Enough already with the rain!

Raining again today most all day. Enough! This stalled out front needs to move on out soon. Traffic is very heavy as everyone is off the beach searching for some other entertainment. I think I'd rather have the hot Bermuda high instead of this!
Grass is watered and in hyper-grow mode. Vegetables in the garden are nearly drowned. Could use a bit more sunshine now.

Update on the new Hilton in Kitty Hawk

Here's a pic taken Saturday from the beach road. It's getting bigger and bigger, a much larger footprint than I thought at first.



And another a bit closer.

Massive thunderstorms roll thru

A massive thunderstorm complex just rolled thru the Outer Banks. Extreme lightening and heavy rain in Manteo. Power out for a brief time. Gust front went thru first with high straight line winds. I heard sirens for a time, but don't know any details. At 7pm it has passed to the south of us now. A quick, mighty deluge with lots of lightening, and then it's gone.

Beach day on July 4 & Man O War

On the beach at Hatteras Island July 4, 2005, we saw this Portugese Man O War washed up in the surf. They used to be fairly common on the Outer Banks beaches, but usually in cooler weather. It was unusual to see one this early in the season. Beware the tenacles of this creature if you see one floating in the water or on the beach. They do pack a whopple of a sting!

Typical, usual summer week here

There's not a whole lot exciting going on down here right now. It's the typical hot hazy summer weather with many visitors on the road. I try to stay home as much as possible to avoid the traffic. Did try one new restaurant this week and suffice it to say, once is enough, so I won't mention it by name. Might be fine for some, but not for me, and not for most of the visitors looking for nice seafood dinners.
Traffic is heavy but no worse than any other year.
I did hear the funniest complaint from a rental guest this week that I've ever heard:
This was through another rental agency, by word of mouth.
The guest called in about the noise outside around their cottage and wondered if the agency could do something. Upon investigation it was noted that they were westside near a swamp and the bullfrogs were singing their hearts out! I believe the agency said they had no control over the frogs. Goes to show what some will complain about!

Hot, Humid and slightly windy

It is definitely summertime here on the Outer Banks. The Hot, Hazy, Humid, usual forecast of summer certainly holds true today. It is a bit windy, which makes you look up to see why occasionally. Glad it's not because we are bracing as is Key West tonight in anticipation of Dennis! One of those (1999) is enough!

Fireworks in Manteo

The fireworks celebration was average and a bit late last night in Manteo. Earlier in the day many turned out for the day long festivites, and staked out a place on the waterfront for the show.


We watched the fireworks from the deck of the Waterfront complex across the harbor from IcePlant island where they shoot the main show. I wanted to see if I could get a pic of the Elizabeth Two ship under the display.

Fourth at the beach

The Fourth of July was a picture perfect chamber of commerce day on the Outer Banks. We spent it at the beach! Never let it be said the beaches are overcrowded here--you just have to know where to go (as evidenced by the following pic!)


It was just us and the Oyster Catchers!

Traffic "normal"

This hyping of the Outer Banks as one of the worst spots for traffic snarrels is just that.... hype. It is no worse than it has been in the last five years. It is no worse on the fourth of July weekend than on any other weekend in the mid summer. I kinda get tired of the posters on other boards constantly reporting on the traffic like it's a new event, and of the Weather Channel reporting this as if it never existed before! It is summer, and everyone, just like you, wants to be HERE! So there's a bit of traffic, big deal! I have had people who live in DC and New York tell me this is NOTHING compared to what they deal with on a daily basis. I guess I get a bit tired of those who want to "Doomsay" the Outer Banks, because in the end, it will do no good. Many, many will come, and we will be GLAD to have them here!
And oh yeah, the fourth of July is NOT THE busiest week here. When I was in the rental management business, it was not unusual at all to have a few vacancies on the week of the Fourth. The busiest time is mid to late July, when EVERY house is filled and the retailers and restaurantuers are HAPPY!

New Hilton construction

Went by and snapped this pic of the new Hilton construction site at the Kitty Hawk pier site yesterday. It's big!

Sunset at RV's gazebo

Snapped this while waiting for my oh-so-good $13.95 more-than-twenty-count shrimp dinner at RV's tonight.

Here's something new- Mileposts

There have appeared recently these new "half" mile posts, in between the old regular mileposts. First time I saw one, it took me a second to read it correctly!

Island Grill in Manteo review

Went and had lunch at the Island Central Grill just south of Manteo today. This is the first time we've tried them and it was great! We had the fried grouper sandwich which was HUGE! The fish was tasty and prepared just right. We chose to dine outside on one of their shaded picnic tables because there was a cool breeze today. They also have a number of tables on their screened porch for dining. Excellent lunch spot, goes on my A list.

Island Central Grill located at 928 S. Hwy 64, in front of the Dare County Justice Center and across from the Silver Bonsai gift shop.

Sea Oatel to come down

I rode over to Nags Head today to see what was left of the Sea Oatel, which is scheduled to meet with the bulldozer imminently. The windows were all out and a lot of the doors were standing open. I heard employees on the parking lot discussing that the demolition will start tomorrow. Recently purchased by new owners, it will now become new homes on individual lots. The west side units are to be kept as motel units. The old owners have recently purchased the Elizabethan Inn/ Nautics Hall complex in Manteo, and are busy running that.

Here's the way it looked today.


Meanwhile vacationers enjoyed the beaches today even though the red flags were flying to warn not to go into the ocean.

Saturday at the beach

Saturday after tending "cottages" we went to the beach for a little while. It is really rare that we go to the beach here in our home county. It just seems so different to be on a beach with people on it! This day in particular it was most pleasant to sit in the sand chair by the sea. There was a very light east wind which means the temperature was nice and not too hot, and the water was much clearer and more blue, much more to my liking. Here's a couple of shots for those of you inland stuck at your desks awaiting vacation!



And a seagull prances on the beach.

Ocracoke beach Number two on the list

I saw this on Radio Margaritaville. Ocracoke Island's beach is number two in the top ten US beaches as rated by Dr. Beach. Apparently he has also published a book with pix of the best beaches in America. I guess the secret is out!
http://www.drbeach.org/drbeach/best_beach_list.htm

It has been HOT, HOT, HOT!!

It has been about 90 plus degrees the last three days here. All those "early" renters sure got summer for their buck! Right now we are just over a small thunderstorm, but that is the only rain we have had all week. It has been very dry. Supposed to cool down the end of the week. The traffic is here! Summer is here! The heat is here! Bring it on!

No fish for supper....

My boat went out today ( I was not aboard), but it did not bring any Cobia home for supper. All reports said they were here, but not around my boat! Oh well, there's always tomorrow!
Saturday at work tending the "cottages" was where I was. They were a good group this past week (except for the battery/clock incident). Nothing major broke, no major clean up. I did go and leave a couple of batteries on the steps for the clock, and apparently they found them and actually got them installed, because the clock was working in fine order! I suppose that's good, because they knew what time it was to check out!
It was a bright sunny day today at the Outer Banks.

New Flood maps out for Dare County

The newly revised flood maps have been received by the town and county governments and are open for review by property owners. A startling statistic I learned when reading about these maps is that 82 percent of the land in Dare is in a flood zone of some type requiring flood insurance to build (or at least finance). The parcels I looked at of interest to me drew a mixed bag when compared to the last maps. One went lower, a couple of others drastically higher (meaning more expensive and restrictive on building) and another practically unchanged. The maps must be adopted and approved by each town or county (if unincorporated) before they become law. It is estimated this process could take 9 months to a year.

THIS is MY idea of beach nourishment!

While recently relaxing at On Da Beach bar in the beautiful Abacos, I was doing a bit of photogging and a tiny bit of reflecting on the problems back home. Making light of the situation seemed very appropo. So here's my version of beach renourishment!