We are back in Oriental! Our last trip here was in May 2008, and was followed in June by Lin getting bucked off a large, angry horse, and getting fractured. It feels really good to be back, in more ways than we can say. It is freezing here, not much different than home, but greener. Probably in the 20s and very windy, but of course there is no snow.
We flew out of Manchester at 7 am, with two stops and time spent waiting for our next flight in each airport. Our third flight was a 50-seat propeller deal, and landed at 3:30 pm. Our rental-car was not far away, and we arrived in Oriental about 4:30. Long day! We could have traveled half way across the world in that same 9 hours, but the trip was worth it, we are back in Oriental where we feel so comfortable, and the people are so nice.
Our boat looks lonely:
It's good to be back in NC. The boat is fine but looks lonely. Since we haven't seen it for so long and it's been closed up since May, we were really worried about mildew and dampness, but there are no problems that we can see. That's a huge relief.
Here's where we stayed:
Rather than stay on the boat this time, we are staying in the old town jail, which is the back lower quarter of the original fire station and town hall, and has been renovated into a nice little rental space. It is comfortable, cute and private. Flora, the owner has provided a gas heater and an electric heater so it's cozy. We are pleased to have met another super-nice resident of Oriental!
Our back door:
Our jail has its own entrance and little back yard. The room has a painted wood floor with a large rug, exposed brick on 3 walls, a sofabed, assorted tables, chairs and other furniture, and a tv. A step up from the sleeping and living room area brings you into a small kitchen/storage area, where there is a stackable washer and drier, a microwave, some cabinets and coffee maker. There is also a good sized bathroom. We think it is quite charming and sort of makes Lin think of Ocean Park, another favorite place. Lin was thrilled when we were told that somewhere in the apartment there is a little lizard, who was unwilling to be chased out into the cold before we arrived, and ran under a piece of furniture, so it's still in there somewhere. It probably would have liked the big spider that was in our tub, but the spider didn't have a chance with us around. Moe caught the spider and set it outside.
The original jail keys:
Outside our back window we can see across a couple of lawns to the water and all the boat masts, so Moe likes that. Flora made us feel so welcome, it almost feels like we are sharing her home with her. We are hoping to meet her husband Jeff later. Oriental is different! We walked the three blocks to the boat after we unloaded our bags, and two complete strangers that we passed on the sidewalk wished us a happy new year. I think that would never happen in NH.
Our plans for this evening are to chase a dragon.
1/1/09 HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Last night was fun. We went to our favorite and normally very quiet restaurant, M&M's. It was mobbed, and while we were waiting for a table, we started chatting with the couple in line in front of us. Mary and Al moved here in 1997 from Sandwich MA, and have a daughter that lives in Epping NH, about a mile from Lin’s horse. Small world! We ended up joining them for dinner, and then everyone left in a hurry at 8 pm to catch the "running of the dragon". Hopefully we'll see them again when they come up here to visit their daughter later in January.
What a blast! The dragon was huge and long, and attracted a huge crowd. http://towndock.net/news/running-of-the-dragon-2008-into-2009?pg=1
Check here for pictures and to hear how it sounded! http://towndock.net/news/dragon-runs-from-2007-in-to-2008 Make sure your volume is up as loud as it'll go, so you get the feeling of being there!
Hundreds and hundreds of people were on the sidewalk and crowding the street. Everyone was making a huge amount of noise, with little air horns, shaking 5 gallon pails with rocks in them, banging pots and pans with wooden spoons. It was a crazy, loud huge mass of happy people, dogs and kids, all mashed together trying to catch the dragon to put our hands in its mouth, which is said to bring you luck in the new year. We caught up to the dragon a few times, which was hard with all the people, darkness and banging, and the dragon snaking this way and that through the crowd, up and down the street. After a tough 2008, we were feeling a need for any extra available luck.
In addition to the noise of all the folks in the street with kitchen implements and other loud noise-making items, the whole dragon run was all happening while a bunch of drummers were pounding on bongo drums to keep a wild and primitive beat for the dragon to move to as it went up and down the street. One lady holding a little dog had her back to it and with all the noise did not know it was coming. The dragon put it's giant head and open mouth right over the lady and her dog, all the way down to her waist! There was a second dragon run at 11:30, but by then we were fast asleep in the jail. We would've loved to have seen it again, but we were just too tired.
A peaceful next morning, as seen in this view from the Bean:
This morning we had our usual breakfast of coffee and multi-grain power bagels at the unusually crowded Bean. The crowds are the only hint at the number of people that were here last night, and we hear it will be quiet and back to normal here by later in the day. Across the street from the Bean is the Town Dock, where a boat very similar to ours just tied up. The sky is blue, the water is flat, and there are huge pelicans soaring overhead. They land in the water with a very ungraceful crash and splash, as if someone has thrown a large object like a suitcase in. It’s COLD again today - in the mid-20s with a lot of wind. Still nice, though!
Our little room mate:
Moe spent some time working on the boat, while Lin did “work” for home, and caught up on e-mails and phone calls at the Bean. After, while dropping off the computer and phone at the jail, Lin was excited to meet our roommate, a little chameleon. He was cute, and exactly like the little lizards she kept for pets as a child. Of course there was a photoshoot, then a visit in a warm hand. I hope we see him or her again! Spent some time hanging out on the boat, doing some boat laundry in the jail followed by some light shopping and a fantastic lunch at M&M’s. The huge and all the fresh air caused a serious need for a long nap for Moe, and a chance for Lin to catch up on computer stuff.
Making a new friend:
Later we will probably go for a walk down by the water and look for pecans and pine cones that have fallen from the trees. The plan for this evening is to broaden our horizons and try a new nearby restaurant called the Silos. This is conveniently across the street from a much-loved spot of Moe’s, West Marine.
1/2/09
The view from the Bean on a calm morning:
It's a bit warmer this morning, maybe even 40. We are getting some good relaxing time in. It feels good to eat, read, walk around the quiet little town, talk and laugh with folks we're meeting here. Each time we come to Oriental, we meet more people, and recognize people from the last trip.
Greg from Clancy’s Marina told Moe this morning that someone accosted the dragon at its 11:30 pm run, and tore out three of its teeth! Who would do such a thing? What is the world coming to? Everyone thinks this is just awful, to ruin something so important and well loved.
Pelicans:
We tried to eat at a different place last night, called The Silos. Alas, it was closed. We went to our usual haunt and had a great dinner, a good nights sleep, and were back at the Bean this morning for breakfast, a chance for Lin to catch up with her work, and a chance for Moe to meet the man who dove under the boat in August and cleaned all of the seaweed and muscles off of it. They've already grown back, yuck!
Our mission for today is more relaxing, with a trip to local shops to pick up some provisions and a heater or dehumidifier for the boat. Moe spent some time working on the boat, while Lin worked on work e-mails and phone calls, and did some reading. Moe met and talked with the canvas repair folks who may help fix up the old canvas on our boat.
Shopping at some local stores resulted in two small air-circulating heaters, which we put on the boat to combat dampness and mildew. The boat has been at Clancy’s Marina for a full year now. Did I mention Clancy’s is named after a dog? Dogs are everywhere in Oriental. They are all very polite and social, from what we can see.
Chico is Jason's dog, and is a Boston Terrier and Pointer mix:
A sailboat across the dock from ours is the home of Jason, who is from Kansas. He arrived here in Oriental in August with his dog Chico and $8 in his pocket. He docked at Clancy’s and found a job three hours later, so has been here ever since. He's planning to stay until the Fall, and then maybe head to the Bahamas. Chico is almost two, was thrilled to meet us, and loves big sticks.
We are getting to know people and dogs here. A couple of them remind us of Dixie, same basic size and color, but one with wild scruffy hair, and another with short smooth hair. Ray’s big white Shepherd mix, Shadow wanders the Town Dock area greeting people and relaxing on the front porch of the Bean.
Friendly dogs of Oriental:
In the afternoon we went to our friend Happy's house for a visit and a cup of nice tea, which happened to have been made by Mary, who we'd met and had dinner with on New Year's Eve. Happy told us Mary grew the mint and other plants in the tea in her garden. It was very good. We had fun catching up with Happy and enjoyed our time with her.
Moe's got a good book about boats:
After an afternoon rest with more reading of really good books, we went next door to the old Town Hall and spent some time Flora and her husband Jeff, had a tour of the place, and sat and talked for a while. The building has some great history and used to house the town fire department, court and magistrate’s office. Now it has three charming and bright bedrooms upstairs, a big kitchen and living area downstairs along with several bathrooms and a nice fireplace. Historical photos and decorations are everywhere.
The evening was finished with a huge dinner at the Silos. The dining room was the second floor of a metal silo, very loud and quite crowded, but the food was great. We were back home in our jail by 9pm, snuggled in with our books. We have not seen our little reptile friend since this morning, but Lin put down a plate of fresh water for her.
Dragons are everywhere in Oriental. This one is in the small pond next to The Bean:
Dragon eggs can be seen in different parts of town:
1/3/09
We found our little friend again this morning, sitting on one of the slats in a window shade, where it can get warm from the sun. We have decided to name her Fauna. She seems to turn brownish when she’s cold, and get green when she’s warm. We went for breakfast at The Bean, and found Ray is back from his trip, comfortable on his usual couch in the corner. Ray, why do they make you sit in the corner?
The "Wits End" and local fish market:
We ran into Happy again this morning, and met some new folks, including Ken, a race horse vet. Ken might help Lin adopt a kind older retired throroughbred from the racetrack in NH next year. After visiting with folks for a while at the Bean, Moe went to work on the boat and Lin stayed a while longer to catch up on work. Later we walked past the last part of the farmers market, which is on the grass right next to the Wit’s End, a cute and crooked little building near the center of town. There were good things to eat there. From there we went on to visit the Oriental History Museum, which had a lot of interesting information and artifacts from times gone by.
Moe and the boat. The blue canvas and vinyl windows are all off for the winter.
We had dinner with Flora and Jeff at M&Ms. It was nice to spend some time relaxing, laughing and getting to know each other. Ray had a little gathering at his house this evening, too. We went by later for a glass of wine and dessert, and got to know Ross, Cindy, Rusty and their 12 year old son Luke. Others were there but we’re not good with remembering names. Luke was very interested in Moe’s honeybees, and might start a hive of his own next year. It was a really nice day.
1/4/09
Today was spent in sort of a rush. We had our last breakfast, visiting and e-mail at the Bean. Thank you, Eric and June for taking such good care of us! Packing, last minute things to take care of on the boat, and then lunch at M&Ms. On the way over, Moe saw another little lizard sunning itself on the walkway, so we decided it it was warm enough for him, it must be warm enough for Fauna. If we saw here after lunch, we'd try to convince her to go outside where there is sunshine and food. We were lucky! There she was on the windowsill, not too difficult to catch at all. We put her outside the back door of our jail, and let her go in the green grass.
Fauna is free!
Then we did one last check on the boat, and headed off to New Bern to find a hotel for the night, so we could drop off our rental car and be close to the airport. Monday January 5th was spent flying home. More snow is on the way!
See you in a few months...