New Bern Date

Adam and I went to "big town" (New Bern) yesterday to visit someone in the hospital, and it kind of turned into a date afterward. I think we were both way overdue for a date together. We were hungry (I'd only had a smoothie for lunch) and Adam really wanted to eat at this gyro place -- Keifer's in Jackson, move over!!!

It's an excellent gyro. The pita was not quite as good as Keifer's, but the meat was much better.
We drove around. I took a quick shot of Tryon Palace (governor's palace, I believe, from colonial days). We'll be visiting that for a field trip.

Cool old-brick street area:

Too many really gorgeous houses in downtown New Bern to count. This one's for sale. Any takers?

As I said, the rain has been plenteous, and the mushrooms are ... well ... shrooming.

And then we happened upon a little city park, right at the foot of the bridge and right by the water. It has an elegant gazebo.

And the walkway runs right up against the river.

Yeah, that close against the river. Kinda cool.

We sat in the shade on a park bench overlooking the river and enjoyed the view, the boats, the sky, the ducks, and each others' company.

The ducks were coming in to hit up the tourists for bread bits.

As soon as I stood up to photograph them, they made a bee-line for me.

Mallards, I think? They had green underneath in the back.

Wonderful skies. What a nice late afternoon/early evening! No hurry. Peace.

This is a picture of two people who've been in love for 24 years. I'm so glad we've stuck it out. There's something wonderful that happens to a marriage as it ripens with age, like a good wine. You just don't get it with a new marriage every few years!  (SO glad I haven't tried that!!)

On the drive home, we went by Kennel's Beach, which is a little community I'd heard of but not visited. I've never quite seen anything like it. Small, tight, casual and homey, right on the river, old. If you're a Mississippian, think Neshoba County Fair, all year long, with slightly larger houses. Huge live oaks. Spanish moss. It's so cute. I would love to live there. Most of the places looked like part-time getaway homes. I know a couple who live there, and it sounds like a wonderful community.

I want to go back to Kennel's Beach to nose around, if they don't mind. My friend told me this: they have a community auction each year, to raise money for community improvements, rather than "taxing" residents. They get plenty of funds, and it's voluntary, and everyone loves it.  This past year they wanted to use part of the money to put an underwater mesh fence around the little kids' beach swimming area, to keep the jelly fish out of the water where the children play. When I heard that, I thought, "That's a community that would be a joy to live in."