02 March 2016

The time has come

It's time for me to go back to France. My work here is done, LOL. My mother is on the road to recovery from her trials and tribulations. I see her getting stronger day by day. I'll miss this weather. The high temperature yesterday was 72ºF. That's just over 22ºC and would have qualified it as a warm summer day in Saint-Aignan.


Here are a few last photos of the North Carolina coast. Above, the sign for a restaurant on the beach where I've enjoyed a meal or two. You can see that the sign is home-made. The food is good, if you can keep marauding gulls from stealing it before you get to taste anything.


I've been surprised to see so many yucca plants growing in the dunes along the beaches and coasts. I don't remember so many of them years ago. Global warming? Oh no, couldn't be...


This area is now over-developed, in my opinion. There are many more houses than people, especially along the beaches, because so many of them are résidences secondaires and occupied only in summertime.


The Big Oak drive-in restaurant is a local landmark. It's on Bogue Banks in the Salter Path area, which was "squatted" in the second half of the 19th century by fishermen and their families. They just moved onto land that belonged officially so some big landowner and built their wooden shacks and houses there. I think their descendants now have title to their property by dint of having lived there for so many decades now.

Maybe you have to have lived here to appreciate it, but I enjoyed this article on a local blog devoted to the history of Carteret County and the town of Beaufort. The article describes an expedition using the new "road" leading west through the maritime forest on Bogue Banks down to Salter Path. It was a 10-mile-long sand and dirt path first opened to traffic in about 1940.

17 comments:

  1. Good news that your Mum is recovering. Safe travels.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad your mother is on the mend. I was down your way yesterday. A friend of mine was up from Georgia to check on his parents. We went to Morehead for lunch and ended up at the Channel Marker. It's been some time ago since I was on AB. I can't believe how much it has been developed. The old family beach is certainly gone. I have a lot of good memories from the old Pavilion and the later Embers Club! We took the beach road (Hwy 58) back to Swansboro. I'm thankful I have Base privileges and can enjoy the unadulterated beach on base! Have a safe trip back to France.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I join in the good wishes for your mom, and for your safe travels :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am sorry that your mom feeling unwell was the reason you had to go back to NC but I am glad you got to go back to NC .
    And I have enjoyed the visit so much :) I have not been back to or even driven through NC in many many years and I have appreciated the place much more through your blog. When I leave here soon, and drive South, I will remember your blog ..
    Have a good trip home, bon voyage !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bon voyage.
    Good that you are traveling back this week and not next week because they are planning for strikes ( which could impact transportation indirectly) for March 9th.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the link to the history blog! Quite a contrast to simply hopping in your car and driving NC-58 down to Emerald Isle.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bet that Big Oak has good food.

    Yes, yuccas are not something I would expect to see there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I live across from Masonboro Island near Wilmington. Thirty years ago yucca was everywhere on the island. Now there are none, mostly cedar and pine.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Safe travels, Ken. I'm glad to hear that MA's on the mend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I'll tell her. I don't know if she's reading blogs and comments these days, but she'll be back on here soon. Hope you are doing okay.

      Delete
  10. Safe travels to you Ken. Glad to hear your mom is on the mend; I am sure that your visit made her feel better.

    ReplyDelete
  11. that crab sign is fantastic! and i bet you can get a really good shake at that burger place. best wishes as you travel home.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Here I am in Atlanta, on my way to Paris. I always enjoy my trips to N.C. and I'm sorry to see this one end. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to be returning to France. I'm going back one more time, and later I'll be back here. All the best to all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. So glad your mother is better, and me, too, for safe travel wishes.
    Love the Crab Claw sign. Very clever.
    But I never can remember -- is the NC Beaufort pronounced Bow-for or Bew-furt? I get it and the SC one mixed up.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah, ça y est, je viens de lire que ta Maman va bien, ouf !!! Je vais arrêter là ma lecture mais ce fut un réel plaisir de reprendre contact avec ton blog 😉 Bises à vous 2 🌹🌼🎶🐺🐶

    ReplyDelete

What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?