Our Hot and Dry Summer with Masks

The summer of 2020 has been unlike any of the other fourteen summers that we have spent on the coast. As someone said, the first normal thing to happen is for there to be a hurricane heading our way.

June was a really wet month with eleven inches of rain. Then it turned dry in July. We got around one and one half inches of rain for the whole month. It has not been our warmest or driest July but it has been remarkable for how fast we went from wet to dry. As is sometimes the case, a Hurricane might fix the dry problem but it could bring a new set of challenges.

On top of the weather challenges, nine days after the Memorial Day weekend, when the beaches, rental units and restaurants were opened, Carteret County, the area known as the Crystal Coast, started seeing an increase in Coronavirus cases. The thirty-five cases which we were holding at for nineteen days blossomed. Today, August 1, we are at 284 cases, over eight times what we are at the end of May. I think we need a plan but no one is asking me. Our string of zero cases is back at one. The Coronavirus has put a crimp on my summer.

We have been over to Third Street Beach exactly once since the end of February. While parking was closed until Memorial Day, some back problems limited my enthusiasm for beach walks even after the parking opened. It was July 22, before we made it over to enjoy some salt air. The beach has not changed much. The new dune plantings are doing great and the steps at Third Street are almost covered with sand. Wave action has cut a pretty good shelf into the beach. We can just hope that Isaias does not wash away all the hard work that was done to repair the beach. Third Street is still my favorite uncrowded, easily accessible beach.

On this first weekend in August, we are just waiting to see what Isaias brings us. Given how many storms we have been through in fourteen summers, it feels somewhat normal. We have not gone into full hurricane preparation mode yet. We did fill the cars with gas, get some cash, and get gas for the generator. We already have plenty of food, water, and emergency supplies. Since I sold my boat, I no longer have to worry about securing during high winds.

We will secure all the small things as Isaias gets closer if we have to. Latest information has Isaias coming ashore as a Tropical Storm near the southern border of South Carolina’s Georgetown County and then heading inland. If that is the case the Crystal Coast will be fine. However, you never count on Hurricanes to be what they are predicted to do.

The Coronavirus has not closed most of the restaurants but we have yet to eat inside a restaurant. We have only gotten take out, and we are cooking a lot. That is not a challenge since I love making breakfast and my wife. Glenda is a great cook. Luckily, the grocery stores have almost everything you want or need and most people but not quite all are courteous enough to wear masks. People that I know who have been vacationing along our shores seem to be enjoying themselves.

There have been no festivals this summer and a few things are closed. Boating and golfing seem even more popular here than normal. There were no traffic jams crossing the bridge this afternoon, but there was steady traffic. Isaias has undoubtedly made a few people a little hesitant to venture our way but it did not stop most people. The strong rip currents have already started and will likely hang around until late next week.

Life at the coast continues it seasonal patterns, and the weather as always set the rules while we try follow them. In our fourteen years, we have only faced one mandatory evacuation and that was for Florence. We were gone a few day but returned before flooding closed the direct roads to the Crystal Coast. Our power wasn’t out long enough for the butter in the fridge to melt. My boat as during all other hurricanes remained on the lift and was undamaged. We stayed for Category 3 Irene, the power was out for less than four hours.

We are ready for Isaias. It would be nice if Isaias stays a Tropical Storm so we won’t have to drag all the outside furniture inside. Beyond the rain that we need, Iasias might do some needed pruning on the palm trees.

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This is the link to my update after Hurricane Isaias passed through the area.

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