Post 107 Rainy Day
Rarely do I have a rainy day when I am not up to something...you know, that thing you have put off doing until you are forced to make time for it?
This rainy day, however, I have enjoyed because while I am travelling, I am not at home to be nagged by myself do those things I have little interest in doing so it is almost a free pass day. I am still applying for work every day and posting resumes but other than that, things resting in a suitcase do not take long to put into order.
When I awakened this morning, the wind was lashing the canvas porch awnings and I could hear the waves slamming onto the shore four blocks away. After coffee, I bundled up in my winter coat and waterproof lined shoes (www.landsend.com $39.95) and went down to Fort Fisher Beach again just to see the changes.
Not another soul out there, not even the big shrimping boats. I want to go back tomorrow, early; locals say that after a big storm is when the best shells come in. I tried taking shots of the azaleas around town, but way too much wind to get a still shot of anything. To get a feeling of how much wind there was at 30 miles per hour, or about 35 knots, a knot is the speed of wind in one nautical mile which is not quite another 5 miles per hour in the conversion rate.
This morning, I was trying to open my car door, directly facing the wind at about 35 knots. Does not seem like a lot but I had to push very hard to get it to open.
I have seen this island after a category 3 storm, which is a hurricane wind scale measurement of about 111 miles per hour. The wind literally scours everything off the branches, bringing flooding water, mold, debris and a lot of damage, not to mention loss of income and the cost of rebuilding.
Between 1851 and 2005, over 50 hurricanes have hit landfall in NC; many of them right here in Kure Beach and into Wilmington, just about 15 miles up the road. The famed fishing pier at Kure Beach has been rebuilt at least 3 times that I know of. For an excellent history of the pier itself, please see a wonderful tribute with family pictures written by its current owner, Mike Robertson, at www.kurebeachfishingpier.com.
Locals tend to just put up the hurricane shutters and 'hunker down and wait for the storms to pass.
Locals tend to just put up the hurricane shutters and 'hunker down and wait for the storms to pass.
The islanders are interrelated, whether they are truly related or not. When the plumber comes to do work, he could be living down in Mary's house over on 5th street and he was married to Mary's sister, don't cha know? My sister once told me a maxim about small town living which seems very pertinent to island living: don't say anything anywhere that you don't want overheard or told.
If anybody gets a hold of your conversation like an unsuspecting bug in a butterfly net, it will surely be told again. This includes the seemingly innocuous conversation your waiter may trip over while serving your pasta down at the local restaurant with the $10 early-bird special. By closing time, your comments could be around half the island.
By morning you could be having an affair with somebody whether you are or not! Might be a rumor about the plumber whose truck was seen in your driveway. And for heaven's sake, if you are having a new love affair; we trust you that it is not illicit, just new, if you don't want anyone to know about it, walk to and from your destination under cover of darkness. Don't leave your car parked anywhere near your sweetheart's driveway!
Here is a shot of Holden Beach and if you are in the area, I encourage you to go; the most fascinating thing is the bridge you have to go over to get there but I was on it before I realized it has almost a 90 degree turn and it sits way over the top of a canal. Spectacular!
The beaches are a nice light tan, fine in granular construction and right now empty. Off-season; prior to Memorial Day, prices are generally cheaper. It is spring break time but there are plenty of vacancies.
It always amuses me that these high-priced rental areas (can be $500 a day on up, on Holden Beach), do have "public access" signs posted to make you think that you are welcome, but if you start looking for a place to park, well, during the season, you would be a mile back from the shore, schlepping your gear to the sand.
There is "No parking between signs" along the roadway and you guessed it, signs are every fifty feet so while they would like you to come and wave at the water, it is very hard to get down to a wave, during peak season.
Even on a blustery day, life is fine at the ocean. The winds are so strong that I have even seen birds stay motionless in the air they are trying to pass through. Clouds can roil and boil like water in a pot. Very disconcerting to a land-lubber like me.
Smoother waters ahead, though. Since yesterday, the rest rooms are open and the parks crews have put out the feet washing hoses at Fort Fisher. Somebody has already lost a little truck.
In the background is the Parks building at Fort Fisher Beach, and just beyond that is the Cape Fear Aquarium, home right now of an albino alligator. Lot's of family fun for only a few bucks. The ferry landing to Southport is a bit further than that on the right.
Kure Beach still has everything I came for in the first place and my friend's motto is true: Come as a guest, leave as a friend.
I have a few more days though, so I will try again on the azaleas. Tonight; fresh shrimp at a local restaurant.
Here is a close-up map of Fort Fisher. On the left is the island-at-glance, the area of Fort Fisher is boxed in and then magnified on the right. Check it out on your next trip!
