I think we have seen just about everything in the weather catalogue except a hurricane. We certainly have gotten plenty of precipitation.
Yesterday I snapped this beach picture over at the Western Regional Beach Access at Emerald Isle. As you can see the beach was empty.
I counted two people walking on the beach, and I met two surfers headed to the beach as I was walking back to my truck.
November was an amazingly mild month. December has also started out warm. I even picked some tomatoes this week.
I doubt our heat pumps have run much more than half a dozen times in the last few weeks.
The one exception as I mentioned is the rain. I have no idea how much rain we had for the year, but I do know the drought is definitely over here.
Just in the first part of November we had over 17 inches of rain. In just four storms which hit from summer to fall, we have had over 33 inches of rain.
There is still some minor flooding on Emerald Isle from the earlier storms.
December has also not started out as a dry month. Just one storm this first week of December dropped 2.5 inches, and more rain is expected Saturday, December 5.
We can take some comfort in this next batch of rain. In the western part of the state it will come down as snow with some areas receiving two to six inches.
Whenever I get blue, I always head across the Emerald Isle Bridge. Looking across Bogue Sound always raises my spirits.
It has been a great year for fishing. There were some memorable times on the water.
There really is no better way to appreciate Bogue Sound and surrounding waters than by boat.
I really do think this is one of the great boating areas on the East coast. Whether I am out in my skiff or paddling my kayak, I have a great time.
Then there is the fishing. Catching over seventy bluefish in one trip will stick in my mind for a long time.
We had some near perfect days on the beach this summer. I already miss that summer heat.
While I have enjoyed the beaches, I really have enjoyed being out on the water even more.
This year, I finally felt like I knew my way around area waters.
We made a number of trips out Bogue Inlet. I evenmounted a camera on the center console of our skiff so I could record the adventures while piloting the boat.
These pictures make for a nice virtual trip out the White Oak to the ICW and Bogue Inlet with a return to Bluewater Cove.
There have also been fun things to do without getting in a boat or walking the beaches.
We have enjoyed visits to the PKS Aquarium, the Maritime Museum, Fort Macon, and the Core Sound Museum.
Beyond that, there were some great events in the spring like the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick's Day Festival and Swansboro Oyster Roast.
We also enjoyed Lobsters at Saint Frances by the Sea Episcopal Church and had a fun time at the annual Mullet Festival.
Still weighing everything, we have been very blessed this year. We had a great growing season. I got my first tomato on June 5, and I still have green ones on my vines this first week in December. We enjoyed wonderful Bogue Sound watermelons along with fresh local strawberries in April and wonderful local corn in late June. We made many trips to the Winberry Produce Stand.
The flowers at Tryon Palace were just as extraordinary this year as they were last year.
All in all this has been a great year, and we still have some time to make some more memories before the New Year. This is definitely the place to create memories.
I am hoping to enjoy the New Year just as much as I enjoyed 2009. Maybe 2010 will be the year that I catch that big red drum.
Why we love it here?
It is hard to say that any place is perfect. There always a balance between what you like and what you don't like. That also changes as you age. At one time I was close to homesteading in Newfoundland.
Today I would steer you to my articles, Ten ways Carteret County met our needs, Why I love living in Carteret County, and to the Crystal Coast Electronic Village Homepage as answers to why we have chosen this area.
From that reading it is easy to understand why we enjoy living in a small subdivision called Bluewater Cove near Cape Carteret. It is what we were looking for in a place to live. It's close to services and close to the beach but not on the beach. We have a dock behind the house and are close to some great trails. I can ride my bike in the neighborhood and not face a lot of traffic.
I also use my kayak on the White Oak River and have learned to love exploring the river and surrounding waters with our skiff.
This area also has some great festivals like the Newport Pig Cookoff, the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick's Day, and the Swansboro Oyster Roast. We were also impressed with the Emerald Isle Christmas Parade.
It is a friendly area with a great future. So right now it is the spot for us. I often write about the area in my other websites. If you are a very avid reader, you might find some content on multiple sites, but usually the content is fairly specific to the sites.
View from the Mountain
Ocracoke Waves
Crystal Coast Living Blog
Crystal Coast Blog 09
Crystal Coast Blog 08
Some archived articles
More Crystal Coast Info