The Weather is Here, I Wish You were Beautiful

Me and the Fam are at the OBX…weather is beautiful, and life is good.

But in between getting settled in, I discovered a fact that made perfect sense but that had long escaped me.

For those not familiar with the Outer Banks-inspiration for all those OBX stickers you see, they are the outer barrier islands that buttress the mainland of upper North Carolina and run from near the Virgina border down to Cape Hatteras.  The lower part of the state, running down to Camp Lejeune, now adverts itself is the “Inner Banks”, and connects to South Carolina’s Grand Strand of beaches.

The upper portion of the OBX is in Currituck County, and NC 12 carries you from the 4-wheel drive beaches down to Corolla (where we are) and to Duck and Southern Shores.  Somewhere between Corolla and Duck you cross into Dare County, and just past Southern Shores is the hook up to NC 158.  When you come South on 158, you actually drive through Currituck County, cross Currituck Sound into Dare County, cross over Currituck Sound to the OBX, and either head North up NC 12 toward Corolla or south toward Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags head.  There is no bridge between Currituck County mainland and the OBX, although a bridge is in the planning stages. The Mid-Currituck Bridge is scheduled to open in late 2014.

That bit of geography was necessary to understand what I was told…and that was that very few people with children live in Currituck Co/OBX. Why? No schools in that part of the county. If you live in CC/OBX and want your children to attend public schools, then you have to get them (don’t know if busses are available) back over to the mainland, which means about a 45 minute drive. So if you live on the OBX and have children, you either live no further north than Southern Shores (where the drive to get back to schools in Dare county is reasonable), or else you home school.

How did I find this out? Conversation with Andy at the “Life is Good’ store. It’s conversations and unexpected facts like this that I find so much fun about traveling, and that drive SWMBO to distraction.

Other fun facts:
1. The Food Lion in Corolla is still the highest selling Food Lion in the country.

2. The Red Sky Cafe and the Blue Point are still two of the best restaurants I have ever enjoyed.

3. Wonder why the Outer Banks lighthouses are so tall compared to New England lighthouses?  A light house has to be tall enough so that the light can be seen by ships over the horizon caused by the curve of the earth.  In the NE, the lighthouses are typically built on high, rocky stretches of shoreline.  In the OBX the land is flat, and the lighthouse has to be built far enough away from the shore so it is not endangered by the sea.  The combination of flat land and distance from the ocean means the OBX lighthouses have to be much taller than their northern counterparts.

4. Of the OBX lighthouses, why is it that the Currituck lighthouse has no pattern painted on it?

Each has a different pattern so that it could be readily identified from the ocean and give a visual reference to where a ship was in relation to the OBX…but the folks who built the Currituck Lighthouse wanted folks to be able to see the brick work and not have it covered with paint.

Shades of Sacrifice

The Bwana Brood recently visited The Happiest Place in the World, and while there was reminded yet again of the sacrifices made to allow this country to live free.

We were on the monorail following a memorable dinner at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort, where me and the WMD were photographed with Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Pluto, and other Disney characters. The monorail back to the Magic Kingdom to get back to our bus routed us to other resorts first. We found ourselves on a crowded car that included a man on one of the motorized scooters that can be rented by those who might have difficulty walking around the various parks.

The car was dark, but there was enough light to realize the gentleman on the scooter had a prosthetic right leg. He looked to be in his mid-late thirties, clean cut, conservative cut dark hair, muscled arms, and a serious look that suggested to me he had seen some things-a look that softened when he looked over and talked to a woman I assumed was his wife and three very sweet young girls. The prosthetic leg resembled the government issue models I had recently read about in an online article about the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Also in the car was a loud bunch who would not shut up and went on about how crowded things were and hot they were-the kind of mouthy folks who just drive you up a wall. Their kvetching was clearly getting to the wife, who after they had said about ten times in two minutes how hot it was piped up with, “Well, it’s not as hot as it is in Fallujah”.

Dead silence in the car…and the man on the motor scooter calmly patted his wife’s hand, turned to the now silent noisemakers, and said “you are right, it was awfully hot out in the resorts today”.

About then we pulled in the the Central Transportation Terminal, and the chief noisemaker asked the man where they were staying. “Shades of Green” was the reply. Soon the car came to a stop, the man, his family, and the noisemakers all disembarked.

For those not in the know, Shades of Green is an Armed Forces Recreation Center on the WDW property. You have to be active duty or retired to stay there.  Clearly the man on the motor scooter was a fellow who had seen some things.

On this Fourth of July, remember the bravery, courage, and vision of the Founding Fathers. Remember those who have paid the ultimate price over the years to maintain that vision…but don’t forget the sacrifices made every day by folks like the Man on the Motor Scooter and his family.  Though the degrees and shades may differ, the sacrifice is just as real and sometimes just as permanent.

I know that after that short monorail ride, the Bwana Brood won’t.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Toby Keith and Beer for the Voters

The day is grey down here and the surf rough as Faye sends some weather our way, so I thought to offer some random thoughts while my coffee brews…

Toby Keith, Democrat?  Anything to sell records, I guess.

I see that some college administrators want to stop binge drinking in part by lowering the beer age to 18.

I turned 18 while a senior in high school, and while 18 was the beer age when I was in college I attended a dry college.  I can tell you this-beer tastes a lot better when it is drunk illicitly…it is like a victory against The Man.

But I will tell you now what I said 25 years ago when states started rolling the beer age up to 21…

If you can vote at 18, and you can carry a weapon and defend our country at 18, then I think you should be able to buy beer at 18.

Obama may still pick Hillary, but I doubt it…unless he finds a way to keep Bill Clinton’s mouth shut.

BTW, all the stuff that happened this year on the Democratic side is much more understandable if you read Bob Shrum’s Concessions of a Serial Campaigner. The background and behavior of so many of the Democrats was in wide view to insiders four to eight years ago, including Bill Clinton’s unwillingness to allow someone else to hold the spotlight.

Next time you head to Myrtle Beach, remember: Georgio’s on NMB main street for pizza, Ella’s in Calabash for seafood. Oh, and they have opened a Five Guy’s down here. Yes, the controversy over the various Bike Weeks continues.

Be careful buying ground beef from the Food Lion’s down here…apparently “sell by” dates mean something else in SC than it does in VA.

For tapping your toes, nothing surpasses being here at the ancestral home of Beach Music, right here on Ocean Boulevard.

GO, USA!  Congrats Misty-May and Kerri!

Myrtle Beach, Tim Kaine, and Contrarian Thinking

Team Bwana, having feverishly rushed through school supply purchase, is at Myrtle Beach testing the truth of the observation “a bad day at the beach beats a good day at work.”

The observation…is true.

Now that the boomerang weather phenomenom known as Tropical Storm/Hurricane Faye will likely not rip through the Grand Strand-thus guaranteeing SWMBO and the WMD much more beach time-I have had some time to ruminate on the possibility of Tim Kaine for VP.

While I don’t think it will happen, I am starting to see not only how it might happen but how it is not a good thing for the Va GOP.

Call this the contrarian school of thought.

First, as I have noted previously, Tim Kaine has gotten to where he is through a marvelous run of luck…and as any card player knows, when the cards are running your way you have to play big.  Next, Kaine and Obama just seem to mesh.  They seem to be sympatico in a way that has not been present between Pres and VP in, well…maybe ever.  Third, Kaine does not bring a large school of detractors.  The national electorate will likely give little focus to the lack of leadership that Kaine has provided as governor, and Kaine may well be the one person that can be added to the ticket without detracting somehow from Obama.

If he is tabbed, and Obama wins, then Bill Bowling becomes governor.  I suspect that Kaine will resign as governor as soon as possible.  Why?  To give Bowling as much time as possible not only to be governor but to become identified with whatever problems face the electorate in the 2009 elections. 

I have to wonder come 2009 will folks readily remember that the democrats held the governor’s mansion from 2002-2008?  Will the lack of leadership or memorable legislation beyond the Warner tax increase of 2005 be recalled?  Will voteres recollect how time and again refused to lead on transportation and other issues, instead hoping the GOP would implode in the General Assembly and allow the democrats to win at the ballot box…

…OR…

Will voters go to the ballot box, be aware of the problems, and see that a Republican is in the governor’s mansion?

Call me crazy, but sand, surf, cool breezes, and a Corona or two does cause one to reconsider the contrarian view of life.

I just have to wonder…

Well, the tide is heading out and “Summertime is calling me” for another “Myrtle Beach Day”.

And when I have a chili dog at the OD Pavillion…I will be thinking of you in the blogosphere!

Big Weekend-Get outside

This is a big weekend…College football starts, and my beloved D3 Bridgewater College Eagles start their campaign to regain the ODAC crown by taking on McDaniels, while SWMBO’s alma mater the James Madison University Dukes (home of the Marching Royal Dukes) will whack the Tar Heels this PM.

Non spotlight sports also have their time in the sun-the Vuelta a Espana ( the Spanish version of the Tour de France) kicks off today.  Anyone who thinks cyclists are sissy’s in their tight outfits should think about what it takes to ride a bike up and down the Pyrenees.

But more important, the weather is supposed to be phenominal-at least here in NoVa-and that means get out of the house!  Do something outside!  Enjoy the last days before school starts!  Grill some steaks…oh, and grab the last of the summer squash, slice it up, souse with olive oil and pepper, and toss that on the grill, too!

You may ask, “Bwana, if it is so great to get outside, why are you blogging?”

Answer-because when I go outside I will be pulling weeds, so I am putting that off as long as I can.

Enjoy the Weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To the denizens of the blogosphere, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy yourself today, embrace the oncoming food coma, and if you go shopping on Black Friday remember this: Don’t drive around trying for the perfect place, grab the first parking slot you see!