Beach

In a nice break from painting (painting over the mistake of Apricot Cream with Horizon Gray) and other household projects, went for a walk on the beach with Mark and Chris at Fort Macon State Park today, then had lunch at Spouter Inn in Beaufort.

The Bridge is Back

To the tune of the chorus of Elton John’s “The Bitch is Back”:


Yes the bridge, yes the bridge,
Yes the bridge is back.
No more detours, highway’s in the past.
Take the bridge, take the bridge
It’s the new direct route.
Just relax when it moves—
That’s what drawbridges do.

Whoa-oh-oh.

This drawbridge reopened yesterday after a few years of construction that interfered with getting from our neighborhood, and other by-ways and residential parts of Greater New Bern, to downtown. The trip required more time, with a short detour onto a busy highway. (This was nothing compared to yer average Northeastern commute.) As they sensed their customers migrating to other establishments reached more efficiently, retailers and restauranteurs felt that the limited access and prolonged building process was the bitter icing on the sagging cake of the national economy.
 
Now, however, "Everyone's celebrating," as the proprietor of Mitchell's Hardware said rapturously, his face aglow not only from the setting sun, during an evening stroll on the first day the bridge was open to traffic. Indeed, there was a festive, Renoir-ish feel to the scene, with a stream of cars (carrying happy spenders, one hopes) going into town, and a stream of pedestrians going the other way on the sidewalk hung with red and yellow banners. Parents pushed strollers ("Yes, Tanitha, you were on that bridge the very first day!") and young couples snapped commemorative photos of each other against the background of marina and sunset.
 
The governor will be here for the official dedication on Monday, they say.

Lucky day?

As of this moment, my flickr photostream has been viewed 7,777 times, which sounds like a lucky number to me.  According to a perhaps wacky web site I found by googling, "The octal number 7777 is significant, it represents the limit, two hexagrams. It is the 10,000 things, it is that which is more than we care to count. This is possibly similar to R. Buckminster Fuller's Wave Pulsation of Indigs."

Oh, ahhh!

Also, we are lucky to have a gorgeous weather here this weekend in "the Land of the Long Leaf Pine/The summer land where the sun doth shine."  It sure is a-shinin' today.  After yoga, I drove to Pollocksville just for the hell of it, took a couple of pictures, turned around, and headed back home (hadn't had my morning coffee yet and it was nigh onto noon).

We've enjoyed having Mark and Chris back in town.

We did the "pub crawl" on St. Patrick's Day night (a semi-organized civic function, with earnest, novice bagpipers from the NBFD that followed in the wake of the merry-makers. No trad, alas). We fondly recalled marching in the 3-mile Holyoke parade with spectators' lawn chairs perched on snow banks, and a wind chill of 20 degrees, followed by Susan and Steve's really fun annual party (where I once was thrilled to meet the Parade Marshall of the year). I toasted friends afar with a ceremonial green Harp at The Chelsea, while my comrades drank The Guinness, as Barry Maloney would call it.

Slainte.

Craven: Our County

Spring

Planted lettuce, broccoli, and arugula.  Boat will be delivered today.  Temps in the 70s this week.  Mockingbirds singing like crazy in the back yard. Can spring be far behind?

Path to freedom

Path to freedom

Thanks, T.L.

Yesterday, went to a high school tournament basketball game in nearby Greenville (Kinston 66, Northwood 43).

Then we discovered Ham's, a brewpub with some great crafted beers. Had a fun and interesting conversation at the bar with the brewmaster. We enjoyed pints of his Chiba and Peg Leg, and we got a sneak preview taste of his imperial porter, brewed with smoked cherries--it had a wonderful aroma, like a single-malt scotch. For some reason, we'd thought Ham's is like Denny's.  Instead, this was more like the brewery in Northampton.  Yay.
Cheers, T.L.!