Catching Up

I'm sorry to say that I'm still struggling with my photo situation here on ye olde blogge. Hmm. Google Photos does a lovely job of syncing all my photos immediately onto their website. It even lifts them straight from my phone without my doing anything at all. However ... for some reason there is NO quick, easy, intuitive process to upload photos from that website to this blog. And both things are Google's. Why? Bleh.
Yesterday Oriental hosted yet another sailing event, the Hoop Pole Regatta, a kids' sailing race on sunfishes and FJs. A girl in our church participated in this race and placed 10th.

 I shot these photos from the end of the Lou Mac pier.

 Many of the races on the Neuse look like wandering chaos, to be honest. And if you're in them, they sometimes feel like long, languid, wandering chaos! But these kids had guide boats and the course was pretty tight. So they looks like little sails doing an intricate dance on the river dance floor. Waltzing boats -- there's an idea! It was lovely to watch.

 And here, my friends, is the REAL Farley, whose picture I snapped at the farmers' market yesterday. He's a character in my latest Dog Days of Oriental story, "Muffin Comes to Town."

 Hiya, Farley!
I finished a green shawl for the local Prayer Shawl ministry this week. I got down to the final two stitches (as you see on the needle), and I had less than two inches of yarn left. Knitters, has this ever happened to you? I had to start an entire new skein of yarn, for those two stitches. That's ridiculous!

 Peter returned to college this past week too. I hugged him quite a few times and felt rather teary. He does so well at school and was excited to go back, but I loved having him here this summer. He had a great time, made lots of great friends, had fun and worked hard. He'll miss these two pups, and they'll miss him. They slept with him at night, all snuggled up together on the futon.

 And he's off!

Come home soon!

Well, I did get these photos to load fine. I uploaded them from "my phone" directly, instead of trying any other uploading method. That's great ... except it means I will never be able to edit a photo, because I can't edit it on my phone -- cropping or anything else. Grr. I can do that on Google Photos, but then I have no clue how to get the photos to the blog. Or anywhere else, for that matter. I had a bugbear of a time getting photos to load into Trip Advisor, to do a few reviews. If you have ideas about how to use Google Photo for blogger, please do tell!

Just More Boats

I can't resist taking photos of boat names when we're walking the docks. Must be an inner weirdness of mine.

What's a Winedog? Is that a take-off on "wine-dark sea," from the Old English poems? I'll tell you this -- boaters are more fond of their beverages than the average population.

This boat's cockpit is particularly beautiful. I love the shape, and all the old wood.

The first word is obscured by the motor, but you can guess what it says. We know the fellow who owns this cute Cape Dory.

Here's a photo of "Three Sheets to the Wind" from the front end:

And here's a little crabbing boat that lives at the nice marina in town. You see how open they are. These guys stand up as their ride and steer -- incredible sense of balance.

The wooden rack here is to prevent all the crab pot ropes/lines from getting tangled in the motor, I think. It's a big motor for a very little boat because these guys really clip along in the creeks, putting out their crab pots and gathering them up again.

This contraption on the side of the boat is for winding the lines in and out (I think). I've never been crabbing myself.

At the nearby Wildlife Ramp/public access area, the state put in this big cement slab. We wondered what it was for. A pavilion perhaps? Picnic tables? (We wished.) No! It's a handicap-access boat trailer parking space!

I couldn't resist a photo of this classic sailor's figurehead. But ... ahem ... I had to blur out certain parts that were a bit shocking. Still, she's impressive.

As you know, a few independent-minded boaters (esp. sailors) "live aboard." They live full-time on their boats and don't have houses. In this small marina, about eight boats are live-aboard. (Some marinas don't allow live-aboards.) But here, they have a pool, a covered deck/eating area with tables, a grill, rocking chairs, an information board. They also have laundry facilities. It's really a sailor's paradise. It costs to have a slip here, but you can be sure it's cheaper than a mortgage, or even rent!

And the neighborhood is peaceful, private, lovely.

The Blue Bayou

{{Update: This winter Adam and I met a couple walking around Whittaker Yacht Club who had more knowledge of the "Blue Bayou." She was a fast racer, a J-36, and they'd come down before to check her out. Sadly, she is beyond repair. The man said she was fast and light -- light because her hull is balsa under fiberglass, so the spots where the fiberglass has been penetrated will quickly allow in moisture, which will wick throughout the hull. Probably already has. He said that the "Blue Bayou" was the first of these boats off the factory floor -- the flagship, if you will. I feel privileged to have seen her, even in this state.}}

It's a story of a boat, this boat.

From a distance, she looks okay. She was a fast boat, a racer, probably over forty feet. She skimmed the river water about a decade ago, winning races among multiple yacht/racing associations near Oriental. She was chosen "Boat of the Year" by the Neuse Yacht Racing Association four times (1998, '99, 2001, '02), in the spinnaker class. I found record of her participating in the Blackbeard Regatta in 2004, where spinnaker trouble seemed to plague her. Here's a little view of the racing that day:

But I could never find the Blue Bayou in that video, and her distinctive two-tone blue hull should stand out. Then I found this video of the ICRC Dragon's Breath Regatta in the same year, and THERE SHE IS!

This short video clearly spotlights the Blue Bayou. Her brilliant colors shine from far away. Her crew perch proudly on the deck. She's beautiful! And she was fast-as-blazes. Adam talked with his buddy Tom, who did quite a bit of sailing in Oriental over the years (and designs and builds his own sailboats). He crewed on Bayou and recalls her winning races from Oriental to Belhaven, and winning by miles.
Well. As you know, Adam and I bike out to Whittaker Marina nearly every day, stroll along the docks and look at the boats there. That's where I first saw the Blue Bayou. She is derelict, in nearly the worst shape of any boat there.

 Her color's faded.

 In several places along the dock-side, her fiberglass hull is worn raw and ragged by bashing into the dock during storms. No bumpers protect her, as with other boats nearby. She is savaged by the elements.

 Because we go often, we note that her hatch and companionway door are wide open, allowing rain into the cabin. This can't be good. Perhaps the owner is attempting to air her out? If so, he should come more often. There must be so much water inside, after the rains this past month.

 Adam noted that some really fine hardware is still on the boat, like these racing cleats.

 Really a beautiful cockpit. I'm saddened by her state of disrepair.

 A little video of her now:

This is a cautionary tale, I suppose. We might say, "It's only a boat, a possession. Things deteriorate. Que sera, sera!" Or more accurately, we might say that sailing life in Oriental has changed (and died down) quite a bit since thirty years ago, or even twelve years ago. The sailors who came here as middle aged men and women are now elderly or dead. They built up a beautiful sailing life and community that few younger families can afford to live in, in the same way. Back then, a single income, a second home in Oriental (which had cheap real estate then), a sailboat, a slip, yacht association and racing association dues -- all this was affordable. It must have been a beautiful time on the river!

Whittaker Marina, much as I love it, shows the wear and tear of years, as does this single boat. It's hard for me to watch a beautiful thing die. Something about beauty is divine, is of heaven, is it not? When the beautiful fades, sags, crumbles, dies, we are disheartened that even beauty doesn't live forever, as we know in our hearts that it should.

I wish I could see the Blue Bayou sail again, her spinnaker bulging with wind, her hull flashing in sunlight, her rigging strained with pressure, her sailors leaning as she heels, and loving every moment. Anyone out there care to resurrect a boat? I wish someone would!

"Grow Your Blog" Party!

Hello, readers, new and old ~ Welcome to Oriental! Today is the annual "Grow Your Blog" Party. Hundreds of bloggers are sharing their lives, opening wide the front doors of their online homes and welcoming in many new friends. This party is organized by Vicki at "2 Bags Full."

I'm M.K., and I live in Oriental, North Carolina, U.S. It's the sailing capitol of North Carolina, and (some say) the cruising capitol of the east coast. Oriental is a beautiful, relaxing village on a seven-mile-wide river, on a 30-mile-wide sound, just off the Atlantic Ocean.

My husband Adam is a pastor here at a cute little Presbyterian church just outside of town.

We have four great kids; three of them are out of the house and living college and post-college lives.

Oriental is a small village that invites everyone to be active and involved. Lots of sailing happens here, of course.

my daughter in the sunfish

That's me, all bundled up last winter!

And my hubby Adam, sailing last fall

What do I do? I homeschool child #4 each day. And I have a small home business -- I make artisan soaps, hand lotion and lip balm.

 I knit and crochet a lot, and sell all these wares at our small local farmers market each Saturday morning.

I also write. You can read some of my books, short stories, and poetry right here on my blog. (See the tabs along the top.)
Residents of Oriental tend to walk, bike, and visit around town every day, with their dogs in tow. If it's raining, they just don their foul-weather gear and go out anyway! Adam loves being a pastor in a town like this; it's easy to meet everyone. He also keeps bees a little. (Note the bee page among the tabs.)

He teaches a class on making telescopes too, and teaches chess at a local school. I participate in a prayer shawl ministry, direct a hand-chime choir, and teach piano lessons. We've been on a weight-loss journey this year. Together, we've lost 80 lbs. thus far. We feel so much better! This year, Adam hopes to be a rower on a dragon boat in the town's annual race ~

Yes, we do. We have dragon boat races ... I kid you not :)
Most of all, we feel very blessed that God has planted us here in this spot. It's full of beauty.

Smith Creek at sunset

the Neuse River, late afternoon in winter

sunset over the big bridge

sunrise over the Neuse

In addition to these activities, we love to read, cook and bake, occasionally visit B-and-Bs, and brag about our dogs, Sandy and Beau.

Beau, last fall -- he's fluffier now

Sandy

We both love to study the Bible with our dear friends at church, and sometimes I write about those things too.
Thank you for stopping by! Please come back anytime. Leave a comment before you go ~ I'd love to hear from you :)