Love Odyssey

This is the time of year when fishin’ fever bites Bryce.  A few years back he caught a 46 pound drum off a pier in Lou Mac Park here in Oriental.  So his expectation is high to get the equivalent fish again.  However, that drum was too big to keep—a breeder—so he had to release it after taking its photo as proof that he really caught it.  Yesterday morning Bryce got three flounders—enough to feed four people for dinner last night.  This morning he was not so lucky—a few hits but no keepers.  I guess we will have pasta for dinner tonight.  The big question now is whether Bryce is going to try again tomorrow morning.  I’ll keep you in the loop….

 Helen  09/25/10

Sometimes it is nice just to hang out and do nothing. This was one of those weekends. Bryce and I have been pretty depleted the past few weeks with work in Cary, family problems and hurricane preparations down here (see my last three blog entries). Therefore this weekend we needed to recharge our batteries and what better way than with close friends. Yesterday morning Bryce went fishing with a good buddy, then we went to the Bean coffee house for some java and small talk. Last night we had good friends over for dinner and a Netflick. Today I just cleaned the boat’s interior and straightened out our ever-growing collection of books (that I plan to read someday). Yes, just hanging out with friends is sometimes exactly what we need.

Helen –09/12/10

Hurricane Earl has come and gone. He brought winds of less than 30 miles an hour and a little rain. We are relieved that he left no destruction in his path here in Oriental. Today is just another gray, rainy day. But I have to admit that I feel a bit of disappointment because of all the time it took to prepare the boat and dock for a hurricane. I guess later today when the rain stops we will begin the task of putting the boat back together—erect the dodger over the companionway, put on the windshield and hatch covers, cover the teak rails, move the dinghy back on the davits with its outboard engine in place, and untie a lot of extra lines holding the boat to the dock. I just hope that this is the last hurricane of the season for NC—because I don’t relish doing this all over again!

Helen –09/03/10

We have prepared for this hurricane all day and now we wait.  So far we have had no rain and the wind is under 10 miles an hour.  At 3:00 this afternoon we had some gusts of close to 30 miles an hour, but that lasted for only a short time.  The sky is gray but we still don’t see anything menacing.  The water level gradually rose about a foot this afternoon, but it is still well over a foot below the docks.  Okay Earl, either come for a visit or go away—make up your mind!

 Helen 09/02/10

Hurricane Earl is knocking on our back door—or so it seems.  Everyone in our marina has been tying down their boats, removing canvas, and securely stowing anything that could be a projectile.  We are no exception.  We arrived at the marina last night at 9 pm and immediately began tying more lines to our pilings and taking down our canvas dodger.  Early this morning we removed all the canvas that covers our teak rails and placed more bumpers in strategic places to cushion any contact with the dock.  Bryce took our dinghy off the davits that suspended it at the stern of the sailboat and tied it in the water, minus outboard engine.

 Now we sit here and wait…  so far there is very little wind but the sky is ominously gray.  We have been told to expect a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet of water and wind up to 70 miles per hour.  Bryce has lines to pilings and the dock that can be adjusted from the boat for rising water levels.  We have done all the preparations that can be made.  Now we will see what kind of punch Earl wants to give us.

 Helen 09/02/2010