Our Fifth Book Is Almost Here- “A Journey To My Country”

This passage sets the stage.

It’s often late at night on a dark country road when people and places, both remembered and imagined, become the sparks that light the memory defining our lives.

As my wife and I glide through the black night on Union Cross Church Road, we cross a small creek, and it hits me. I see the long-gone millpond, the house with five fireplaces, and the mill itself. I see the shadows of three young girls, my mother and her two sisters, picking beans in their garden. Next, I remember the place as it was when I was young, an old, crumbling concrete dam with trees growing in the former millpond.

The memory fades as fast as it comes, and the dark road continues on into the night.

There is more information about our upcoming book at my View from the Mountain site.

The White Oak River in my country
The White Oak River in my country

The Right Spot For Your July 4 Week At The Beach

There are plenty of places you can go to find crowds on the beach and a hectic beach vacation.  If you want to relax and enjoy reconnecting to the natural world, maybe you should visit the Crystal Coast where the beaches are family friendly and the crowds have room to spread out.  Check out this link for more information or click on the beach picture.

The Beach At The Point On Emerald Isle
The Beach At The Point On Emerald Isle

The balancing act with rain on the Crystal Coast

A coastal community like ours has to have a balancing act with rain. We need unshine for our tourists and rain for our farmers. Week of July 4th worked out great for everyone.  It started with rain, but the rest of the week has been spectacular.  Click the picture or the link for more details  http://ow.ly/mIACq

A Wet, Wind Blown, Great Egret On July 1,  2013
A Wet, Wind Blown, Great Egret On July 1, 2013

A Quick Boat Ride Into The Marshes

Boating the week of the Fourth of July is a tradition on the Crystal Coast, but sometimes the tides and winds don’t cooperate. I produced this video for my friends who need a little taste of the water to keep them going.   This video was taken as I crossed the Intracoastal Waterway and traveled back into the marshes by way to the channel that runs behind Huggins Island.  You can see the area of the trip in the loop on this map.  It is an exceptionally beautiful area where I always see some Great Egrets.

Looking for some beautiful ocean water?

We have you covered along NC’s Crystal Coast.  If you are G+ member visit our Google+ Crystal Coast Life Community.  There is lots of information there about the area.  Never heard of the Crystal Coast? Check out my map of the area, the  Welcome to the Crystal Coast page, the Crystal Coast Life blog, or our book, A Week at the Beach – The 2013 Emerald Isle Travel Guide.

Here is a picture taken on the beach July 2, 2013.

The Beach At The Point, Emerald Isle, NC
The Beach At The Point, Emerald Isle, NC

I Am Hooked On Google+ Communities

Communities are big reason I’m growing fond of Google+  but there are several other reasons that I am giving Google+ more of my bandwidth. #google Read my article at ReadWriteWeb http://ow.ly/mtnQB or even better if you are a Google+ user and interested in North Carolina’s Crystal Coast visit my Crystal Coast Community on Google+.

My Crystal Coast Life Community on Google+
My Crystal Coast Life Community on Google+