Be sure to try it out and let me know how you like it.
Ten days after I wrote my last update here on May 1, our temperatures managed to get to the mid-seventies.
That is pretty unusual for the Crystal Coast where the average high temperature by the middle of May is 79F. We even got down to 46F on the morning of May 14. That is even more out of the norm. However, sometimes all you can do is wait for summer.
After a cool start to May we had seven straight days when we got above 75F. Two of those days we managed to get above 80F. More importantly for water temperatures we had a number of days when our low temperature did not get below seventy at night.
The middle of May warmth did two things. One it made for some very pleasant walks on the beach.
Two it made the area’s water temperature jump very quickly. We went from 65F at the White Oak River bridge in Swansboro on May 5, to 76.5F on May 22. However, once the temperatures warmed up, the rain stopped. From May 7 until May 22 we received less than one tenth of an inch of rain.
Fortunately we got a nice shower on May 23. Still we only received one third of inch, but anything is welcomed when you are dry and getting drier.
The combination of low tides when it is calm and winds over 15 MPH have kept me at the dock more than I like during the first three weeks of May.
Still I have enjoyed more than a few trips down the river even in somewhat less than perfect conditions. Warm air can compensate for a few miles per hour of wind.
The Highway 24 bridges are visible in the picture if you look closely.
Like all fishermen and boaters, I am getting a little antsy and ready to be out on the water. It is always a challenge to get wind, water temperature, and air temperature to cooperate for those of us who are fair weather fishermen.
Things are starting to improve and if this Memorial Day weekend forecast holds, I might sneak in a little early morning fishing on the Friday before Memorial Day.
However the only fish that I have seen caught in our inlet this spring have been caught by a pair of Ospreys that seem to be a lot better at fishing than I am.
As is often the case, it can be nice in our inlet, but more than a little choppy out in the river. When the wind is too much for boating or kayaking, walking on the beach is a pure delight. You can actually enjoy a virtual hike at the beach through these slides of a walk at the Point, the westernmost part of Bogue Banks.
I just finished walking all the beaches inside the town limits of Emerald Isle. While the beaches are only 12.5 miles, I ended up walking closer to twenty miles.
It is a good thing that I love walking on the beach. Walking all the beaches helps me be credible when I write our Emerald Isle Tavel Guide.
Since the first of March I have published two books. In early March I finished my book, A Taste for the Wild, Canada’s Maritimes. If you enjoy what I write and want to know more about my fairly interesting life, this one book which is only $2.99 provides lots of insight and interesting stories.
Visiting the Maritimes in the heat of an American summer is a real treat. I recently updated my post, A Summer Excursion Through New Brunswick, PEI, & Nova Scotia, if you need a little Maritime travel advice and there is more in our A Taste for the Wild book.
Nova Scotia is a paradise of blue and green and as long as you are not planning a dip in the water, you will find little to complain about in places where Americans even those of from the South are most welcome.
I like to say the book is worth the $2.99 just for the story about our honeymoon on the barrens of Newfoundland where my wife is convinced that we were close to being lost forever.
If stories of the Crystal Coast piqued your interest in Carteret County and the beaches of Emerald Isle, please check out our new book, “A Week At the Beach - The 2013 Emerald Isle Travel Guide.”
Once you read the book and view the many pictures, recipes, and maps, you will feel like you have already had a virtual trip to beach which is a great to start planning for a vacation.
You will not find better suggestions on how to have a great vacation here on the coast. If you want to have a beach vacation reminiscent of the great ones that we North Carolina natives had when we were growing up, our book can help.
At $4.99 it is worth the cost of the book just to see a list of recommended restaurants. You should not even considering coming to Emerald Isle for the first time without our beach lover’s guide to loving the beach.
Our second edition of The Emerald Isle Travel Guide was published the third week of April. It is very current and in plenty of time for planning your summer vacation,
Of course I have kept busy since then and have just finished an article on cloud storage for ReadWrite Web and another article about my new Canon SX50 HS camera. I have been using Nikons for over 40 years, but this new Canon has become one of my favorite cameras.
It has links to many other places where my writing is posted. You can also visit this site to see what I have recently published.
More general information about the mainland where I live is available at this link to my Swansboro to Cape Carteret area page.
You will find some helpful area details that might make folks think you are a local, but for the real local experience and information head for our travel guide.
Why we love it here?
It is hard to say that any place is perfect. However, for those who think a walk on the beach is better than a trip to the mall, the Crystal Coast is hard to beat.
For thoughts on where we have chosen to live, I would steer you to my articles, Ten ways Carteret County met our needs and Why I love living in Carteret County
My Crystal Coast, Salt Water on Your Feet site also has a number of articles for people considering a move to the Crystal Coast.
We’ve even found a great church home at Cape Carteret Presbyterian Church.
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.
This is a link to a simple map of the area. There are more detailed ones in our Emerald Isle Travel Guide.
You can find a introduction to the area and links to most of my other blogs at this link or visit this page for the basics.