A Visit from the Queen

 I told someone lately that a visit from 3 inches of snow, here in the South, is a bit akin to a visit from the Queen. It's a rarity, and we Southerners hardly know how to behave.

Never mind that Oriental is populated by about 80% Yankees!

The docks were chilly this morning. No one was out-and-about. No doggie walkers. No geezers chatting over coffee at The Bean. Adam and I had the road to ourselves. We strolled right down the middle of Broad St., with nary a car in sight.

A sailboat under snow -- quite a sight. We prefer our cruisers to think of Oriental as a warm spot. Oh well!

Adam, Sandy, and I headed out the house this morning for a blog walk ... that means Adam knows I'll want to go get photos for the blog, poor dear, and he's willing to come along. This is our street. We were the first beasts to leave prints in the snow.

Adam pulling on gloves. He wore two pair. As we neared the water, the wind picked up, and he zipped up, and switched from his old-guy hat to a stocking hat. Sandy said to us, "Cold? This isn't cold!"

An ordinary sight to all my Northern friends, but snowy steps are unusual here.

Walking down Broad Street unmolested by traffic gave me a rare opportunity to photograph the older homes there, right in the heart of the old village of Oriental. This pale yellow lady is so beautiful. She's now a nautical gift shop.

I've never seen anyone at this pretty farmhouse.

This large home is still being repaired and raised after Hurricane Irene. It houses the local county newspaper.

This pretty blue home is also always uninhabited.

And this brick home at the foot of the bridge -- I've never seen anyone there either. So many of these homes are owned, but they are 2nd or 3rd properties, I suppose. I wish they were lived in and really used.

This sea green beauty was once the town's hotel. Now it holds a gift shop and a realtor's office.

A row of three homes along Hodges St., in various states of disrepair. This type of farmhouse must've been very popular at some point in Oriental's history. They're everywhere in town.

Of the three, this one looks the worst. I'd love to buy her and fix her up, but Adam and I have both learned over the years that we're not very good at that. We never have the money for it. And even a house like this, in Oriental, would cost a pretty penny. Real estate in town, simply because of its location, is very high.

Someday, that house will sell to a person who will turn it into a jewel.
Here, Broad St. goes uphill over the big bridge. Some brave souls had already attempted it. We saw some trucks fish-tailing around down the road.

The ladies at the Provision Company have a good sense of humor with their signage.

Their dinghies are full of snow.

The Neuse was flat and steely gray.

Thanks for going on our chilly morning walk! Now I shall knit, paint, and sip hot tea for the afternoon.

Blessings all around!