Loving on North Carolina

Summer has reminded me how much I love North Carolina. The air smells different. The feelings in the air are different. Even with the humidity around, I had a beautiful week. I especially had a good time visiting North Topsail for the first time. With Al's family down, we spent a day at the beach, feeling the sand in our toes and the breeze in our hair. His little sisters and nephew played around us, happy to be playing out in the sun. What is there to love about North Carolina?

The food.

Fried chicken. Pulled pork. Shrimp burgers. Fresh seafood. Is your mouth watering yet?

Fishing.

Fishing is a way of life down here. It's so easy to find a place to pick up some live bait and spend your day baking in the sun with a fishing pole. Fish under bridges, out in the woods by the Neuse River and White Oak River Basin, on the beach, or off of any bridge. We haven't caught anything yet, but we will! In the meantime, we'll just cross our fingers and drink cold beers.

 

The atmosphere.

Even in the summertime, when there are a lot of out-of-towners, the atmosphere is less one of frustration and more of calm happiness. Family is so important here, and maybe that's what it is that makes people here some of the  friendliest people around. Every time I step out of my house, I feel like I'm supposed to have a good time. Every thing is so warm and inviting and relaxing! It feels great to live in a place like that, where it just feels good to be alive every day.

The beaches.

Emerald Isle is by far my favorite, but I've only been to a few around here. In many of the beaches, however, the water is unbelievably beautiful. The sun hits it in the right light all the time! It's amazing. It's always a good temperature, and the beach itself is spotlessly clean and filled with whole shells to collect. Collecting shells is one of my favorite things to do down here-there are so many different kinds, you're bound to find a ton of shells that are not at all similar.

Al's sister Lily and nephew Oliver hanging out on Topsail Beach.

 

North Carolina is so amazing during the summer. Not that it's not at other times of the year, especially in fall, when the leaves change and it's pumpkin patch time! But summer is great because that's the time of year most people really get to enjoy North Carolina and all it has to offer. I know I had a blast this week, and I'm excited for the rest of the summer still to come. :)

 

See you at the beach!