I love my church.

FBC is having their annual Christmas concert three evenings in a row, so I picked last night and braved the cold, rainy weather. If the performers went to the trouble of being there, so would I. It was all worth it! The choir was wonderful, but even better was the thirty-two piece orchestra. I coulda sworn during "Sleigh Ride" that they were really the Boston Pops. This morning I took two quick pix with my iPhone so you can catch a glimpse of this grand old church building.

The USO

Growing up I heard many stories from my mother about all the fun she had at the USO dances during the war. Later during that golden era in America, the fifties, my grandmother would take the bus downtown, as she did not drive, and play cards with the servicemen on leave. What wonderful memories they both had. The USO still stands, I was glad to see yesterday. I thought of my mother and grandmother and the many people who passed through these heavy, old doors, handsome young men in uniform who didn't return from WW II and those who met their true loves on the dance floor. The USO is now on the National Registry of Historic Places and is used sporadically for various art venues. When I stopped by yesterday, the big, high ceilinged room was empty except for the two young women volunteers, and echoes of the past seemed to swirl around my head. What tales it could tell!

What is it?

An increasingly used idiom is "It is what it is." It can be applied to just about anything we don't have control over or can't fully grasp. Wiktionary has these definitions: a thing with its own distinct nature; this thing itself; and as a synonym, the circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted or dealt with as it exists. It is so ubiquitous and plainly true that anyone or many could have come up with the phrase, but yesterday as I was re-reading Mere Christianity, third chapter, second paragraph those few words popped out at me. CS Lewis in 1943, in his self described search for truth, had written them. Perhaps he was not the first, but from now on, I will attribute those words of wisdom to him.

From the Crystal Pier

After a nice lunch at the Oceanic, we walked out on the pier and found the weather had changed from mildly chilly to cold and blustery. Strong winds ruffled the tops of the waves and made the sea rough, but the many surfers seemed to enjoy it that much more. I had wondered what the beach was like this time of year.

Learning curve

In recent months, I have done many things for the first time, and I have not done them smoothly or perfectly. I just plunged right in, and I know that the next time will be easier, and the third will be a piece of cake. Parking for instance. At first glance, it is hard to know the best place to park for any outing. Today I dropped a few things off at the Salvation Army. I didn't know I had driven in the wrong way until I saw the vertical parking stripes going the opposite way from my driving. Then I did not know who to give my stuff to. Prior to that, I turned onto North College thinking that it would take me to the next stop, but no. I should have gone a tad further and found South College. One thing I did right however, was get a couple of beautiful poinsettias at a local place that grows their own from cuttings and does not import them from Mexico or wherever. "We have thousands," the cordial, aproned employee told me. Indeed they do. And in several different colors. I bought a pretty, lighter red one for myself. About a month ago, I was there and saw them being carefully tended to and almost ready to change color. Today I found the plant place without problem, and I came early enough in the season to see a big display of beautiful Christmas flowers and get my pick. I learned easily on this one!



a happy camper

There was a blogger in Greenville who posted a photograph a day of interesting places around town. What a cool idea, I thought. Maybe I would do that when I eventually settled in Wilmington. As you can see, I haven't acted on that thought. Later on perhaps.

For now...I am just being happy. For now...I am nesting.

The kitchen in my little patio home is small and without much cabinet or counter space. It took a good bit of arranging and rearranging to make it workable. A woman needs to get her kitchen in order, and now it is. I am finding I like the small area, because I have to be more organized, and it makes me have to clean up as I go along. So I have spent many blissful moments in the kitchen, cooking and eating, and eating and cooking, accompanied by the music on some new favorite radio stations. The down side is that I need to move on to another phase before I get any fluffier.

I love it here even more than I thought I would. Maybe it really is that wonderful, but maybe it is because without working at a job or working to keep a house market ready, I have had time to live at a different pace. I have been able to explore or relax or do pretty much as I please. That may be contributing to my bliss.

my cats like it here

The yellow cat is easier to photograph than the black one.

another look at the seagulls

4 pm

 

11-12-13

Since being here, I have delighted in stopping by the side of the road to buy a pound or two of freshly caught shrimp from the back of a pickup truck. When I see the neon green poster board with "FRESH SHRIMP" hand written in black magic marker, I know I have the option to buy. It gives me a happy feeling in my heart for being so blessed to live only a couple of miles away. The once dour shrimp man now seems glad to see me, too, and I have noticed he adds a shrimp or two to my request. He goes to Snead's Ferry to get the shrimp, maybe six or seven ice chests full, and by December, shrimp season will be over with none until early summer. Tonight my one pound, actually about a third less after removing the heads, was used in a pan of jambalaya, one of my go-to dishes. But any way they are prepared, and Bubba Gump knows all the ways, they are yummy.

settling

Patches of bright blue peek out from behind the clouds. Soft nature sounds are coming from the marshy area behind the house. The screen door is letting in the fresh air, neither cool nor warm, just pleasant and still. Inside I have been doing some online work, submitting an application to work as a registered nurse in my new state. The only thing left is to go to a local law enforcement place and get fingerprinted. I do not have a plan to work. It is OK if I do or if I don't. However I want to be ready to say yes if the perfect job comes along, and it may.

taking care of business

Two big issues have been settled. One is my hair.
Back when I was a teenager and came from Charlotte to visit my grandparents here, I couldn't do a thing with my hair. Due to the hard water and high humidity, it just hung lifeless and limp. Jump to 2013. Same thing. But I think I finally have a handle on it.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I invested in a bottle of Biotin, a fancy new roller blower, and some Sally products for "aging" hair. So far, so good.
The other issue was where I will go to church. My visit Sunday to the old downtown First Baptist settled it. Church is important not just for worshiping with like minded believers but also for connecting with others and being a part of the community. I am relieved to have found a church home.

update

A month in the new house, and though there is much left to do, it is beginning to feel like home. The warm and fuzzy connection and the feeling of comfort seem to be doing it. I am delighted to be here, in this home and in this town, and I am surprised that I like it even more than I had thought I would.

Though rugs need to be bought and laid down and pictures need to be hung, the downstairs is usable. The upstairs is another story. A walk begins with a single step taken in faith, a book begins with a single word written in anticipation, and step by step, word by word, the attic, where all the leftover stuff is stashed for now will, I say will, turn into a nice space. I am beginning to see the possibilities.

I am also glad to live at a cool destination spot, and I've loved having some visitors. Last week Wyatt came. The day we went surf fishing, the weather had turned cool, but we were not deterred by it or the light rain. It was too beautiful a day. Here he is casting a net for minnows.

Another picture comes from Saturday. It was taken at the corner of Market and Water Streets, under the tall sculpture of the Venus Fly Traps where there were lots of noisy little brown birds in the bushes. (I should know what kind and will find out.) I cropped out one bird and made an oval pic.

There are so many pretty things to photograph.

Love those shore birds!

Ibis on the loose

I was surprised to see a flock of at least fifteen ibis, both white and brown, digging in the sand at the apartment complex. They didn't seem at all afraid of the human activity.

We are here!

It has been two weeks today that we spent the first night in our new home. I love it, but since "Overwhelmed" is my middle name, I have much to do. In order to move those shrimp down the line, I will post an average picture of a pretty flower that was blooming in the backyard about the time we moved in. Someone said it is a variety of wild orchid. I hope that is true.

Shrimp

Freshly caught shrimp from a truck by the road for five bucks a pound. 

for now

No computer, no blogging. A girl can do only so much with an iPhone. Though many topics have flitted through the old noggin, none have been been written, at least not by me. This evening, with the closing scheduled for tomorrow, I am on the threshold of moving to my next home. Like the night before a wedding, the thought brings happiness and anticipation, as well so a bit of wonder in how everything has worked together for good. It is funny how you know. From my first entrance through the Chinese red front door, I felt that I was home. Since we have the apartment for another month, the transition can be a slow one. We, or someone, can clean and paint, and pretty up the place to enjoy for the next decade or so. When I get my computer set up, I will tell more.

Restful time

To be able to drive only a few short miles to sit by the ocean as the sun is setting is simply heaven. I am so glad to be here. Other people were drinking in the moments from the pier, the sand, or their porches. Seagulls soaring and diving around. Altogether beautiful. 

The South End

A glittering sea under the morning sun.

Four weeks

Four weeks ago tomorrow, much of our stuff was moved to Wilmington, to the apartment I rented back in March, and here it still sits. As with most things in life, the experience has been a mixed blessing. I admit however that I am beginning to lean a little toward restlessness and sometimes find myself yearning for that permanent (as much permanency as Earth allows) place I am hoping for. Waiting for a short sale house to be approved by a bank can test the limits of one's patience. Yet overall, I feel relaxed and satisfied here, and believe it will all work out as it is supposed to.

Outside the apartment today were some young men smoking and discussing sports and just making themselves at home. No doubt they are UNCW students, as Port City Radio warned their listeners today. This is the big return to school in the fall, moving in weekend. They may add to the sort of interesting mix of people here.

The weather. On Sunday the temp was 94 with a heat index of 104. Four days later, a new record low for this day was recorded. There is still a lot of rain, much of it coming in short bursts of huge drops. I heard today that all the rain has been hard on the shrimpers.  

Greenfield Lake

How I love Greenfield Lake. Let me count the ways.
The first is remembering when the thousands of azaleas were in full bloom in the spring and I was in a pretty dress with a big bow in the back. Second perhaps is being in a little boat in that murky water with my daddy as he rowed away from shore. Safe and happy. 

Now I can go anytime I want.

Today I got there about ten. I took my good macro camera hoping to capture a pic of a dragonfly, but though there were many zipping around the edge of the water and onto the shrubs and vines, none stopped to pose. It was a lovely morning anyway, and I could have stayed on and on. As for facts, there is a five mile sidewalk around the lake, a bike path, paddle boats (that are not used much), playgrounds, places to sit and swing, shelters for picnicking (and a couple of guys sleeping on the tables), and lots of really cool wildlife.

This morning I saw one of the alligators - being sneaky out there in the middle waiting for an unsuspecting sea gull to dive down - ducks, birds, lizards, butterflies, lots of turtles, and several colors of dragonflies. The cypress trees, and the live oaks with their swaying moss are so pretty.

I have just been run out of the office (wifi) as it is closing time, so I will post a quick picture or two while I sit on the porch.

fait accompli

A big round of applause...we have had  the closing on our Greenville home. Yippee! My realtor commented that people really like Greenville and nobody moves away from it. They just move toward somewhere else like I did.  Agree. I have no complaints about the past sixteen years there. The decision to move was made with much thought, and July 2012 we started working toward that goal.  What an exhausting, grueling year lay ahead. Honestly I think there were a million things to do, and by the grace of God, everything got done. On Wednesday, the house was emptied and cleaned and ready to pass on to the next owners. "We love the house," they said several times. And that made me feel very happy.

Laura

Every August 4th, I mentally wish my cousin Laura, who is thirteen years younger than I and has always lived many miles away, a happy birthday. This year was different. For the first time ever probably, I saw her in person on her birthday.  She, her husband and grown daughter drove down from Maryland to visit her mother, my mother's sister, for a few days. Last night they fixed a delicious beachy birthday dinner, headlined by shrimp and scallops, and invited the hubby and me to help celebrate. One of the really nice things about being in Wilmington has been spending time with my cousins. It won't last forever, but I am savoring it as it comes.

around

So far my home is a temporary one and surprisingly fun. In an apartment you can go swimming whenever you want, call somebody to fix the simplest things even change a lightbulb, walk outside and have someone to talk to, or see a cute dog to act gaga over. There is a weight room, play areas for kids, an indoor pool also, and nice people in the office, where I am now, who let me connect to their wifi. Speaking of the pool...it is the most relaxing place ever. Maybe it is the breeze through the tall, long leaf pines, the birds singing as they dine on red berries in the little trees by the steps, or the chatter and splashing of children, but each time I have claimed a lounge chair in a shaded spot there, I had to fight being lulled to sleep.

Yesterday I drove to Wrightsville Beach not once but twice. One of these days I will get over the thrill of being able to drive down Airlie Road and practically having my breath taken away by the huge old overhanging trees on the curve toward the sound, but that time has not yet come. Here's a photo through the windshield that cannot do it justice.

I crossed the drawbridge, rode around the loop, and cruised and looked. This is a busy season for beaches, and Wrightsville is in the height of being enjoyed by surfers of all ages. They were unloading long mostly colorful boards from their vehicles, carrying them toward the ocean, and then I presume riding the waves. Maybe the short lived, hard downpour we had just had sent a surf's up message to them. There were other folks barely covered or wrapped in towels who were riding bicycles, walking dogs, eating sno cones, and having as grand a time as I was cruising.

At Home in Wilmington

It is looking like I am not even close to the perfect time to start blogging about Wilmington as I had imagined. The closing on the Greenville house has been delayed again due to circumstances beyond my control, the apartment is crowded with boxed and bagged treasures and necessities moved from there and waiting permanent placement at another address, and I am feeling a little displaced. Therefore...perhaps it is the perfect time to begin. After all, life is a journey, and the leg I am running now is really sort of fun, just different. My responsibilities are few. There is time for reading, relaxing, and wandering on foot and by car to discover wonderful new places and people in this new old city.

One observation is that Wilmington is loaded with small privately owned restaurants and shops. Quaint is perhaps an apropos adjective. Adorable definitely. A few stores from the huge chains can be seen around Mayfaire and Monkey Junction, but mostly it is the small proprietor who snares the shoppers and diners. And the workers are not just hourly employees. They are people who are want to ensure the success of their ventures. Now isn't that the American way.

This is home. If someone asks if I am from here, I answer, "Yes, but I have been away a long time." Last night at Thalian Hall, I looked up into the balcony and felt the excited stirrings of the curly haired little girl within, who over sixty years ago, excitedly sat there watching The Frog Prince with her mother. Home.

So ends my first blog post. Like a diary, I do not know what stories may be told during the days and years that follow, but as always, I look forward with anticipation and joy to this leg of my journey. Oh...and I bought a new pocket camera to carry along.