Our boat was not ten minutes from the dock before Capt. Reece Stecher saw them. “Get your rod ready, there they are,” Reece shouted from the tower. “I saw them too, an angry mob of red drum. They had trapped a hapless school of mullet on a shoal and were laying waste to any and everything that moved. My Johnson Spoon didn’t make it five feet and it was, “Fish … [Read more...]
The Dance of the Sea Oats
They live in clusters atop the dunes and stretch westward towards the sun. They dance in rhythm to the music of the breezes throughout the day and night. They are sea oats, creatures of the beach. They build the dunes and guard the shores. The stately grasses are tough. They can sink their roots in fragile sand and survive the big blows out of the northeast and the driving gales of … [Read more...]
Sunrise, Sunset
By Nancy Brewer I’m passionate about many things and two are sunrises and sunsets. I enjoy them the most on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As I write this, I feel refreshed and renewed from four great days at the beach with my favorite person. I rise early to greet the sun. There are other “early birds” on the beach and some on decks waiting, … [Read more...]
A Day in the Life of a Sandpiper
Their day starts early. From their roosts in the edge of the dunes, the sandpipers stroll down the beach to the froth of the surf. There, they wait till the tide sweeps the water back to the sea. Then, they scurry towards the receding waves, stopping here and there to peck at bits of organic debris or perhaps snatch up a juicy sand flea. Then the tide changes its mind, and the waves push … [Read more...]
Pimento Cheese Grits
I ate some great food at the beach this week, but one of the best things I put in my mouth had nothing to do with fish or crabs. It was a slice of Pimento Cheese Grits I ordered as a side dish at Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café. I love grits and I love a good, spicey pimento cheese. Why not mix the two for a match made in southern heaven? Here is the recipe from the Cookie Rookie, one … [Read more...]
Eatin’ Out at the Beach
I hate to admit this, but one of my greatest pleasures of beach life is eating out. In fact, our days often revolve around what restaurant we choose for dinner. For Nancy, a scarlet and cream sunset is more important than the food she will eat. I enjoy a good sunset myself, but good food is also important. We have found a few restaurants where we can have the best of both worlds. Our favorite … [Read more...]
No Strangers on a Pier
There is no such thing as a stranger on a pier. They are part of your family. For that day or that hour, you are blood kin, connected with the joy or disappointment of catching fish. If one catches, all bring fish over the rail. If only the crabs are nibbling the baits and no rod tips bend forward, everyone on the pier shares the same fate. But there are no strangers. The fellow beside … [Read more...]
The Trees of Our Lives
My life is dotted with the memories of certain trees. Yes, trees, those so beautifully described by Joyce Kilmer. The first tree that had special meaning was a huge oak tree on Grandview Avenue in Beckley, WV. I was about 7 or 8 and played with two slightly older boys – Dicky Guy and Billy Richmond. We played three things back then – Army, Navy and Air Force. We shot attacking … [Read more...]
Sun Crunch Melons: Yummm!
In my eternal battle to lose a few pounds, I have found that if I eat a piece or two of melon after a light breakfast and/or lunch, the sweetness of the fruit helps curb my appetite for more food. Then, I’m good till dinner time. So, I’ve been eating a lot of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew melons and half the time they are not sweet or even ripe. I buy a melon called a Dino Melon from … [Read more...]
Dinner Plate Dahlias
Our son Jimmie gave us some flowers to plant when we saw him in early August. Jimmie worked for Hines Nursery and knows his stuff. He said it wasn’t too late to plant the Dahlias and that we would be impressed with the flowers. They grow to be as big as dinner plates. Well, they sure did. Nancy picked 4 or 5 huge blooms yesterday. They were, as you can see, lovely. Jimmie said not … [Read more...]
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