Vacation Suggestion

Frying Pan Tower, NC:



While it's still relatively cheap. Once the tower is fully restored/renovated/upgraded, most of us won't be able to afford it.

Non-Post Post

I'm posting this on the principle that you should try to post something to your blog daily.

I was back at work last night after a week's vacation. It was a poor man's vacation, with no money to go anywhere. This morning I went to get my car inspected and my car registration renewed - - done and done. My car is so old that it has no onboard diagnostic computer to plug into, so here in NC all it has to do is pass a safety inspection, which consists of verifying that the lights all work and that the windshield wipers are in good shape. $13 and out the door.

More later.

Fort Macon To Get Working Cannon

Sara and I recently vacationed on the NC coast, and visited Fort Macon while there.

A news report in today's Charlotte Observer indicates that the fort is to get its own working cannon.

Should be a cool addition to the tours there.

So You've Never Tried North Carolina BBQ?

Here's your chance to try both kinds at once.

On our recent coast vacation we ate a lot of BBQ. Amend that: I ate a lot of BBQ. Sara ate a reasonable amount. The total came to 6 BBQ sandwiches (with slaw) and one BBQ plate over 5 days, so averaged out I ate BBQ a little more than daily. I'm not exactly certain how you do that, but I did. Anyway, this NC BBQ kit has samples of both Eastern and Lexington BBQ, and slaws and sauces for both styles. Priced at $60 it's pretty expensive, but figure it as part of your education and you'll do ok.

Random Vacation Photos

Here with some random images from the beach vacation.

Intracoastal Waterway, New Bern, NC.

Bascule Bridge, New Bern, NC.

(You'll note that there are no photos from the Tryon Palace in New Bern; couldn't really justify the admission on the budget we had to work with.)

North Carolina Maritime Museum.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC, is a wonderful place to visit, especially since admission is free. Inside exhibits on the US Lifeboat Service, the Lighthouse Service, examples of sailing boats of the North Carolina area, and relics from Blackbeard's sunken flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. There is a wonderful research library that would be a great place to spend a day peacefully reading.

Relics, Queen Anne's Revenge.

Naval Anchor, NC Maritime Museum.

Front Street, Beaufort, NC.

Town Clock, Beaufort, NC.

Atlantic Beach, NC.

Kiteboarder, Atlantic Beach, NC.

Alligator, NC Aquarium Pine Knoll Shores, NC.

Gar, North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC.

North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

Newport, NC.

Newport, NC.
(A pretty lonely business in an obscure corner of the state. The guy could use some customers, so if you're in the area, stop by. It's a nice shop.)


Swansboro, NC.

Historic District, Swansboro, NC.

Atlantic Beach, NC.

This area of North Carolina, the Crystal Coast, hasn't been overdeveloped, and the proximity of the Croatan National Forest will forever limit development to a certain extent. It looks like a good hunting/fishing/outdoors-oriented area with a lot of rural character. Good place for military retirees due to the the proximity of Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. If you need a large city nearby, this area of NC isn't for you.

Fort Macon Photos

Some shots of Fort Macon State Park.























It's a lovely old fort, owned by the State of North Carolina. There is a first-class visitor's center, constructed to resemble the style of the fort itself, the same sort of brickwork and same archways. Lovely beaches all around, since the fort is situated at the end of a barrier island. If you take small children keep them under strict supervision, as there are places at the fort unprotected by guard rails, and a fall resulting in injury or even death is possible.

Back Home

We're back from vacation, I got home about an hour ago. Blogging will resume shortly. Apologies for not blogging during the vacation, but the wi-fi at the hotel left a lot to be desired. I have 171 photos to process; not all of them will make it onto the blog, of course.

Vacation Update

I'm posting this from Havelock, NC, where we will be staying until Saturday. Havelock is the home of the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. Yes, we occasionally hear a jet roaring overhead.

Today (Tuesday) we went shopping in a few of the towns on the coast. In Beaufort we visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum, and in Morehead City we visited the History Place in Morehead City. In Atlantic Beach we visited Fort Macon State Park, where we got a lot of good photographs.

Lunch was at the White Swan BBQ & Fried Chicken, and we sampled both; not too bad, we'll be going back Thursday for the bargain $1.50 BBQ sandwiches.

Tomorrow will bring either shopping in New Bern, or maybe a trip to the aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Depends on the weather.

More later, and pics when we get back.

Vacation

Sara and I will be heading for the coast on Monday, we'll be in the Morehead City/Atlantic Beach, NC area for 5 days. We'll be visiting New Bern, the Croatan National Forest, and other interesting points in eastern NC. We'll be staying in Havelock, not far from the Cherry Point USMC Air Station. I'll blog from the road, as wi-fi connections permit.

Anybody Out There?

No comments at all on my Charleston vacation blogging, either the text posts or the photographs. I'm a bit disappointed in both of my regular readers. Has no one been to Charleston, South Carolina beside myself?

Charleston, SC Vacation Pics

Here with some photos from our vacation to Charleston, South Carolina. I just got back a few hours ago and have been tweaking the pics.

Firefly Distillery, Home of Sweet Tea Vodka.

Tea At Charleston Tea Plantation.

Tea Harvester, Charleston Tea Plantation.

Melvin's BBQ. Great BBQ, Great Burgers.

At Melvin's BBQ, the Banana Pudding Is Nearly A Sexual Experience.

Replica of Confederate States of America Submarine H.L. Hunley.

Statue of Cacique (Native American Chieftain), Charles Towne Landing Historic Site.

Replica Gun Powder Magazine, Fort Moultrie.

Casemates With Cannon, Fort Sumter National Monument.

Charleston's Iconic Arthur Ravenel Jr., Suspension Bridge, Photographed From Fort Sumter Ferry.

Morris Island Lighthouse (Inactive), Seen From Folly Beach, SC.

Plantation House, Boone Hall Plantation.

"Avenue of the Oaks," Boone Hall Plantation.

Slave Cabins, Boone Hall Plantation.

Cooper River, Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, SC.

Luce Family Graves, Mepkin Abbey Botanical Gardens.

Mepkin Abbey Entrance Sign, Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, SC.

Brief Vacation Update

Today we went out to Folly Beach so I could photograph the Morris Island Lighthouse. The weather was beautiful: clear and sunny, but hot. Humidity wasn't too bad, so the heat was at least bearable. I took lots of photos of the lighthouse, not too sure how they'll look until I get them home and load them into the desktop computer there. In my netbook here the lighthouse looks out of focus in some of the shots.

The beach from which you photograph the lighthouse is easy to reach, but requires a few hundred yards of walking. You park at the last public beach access, then take the paved road (gated off from vehicle traffic, pedestrians ok) to the beach, walking the last fifty yards through a path in the dunes. There were several people out there fishing when I got out there, but no houses or other developement there. Some old house foundations can be seen in the area; I'd guess that they mark sites that were wiped out by Hurricane Hugo back in 1989.

After photographing the lighthouse I walked back down the beach itself to the area where we had parked the car, beachcombing along the way. Folly Beach is one of the better shelling beaches I've seen in the last couple of years; Sara actually found a complete sand dollar.

After leaving the beach we did some antique shopping in the area, then had lunch at a Greek pizzeria; I had a pizza, Sara had lasagne. Both delicious.

After lunch we drove back to Mt. Pleasant and visited Boone Hall Plantation, the most famous of the Charleston-area plantations. We toured the house and the grounds, took some photographs, and overall had a nice time; Sara had especially wanted to see a plantation while we were in the Charleston area, so this satisfied her desire.

After leaving Boone Hall, we visited a Barnes & Noble, then had dinner at Melvin's BBQ for the third time in four days. Melvin's has a great menu, folks, and you're missing out on something special if you don't eat here during a trip to Charleston. Today I had the hamburger that Emeril Lagasse has praised, along with great onion rings (they make them with a sweet fritter batter, so they are fat, chewy and delicious); Sara had the smoked turkey, and some more of the banana pudding that Melvin's does so well. Melvin's vegetable side dishes are also wonderful, Sara reports, although I was less than happy with the result of her eating the collard greens: chemical warfare would not be describing it inaccurately.

It's our last night, tomorrow we depart for home. We'll be stopping for a visit at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery, on the way home tomorrow morning.

Vacation Update, Cont.

Monday was Fort Sumter day. The weather was mild and sunny, unlike on Sunday, where high humidity had ruined most of our plans. We drove out to Patriot's Point to catch the ferry out to Fort Sumter. Since the US Navy destroyer Laffey (DD-724) wasn't at Patriot's Point (she's upriver undergoing an overhaul/painting), we didn't bother with tickets to Patriot's Point itself, but simply visited the gift shop, where Sara found a few items to purchase.

At 10:30 the ferry began embarking the passengers (painful process, having glue and then tree bark blown onto you with industrial sprayers), and after having been embarked we got underway for Fort Sumter. It's out at the entrance of the Charleston harbor, and is quite small when seen on a map. It's not too much bigger when you actually arrive. Along the way we saw the usual dolphins (harbor porpoises, in this case), which were really too far away for good photography. The ferry had a snack bar active, but the young attendant had his nose in a textbook and didn't seem particularly interested in serving anyone; he looked fabulous in his sunglasses, though.

The fort is dominated by Battery Huger, an addition from the Spanish-American War, and it is in this area that most of the tourist areas exist; you can climb to the top, where a display of flags can be found, and where wide views of the harbor can be seen; it's breezy and cool up there. The National Park Service really needs to place a few benches up there so people can enjoy the breeze.

There are modern restrooms, a museum, and a gift shop within Battery Huger, and there are even lifts for wheelchair-bound visitors so that they can visit the upper areas of the battery.

You are given an hour to explore Fort Sumter, but since the ferry crew doesn't seem to count heads going back on to the ferry for the return trip, I suppose that it is possible to remain out there longer, if you so desire. I don't know if Park Service staff stay at the fort at night, so the feasibility of overnighting on the fort I can't speak for. I'd actually prefer to explore Castle Pinckney, which is a similar sort of fortification, but has been abandoned.

I took lots of pictures, and will post them on my return to Charlotte on Wednesday.

Vacation Update

Saturday was spent shopping in downtown Charleston, first at Marion Square, then at the Marketplace; we didn't buy anything, nothing caught our fancy. Lunch was at Noisy Oyster, which my sister had recommended. I had a rather ordinary oyster po' boy, Sara had a spicy chicken sandwich that she didn't much like. We also had crab dip, which Sara also disliked, but I had no problem with.

After a trip to the hotel to freshen up we headed south toward Hunting Island State Park, but were turned back not far from Beaufort, SC, by torrential rain and thunderstorms.

Today (Sunday) we headed south to Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, which, after the rains of the previous evening, was extremely humid and unpleasant. Since most of the site involved walking, we had to cut the visit short, because we were both sweating and dehydrating. We then decided to cruise around Mt. Pleasant a bit, and found our way to Fort Moultrie, which we decided to visit. We again had to cut the visit short because of the extreme heat and humidity, both of us wilting. We made a trip to the hotel to freshen up, then went antiquing, which was indoors and in air conditioned buildings. After antiquing we drove around for a while, scouting likely supper locations. We're currently back at the hotel, preparing for supper. Catch all of you later.

From Charleston, SC

We're on vacation in Charleston, South Carolina until next Wednesday. The trip down was uneventful. On Friday we visited the Charleston Tea Plantation and the Firefly Distillery, where various boutique liquors are made, the most famous being the Sweet Tea Vodka. They also have lemonade vodka, plain vodka,mint tea vodka, a tea-flavored bourbon, and a couple of rums. We also visited Folly Beach to see the Morris Island Lighthouse, but that would have required a walk of 1/4 mile and we weren't dressed for it.

Dinner was at Melvin's BBQ, which I can recommend whole-heartedly; clean restaurant, great food. We ate so much that we nearly burst, and that's a good thing.

Today our plan is to visit the straw market/shopping district, then in the afternoon head out to Hunting Island State Park to photograph the lighthouse there.

My apologies for lack of photographs. I'm using Ubuntu Linux on my netbook, and I haven't figured out how to access my photographs after I load them in; some application called F-Stop has captured them, and I don't know how to access it to upload to Blogger. I'll work on figuring it out over the next few days and try to get them up, if not they will have to wait until we get back.

We Speculated That It Might Be A Toyota

While driving back to our hotel from dinner this past Saturday in Southport, we saw the results of an accident at the Kerr Drug store in which a driver went through the store wall.

We didn't get a look at the car involved in the accident at the time, but given all the publicity that Toyotas have received recently, speculated about it being a Toyota. Son of a gun, it looks like our speculation was correct.

Update

Still on vacation, but the hotel's wi-fi isn't behaving, so further updates will have to wait until Sunday afternoon when I return home. My apologies.

Vacation Day 2, Southport, NC

Weather-wise, today was absolutely perfect from sunrise to sunset. I finally rolled out of bed at 9:30; Sara had already showered and gone down to breakfast. Our plan was to go to Orton Plantation Gardens for a photo expedition.

The day was warm enough for me to realize that we would likely see reptiles, possibly even alligators. As we drove along the entrance road a turtle sunning on a log confirmed my guess. We stopped off to pay admission, then drove to the parking area to begin our walk. The tour starts at the plantation chapel, which can be booked for weddings:



The doors of the chapel were open, and there were some Carolina Wrens flying around inside, probably looking for nesting sites, since it's mating season for the little birds.

At this point of the season the camellias are in full bloom, and they are everwhere throughout the gardens:



The azaleas aren't yet in bloom, but the flower buds are showing on the bushes, and promise to make their appearance in a week or two, at which point the gardens will be even more full of color than with the camellias.

The paths of the gardens lie along the shores of the Cape Fear River, with a fringe area of flats that had once been given over to rice growing; now there is what appears to be volunteer rice plants growing in the old agricultural area.



The gardens are beautiful in places, as you might imagine:





What is that I see across the lagoon? Is it...yes, it is!



This was the first of four allgators we saw at the gardens; here's #2:



We also saw a rabbit, what looked to be a swamp rabbit, the same species that attacked former president Jimmy Carter:



Here's my personal favorite of the photos I took today, a tree that was leaning over, probably from early in its life, as the branches that originally grew straight outward now had grown to point toward the sunny sky:



It was just a lovely day:



The walk around the gardens (approx. 1 mile) combined with the cool, sweet spring air gave us a good appetite for lunch. We stopped off at Fuzzie Mae's, a soul food restaurant in Southport that we had noticed on a previous trip. Sara ordered fried chicken, I had cheeseburgers. The food was good, and my burgers were truly great. The restaurant was filled with local workers from the Southport area. The only thing that marred the lunch was the unprofessional behavior by one of the waitresses, who complained about a stingy tipper loudly enough for me to hear her. I thought about mentioning her to the manager at the cash register, but ultimately decided not to.

After lunch we sat at the waterfront in downtown Southport, where there were a lot of people out, enjoying the sun.



Sea gulls and other birds flock on the green, waiting for handouts:



After a while we drove out to Caswell Beach and sat beachside, watching the ocean and the people enjoying the beach. A small pod of dolphins was swimming offshore, feeding. After an hour or so we drove back to the hotel, where Sara had a well-deserved nap before supper, which was at Captain Stanley's seafood restaurant. After dinner we went to Oak Island beach to watch the sunset: