Southwest Virginia Blogs

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

After enjoying this sunrise over Emerald Isle this morning, I picked up the debate on a potential ban on deep sea bottom trawling in an article from Halifax, Nova Scotia's Chronicle Herald.  The article, "Reputation on the line," has this to say.

Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has acknowledged trawling damages fish stocks and their environment, but says a ban would be unenforceable and that stronger fisheries management organizations in unregulated areas would be more effective.

"I would like to see Canada take a leadership role on this issue," said Paul Snelgrove, an ecology professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L.

A trawling ban in international waters would not be easy to enforce, but that’s a weak reason to oppose one, Snelgrove said.

It is not unusual to see Canada and the United States on opposite end of an environmental question.  Yet they are in different sides of the issue than what I would have guessed.  I haven't figured out the situation, but I will dig into it.

We need to keep commercial fishermen going strong if possible, but I wonder how much international waters deep sea trawling is done by local fishermen?

I did find one piece of research on the issue, "Potential Impacts of Bottom Trawling on Water Column Productivity and Sediment Transport Processes."  It was funded by the state of North Carolina but does not really address the issue.

As someone who enjoys fishing and throwing them back and ordering fresh local fish off the menu in area eateries, I would like to see someone with the wisdom of Solomon figure this out.

I know we need to protect our wonderful fish nurseries along North Carolina's coast, I am just not smart enough to know the best way to do that yet.

I have seen the California approach, "Sanctuaries for fish, Wildlife panel establishes marine reserves." It may create more problems than it solves.  I was living in Canada when the cod fishery collapsed.  It was not a pretty situation.

Solving our need to use and preserve our marine resources is a huge challenge.

After enjoying this sunrise over Emerald Isle this morning, I picked up the debate on a potential ban on deep sea bottom trawling in an article from Halifax, Nova Scotia's Chronicle Herald.  The article, "Reputation on the line," has this to say.

Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has acknowledged trawling damages fish stocks and their environment, but says a ban would be unenforceable and that stronger fisheries management organizations in unregulated areas would be more effective.

"I would like to see Canada take a leadership role on this issue," said Paul Snelgrove, an ecology professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L.

A trawling ban in international waters would not be easy to enforce, but that’s a weak reason to oppose one, Snelgrove said.

It is not unusual to see Canada and the United States on opposite end of an environmental question.  Yet they are in different sides of the issue than what I would have guessed.  I haven't figured out the situation, but I will dig into it.

We need to keep commercial fishermen going strong if possible, but I wonder how much international waters deep sea trawling is done by local fishermen?

I did find one piece of research on the issue, "Potential Impacts of Bottom Trawling on Water Column Productivity and Sediment Transport Processes."  It was funded by the state of North Carolina but does not really address the issue.

As someone who enjoys fishing and throwing them back and ordering fresh local fish off the menu in area eateries, I would like to see someone with the wisdom of Solomon figure this out.

I know we need to protect our wonderful fish nurseries along North Carolina's coast, I am just not smart enough to know the best way to do that yet.

I have seen the California approach, "Sanctuaries for fish, Wildlife panel establishes marine reserves." It may create more problems than it solves.  I was living in Canada when the cod fishery collapsed.  It was not a pretty situation.

Solving our need to use and preserve our marine resources is a huge challenge.

After enjoying this sunrise over Emerald Isle this morning, I picked up the debate on a potential ban on deep sea bottom trawling in an article from Halifax, Nova Scotia's Chronicle Herald.  The article, "Reputation on the line," has this to say.

Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has acknowledged trawling damages fish stocks and their environment, but says a ban would be unenforceable and that stronger fisheries management organizations in unregulated areas would be more effective.

"I would like to see Canada take a leadership role on this issue," said Paul Snelgrove, an ecology professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L.

A trawling ban in international waters would not be easy to enforce, but that’s a weak reason to oppose one, Snelgrove said.

It is not unusual to see Canada and the United States on opposite end of an environmental question.  Yet they are in different sides of the issue than what I would have guessed.  I haven't figured out the situation, but I will dig into it.

We need to keep commercial fishermen going strong if possible, but I wonder how much international waters deep sea trawling is done by local fishermen?

I did find one piece of research on the issue, "Potential Impacts of Bottom Trawling on Water Column Productivity and Sediment Transport Processes."  It was funded by the state of North Carolina but does not really address the issue.

As someone who enjoys fishing and throwing them back and ordering fresh local fish off the menu in area eateries, I would like to see someone with the wisdom of Solomon figure this out.

I know we need to protect our wonderful fish nurseries along North Carolina's coast, I am just not smart enough to know the best way to do that yet.

I have seen the California approach, "Sanctuaries for fish, Wildlife panel establishes marine reserves." It may create more problems than it solves.  I was living in Canada when the cod fishery collapsed.  It was not a pretty situation.

Solving our need to use and preserve our marine resources is a huge challenge.

Going out to eat breakfast is one of our favorite things to do when we're relaxing.  Not having to clean up after an early morning meal is a special treat.

The challenge is always getting the ladies up and out the door before the morning is too far gone which I consider to be 8:30 am.  Yana's is located at 119 Front Street in Swansboro along North Carolina's Crystal Coast.

I managed to get the family over to Swansboro by slightly after 9 am which worked out fine since the middle of the week during the last of October isn't exactly high season here at the beach.  Getting to Yana's relatively early can be very important during the summer or even on the weekends during the winter.  Last weekend we waited thirty minutes for a table on Sunday morning.

However, if you want a delicious breakfast, the wait is worth it.  There are usually a couple of gift stores nearby that are open so it's fairly easy to entertain the ladies for a few minutes.

Since we were early for mid-week, we walked right in and had a choice of table or booth.  Jana's is a little crowded, but it's also very efficient.  The waitresses appear to really know what they are doing and all the food we've eaten has been very well prepared.  The most recent trip, I had country ham and eggs with home fries and a biscuit.  My wife, Glenda, had scrambled eggs and grits with a biscuit, and my oldest daughter, Erin, enjoyed a plate of pancakes with some country ham.

The meal was very reasonably priced.  With three beverages and tax but before tip, the total was twenty three dollars and a little change.  Jana's is definitely in the holiday mood with some great Halloween decorations, I'm told the ladies bathroom features a talking Elvis. Be sure not to miss that.

It's hard to fault a restaurant with delicious food where one of the town Cats, Morris, greets you just outside the door.  Yana's is open for breakfast and lunch.  Their menu is on line at this link.  You can call them at (910) 326-5501.

After breakfast, we hit the Swansboro shops until I protested loudly enough to be allowed to go take a nap in the car.

When the ladies were done shopping we drove across the bridge from Cape Cateret/Cedar Point to Emerald Isle.  Based on the number of boats anchored along the Inter Coastal Waterway, I believe the fish must be biting.

So if you haven't had a trip to the beach this year, now is a great time to come.  The crowds and heat are gone.  The fish and cool weather are here along with those of us who can't get enough of the beach.

Going out to eat breakfast is one of our favorite things to do when we're relaxing.  Not having to clean up after an early morning meal is a special treat.

The challenge is always getting the ladies up and out the door before the morning is too far gone which I consider to be 8:30 am.  Yana's is located at 119 Front Street in Swansboro along North Carolina's Crystal Coast.

I managed to get the family over to Swansboro by slightly after 9 am which worked out fine since the middle of the week during the last of October isn't exactly high season here at the beach.  Getting to Yana's relatively early can be very important during the summer or even on the weekends during the winter.  Last weekend we waited thirty minutes for a table on Sunday morning.

However, if you want a delicious breakfast, the wait is worth it.  There are usually a couple of gift stores nearby that are open so it's fairly easy to entertain the ladies for a few minutes.

Since we were early for mid-week, we walked right in and had a choice of table or booth.  Jana's is a little crowded, but it's also very efficient.  The waitresses appear to really know what they are doing and all the food we've eaten has been very well prepared.  The most recent trip, I had country ham and eggs with home fries and a biscuit.  My wife, Glenda, had scrambled eggs and grits with a biscuit, and my oldest daughter, Erin, enjoyed a plate of pancakes with some country ham.

The meal was very reasonably priced.  With three beverages and tax but before tip, the total was twenty three dollars and a little change.  Jana's is definitely in the holiday mood with some great Halloween decorations, I'm told the ladies bathroom features a talking Elvis. Be sure not to miss that.

It's hard to fault a restaurant with delicious food where one of the town Cats, Morris, greets you just outside the door.  Yana's is open for breakfast and lunch.  Their menu is on line at this link.  You can call them at (910) 326-5501.

After breakfast, we hit the Swansboro shops until I protested loudly enough to be allowed to go take a nap in the car.

When the ladies were done shopping we drove across the bridge from Cape Cateret/Cedar Point to Emerald Isle.  Based on the number of boats anchored along the Inter Coastal Waterway, I believe the fish must be biting.

So if you haven't had a trip to the beach this year, now is a great time to come.  The crowds and heat are gone.  The fish and cool weather are here along with those of us who can't get enough of the beach.

Going out to eat breakfast is one of our favorite things to do when we're relaxing.  Not having to clean up after an early morning meal is a special treat.

The challenge is always getting the ladies up and out the door before the morning is too far gone which I consider to be 8:30 am.  Yana's is located at 119 Front Street in Swansboro along North Carolina's Crystal Coast.

I managed to get the family over to Swansboro by slightly after 9 am which worked out fine since the middle of the week during the last of October isn't exactly high season here at the beach.  Getting to Yana's relatively early can be very important during the summer or even on the weekends during the winter.  Last weekend we waited thirty minutes for a table on Sunday morning.

However, if you want a delicious breakfast, the wait is worth it.  There are usually a couple of gift stores nearby that are open so it's fairly easy to entertain the ladies for a few minutes.

Since we were early for mid-week, we walked right in and had a choice of table or booth.  Jana's is a little crowded, but it's also very efficient.  The waitresses appear to really know what they are doing and all the food we've eaten has been very well prepared.  The most recent trip, I had country ham and eggs with home fries and a biscuit.  My wife, Glenda, had scrambled eggs and grits with a biscuit, and my oldest daughter, Erin, enjoyed a plate of pancakes with some country ham.

The meal was very reasonably priced.  With three beverages and tax but before tip, the total was twenty three dollars and a little change.  Jana's is definitely in the holiday mood with some great Halloween decorations, I'm told the ladies bathroom features a talking Elvis. Be sure not to miss that.

It's hard to fault a restaurant with delicious food where one of the town Cats, Morris, greets you just outside the door.  Yana's is open for breakfast and lunch.  Their menu is on line at this link.  You can call them at (910) 326-5501.

After breakfast, we hit the Swansboro shops until I protested loudly enough to be allowed to go take a nap in the car.

When the ladies were done shopping we drove across the bridge from Cape Cateret/Cedar Point to Emerald Isle.  Based on the number of boats anchored along the Inter Coastal Waterway, I believe the fish must be biting.

So if you haven't had a trip to the beach this year, now is a great time to come.  The crowds and heat are gone.  The fish and cool weather are here along with those of us who can't get enough of the beach.

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.