound.  The young lady said yes. I ordered a pound with some slaw and two buns.  Complete with tax, the meal came to $9.08.  I did not even have to ask, I got chopped pork.

About forty five minutes after leaving, I backed down our driveway on the east side of the White Oak River in Carteret County with what I hoped would be my first successful capture of real Eastern North Carolina barbecue.

We made our sandwiches, and it did not take Glenda, my wife, and I long to decide that I will be swinging by The Holly Ridge Smokehouse whenever I get a chance in my travels to Wilmington.  The barbecue was very lean with a nice hint of vinegar without being overwhelming.  The slaw was also crunchy and tasty.  The meal was a winner, a great bargain, and there is even enough left for Glenda's lunch tomorrow.

I wonder how their fried chicken is?  There's seems to be a shortage of that also along the Crystal Coast.  The Smokehouse opens early every morning.  If a full parking lot is an indication of good food, their breakfast must be very good.

Fall is pretty glorious on the east coast.  Recently we were enjoying some great  late fall weather in North Carolina's Crystal Coast area.  We had a very enjoyable breakfast at Yana's Ye Olde Drugstore Restaurant on Front Street in Swansboro.

We ran a few errands and decided to go over to Emerald Isle for a walk on the beach since the weather was so warm.  We were surprised to find a fair number of cars in our usual parking lot, but there turned out to be very few people on the beach.

We headed off down the beach for a leisurely walk on the firmer than normal beach surface.

It pretty hard to describe how nice it was on the beach.  The pictures can actually do a better job than my words.  The water had just enough coolness to provide a pleasant contrast to the warm sand.  The surf was pretty quiet and there was just a slight breeze.

We kept watching the schools of small minnows swimming in the surf.  It was amazing how many we could see.  It was about then that I started wondering if I had stumbled on the reason the Crystal Coast is called the Crystal Coast.

The clarity of the water was pretty hard to believe.  I spent a few minutes trying to capture an image that would adequately show what I was seeing.  I finally got the right small wave and snapped the shot below and to the right.

The picture doesn't do the water justice, but I'm just excited that there is still water around this clear and so full of marine life.

I hope that we can preserve the wonderful waters of the Crystal Coast for the next generation.  If my guess is wrong about the "Crystal," in Crystal Coast, I would be interested in hearing the real story.

I have more area fall pictures at this website.

Fall is pretty glorious on the east coast.  Recently we were enjoying some great  late fall weather in North Carolina's Crystal Coast area.  We had a very enjoyable breakfast at Yana's Ye Olde Drugstore Restaurant on Front Street in Swansboro.

We ran a few errands and decided to go over to Emerald Isle for a walk on the beach since the weather was so warm.  We were surprised to find a fair number of cars in our usual parking lot, but there turned out to be very few people on the beach.

We headed off down the beach for a leisurely walk on the firmer than normal beach surface.

It pretty hard to describe how nice it was on the beach.  The pictures can actually do a better job than my words.  The water had just enough coolness to provide a pleasant contrast to the warm sand.  The surf was pretty quiet and there was just a slight breeze.

We kept watching the schools of small minnows swimming in the surf.  It was amazing how many we could see.  It was about then that I started wondering if I had stumbled on the reason the Crystal Coast is called the Crystal Coast.

The clarity of the water was pretty hard to believe.  I spent a few minutes trying to capture an image that would adequately show what I was seeing.  I finally got the right small wave and snapped the shot below and to the right.

The picture doesn't do the water justice, but I'm just excited that there is still water around this clear and so full of marine life.

I hope that we can preserve the wonderful waters of the Crystal Coast for the next generation.  If my guess is wrong about the "Crystal," in Crystal Coast, I would be interested in hearing the real story.

I have more area fall pictures at this website.

Fall is pretty glorious on the east coast.  Recently we were enjoying some great  late fall weather in North Carolina's Crystal Coast area.  We had a very enjoyable breakfast at Yana's Ye Olde Drugstore Restaurant on Front Street in Swansboro.

We ran a few errands and decided to go over to Emerald Isle for a walk on the beach since the weather was so warm.  We were surprised to find a fair number of cars in our usual parking lot, but there turned out to be very few people on the beach.

We headed off down the beach for a leisurely walk on the firmer than normal beach surface.

It pretty hard to describe how nice it was on the beach.  The pictures can actually do a better job than my words.  The water had just enough coolness to provide a pleasant contrast to the warm sand.  The surf was pretty quiet and there was just a slight breeze.

We kept watching the schools of small minnows swimming in the surf.  It was amazing how many we could see.  It was about then that I started wondering if I had stumbled on the reason the Crystal Coast is called the Crystal Coast.

The clarity of the water was pretty hard to believe.  I spent a few minutes trying to capture an image that would adequately show what I was seeing.  I finally got the right small wave and snapped the shot below and to the right.

The picture doesn't do the water justice, but I'm just excited that there is still water around this clear and so full of marine life.

I hope that we can preserve the wonderful waters of the Crystal Coast for the next generation.  If my guess is wrong about the "Crystal," in Crystal Coast, I would be interested in hearing the real story.

I have more area fall pictures at this website.

Fall is pretty glorious on the east coast.  Recently we were enjoying some great  late fall weather in North Carolina's Crystal Coast area.  We had a very enjoyable breakfast at Yana's Ye Olde Drugstore Restaurant on Front Street in Swansboro.

We ran a few errands and decided to go over to Emerald Isle for a walk on the beach since the weather was so warm.  We were surprised to find a fair number of cars in our usual parking lot, but there turned out to be very few people on the beach.

We headed off down the beach for a leisurely walk on the firmer than normal beach surface.

It pretty hard to describe how nice it was on the beach.  The pictures can actually do a better job than my words.  The water had just enough coolness to provide a pleasant contrast to the warm sand.  The surf was pretty quiet and there was just a slight breeze.

We kept watching the schools of small minnows swimming in the surf.  It was amazing how many we could see.  It was about then that I started wondering if I had stumbled on the reason the Crystal Coast is called the Crystal Coast.

The clarity of the water was pretty hard to believe.  I spent a few minutes trying to capture an image that would adequately show what I was seeing.  I finally got the right small wave and snapped the shot below and to the right.

The picture doesn't do the water justice, but I'm just excited that there is still water around this clear and so full of marine life.

I hope that we can preserve the wonderful waters of the Crystal Coast for the next generation.  If my guess is wrong about the "Crystal," in Crystal Coast, I would be interested in hearing the real story.

I have more area fall pictures at this website.

Long ago we learned that every spot on earth has some wonderful secrets.  You don't find the neat things about a place by driving through.  Sometimes when you're visiting you stumble upon them, but mostly you have to spend some serious time in an area to really appreciate what makes an area special.

When we lived in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Public Gardens made living in Halifax even more special.  When we farmed near Fredericton, New Brunswick, there was a really neat wading pool that our kids used to love.  It was one of those places where kids could be kids.  In our short stay in Columbia, Maryland, we grew to love the well groomed trails that wandered through the huge Poplar trees which grew to heights unimaginable to someone whose last sixteen years was in the land of stunted Spruce and Fir trees.

In Roanoke, Va. before development took it away, we used to enjoy an old woods road that we groomed into a trail.  It was a haven away from pavement and even summer heat.  Once we had to retreat from the trail,  our deck with a view over the city of Roanoke became our special place.  I still spend lots of time taking pictures of the sunrises.  Many of those pictures are posted at my on line print site.

As we've come to spent more time in Swansboro, NC, it has become clear that the bridges over the White Oak River are a pretty special spot.  The area makes for some pretty special sunsets and seems to draw people every evening.

Recently we were out on a mission looking for some nippers to cut brush.  We struck out on the nippers but decided to have dinner on the water and make the best of the situation.

We picked the Icehouse Restaurant in downtown Swansboro for our Grouper dinner.  As we settled into our seats, I couldn't help but marvel at the view from our table which is captured in the image to the left.  The water and sky couldn't have been a nicer shade of blue.  The temperature was nearly perfect.  Add a great meal, and you have a perfect evening.

There are several restaurants clustered around the bridges.  We've tried many of them and the food is almost all universally good.  Yet part of me wonders how much the wonderful beauty of the White Oak River near the bridges contributes to those special moments.  We aren't to the point of one the diners who left the Icehouse by boat, but we certainly enjoy watching the boats skim across the surface.  Seeing so many others enjoy the water in such a beautiful place can only make it more special.

I'm enjoying learning a new world and look forward to sharing some additional not-so-secret secrets I've already discovered.  If you interested in the reasons we selected Swansboro as our favorite part of North Carolina's coastal paradise, you can check out my Coastalnc.org website or  the view from my kayak.

Long ago we learned that every spot on earth has some wonderful secrets.  You don't find the neat things about a place by driving through.  Sometimes when you're visiting you stumble upon them, but mostly you have to spend some serious time in an area to really appreciate what makes an area special.

When we lived in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Public Gardens made living in Halifax even more special.  When we farmed near Fredericton, New Brunswick, there was a really neat wading pool that our kids used to love.  It was one of those places where kids could be kids.  In our short stay in Columbia, Maryland, we grew to love the well groomed trails that wandered through the huge Poplar trees which grew to heights unimaginable to someone whose last sixteen years was in the land of stunted Spruce and Fir trees.

In Roanoke, Va. before development took it away, we used to enjoy an old woods road that we groomed into a trail.  It was a haven away from pavement and even summer heat.  Once we had to retreat from the trail,  our deck with a view over the city of Roanoke became our special place.  I still spend lots of time taking pictures of the sunrises.  Many of those pictures are posted at my on line print site.

As we've come to spent more time in Swansboro, NC, it has become clear that the bridges over the White Oak River are a pretty special spot.  The area makes for some pretty special sunsets and seems to draw people every evening.

Recently we were out on a mission looking for some nippers to cut brush.  We struck out on the nippers but decided to have dinner on the water and make the best of the situation.

We picked the Icehouse Restaurant in downtown Swansboro for our Grouper dinner.  As we settled into our seats, I couldn't help but marvel at the view from our table which is captured in the image to the left.  The water and sky couldn't have been a nicer shade of blue.  The temperature was nearly perfect.  Add a great meal, and you have a perfect evening.

There are several restaurants clustered around the bridges.  We've tried many of them and the food is almost all universally good.  Yet part of me wonders how much the wonderful beauty of the White Oak River near the bridges contributes to those special moments.  We aren't to the point of one the diners who left the Icehouse by boat, but we certainly enjoy watching the boats skim across the surface.  Seeing so many others enjoy the water in such a beautiful place can only make it more special.

I'm enjoying learning a new world and look forward to sharing some additional not-so-secret secrets I've already discovered.  If you interested in the reasons we selected Swansboro as our favorite part of North Carolina's coastal paradise, you can check out my Coastalnc.org website or  the view from my kayak.

As we settle into our home away home near Swansboro, NC, I'm struck by the prospect of having water in our backyard.  In fact most places aren't very far from some type of water.

This will be the first time we lived with water so close.  We lived a couple of times within a mile or so of the water, but it has never been one of our property lines.

This view from the dock behind the house shows water in its most peaceful state.  I'm sure we'll see it in many different moods over the years.

Yet the water already has given me some new perspective and at least started to soothe my scared corporate soul.  I'm looking forward to dipping a paddle into the water in the next few weeks.  It should be a great new adventure.