Some of My Favorite Things

We all have favorite things or moments. Some of them are tied to a place or evoke memories of a favorite spot. Sometime our favorites do not make a lot of sense. I actually enjoy mowing my yard as long as all the grass is long enough to tell where I have just mowed. If you have centipede grass, you will be able to relate to my feelings. It is a little strange enjoying mowing, but once in a while it brings back memories of days when I mowed acres and acres of hay fields. Then just as now getting the job done brings a sense of accomplishment that makes you feel good. There are plenty of easier things along the Crystal Coast that can make you feel good. One of my favorite diversions is to drive across the bridge to Emerald Isle. There are times when I wish I could pull over and stop at the top just to gaze at the Intracoastal Waterway. The beauty of Bogue Sound always inspires me. I also have some favorite things that are less grand than Bogue Sound.

One of them is fresh local strawberries. We have been enjoying berries for a while now, but today my wife declared that it was time to put up the freezer jam for the next year. At one time we canned, froze, pickled, and put away much of our food. Today we grow tomatoes and always try to put up some strawberry freezer jam. That is about it. There is nothing like strawberry freezer jam to bring back memories of summer on a cold winter day. We had enough strawberries today to have strawberry shortcake. The homemade shortcake was still warm from the oven when we had our dessert.

High on my list of favorite things is kayaking in the White Oak River. On a day when the winds are calm, I can stay out there for hours just exploring, taking pictures, and occasionally pretending that I am fishing. Once in a while, I will catch something, but most of the time I just relax and let the beautiful scenery burn its image into my memory.

Of course I love walking along the beaches. My favorite beach for walking is just to the east of the Point. I love the huge expanses of sand. I also enjoy Third Street beach when I am in a mood for looking at shells.

Perhaps one of my most favorite things is finding an island in Bogue Inlet and surf fishing from it. Beaching the skiff and then anchoring it just off the island while we fish is just lots of fun. Having a whole island to wander with only one other person is a great way to enjoy the ocean.

Being in real estate gives me some opportunities that others might not have. An example would be taking pictures for an oceanfront listing. I have caught myself sitting in one of those oceanfront rocking chairs and imaging waking up to a sunrise on the shore.

Some smaller pleasures that I enjoy almost every day are walking out on my dock to check the tide. I enjoy the mirror images of the trees in the water. I also spend time on our deck which looks out to the White Oak River. The wonderful summer breezes from the White Oak and warm morning sun can almost put one in a trance. I can often watch white herons feeding or like today see a hawk in close pursuit of some prey. The jumping mullet seem always to be around.

Then there is one of my greatest pleasures, the first homegrown tomato sandwich of the year. We are rapidly closing on that event. With favorable weather, it could happen as early the first of June. I can almost taste it now.