The day after Thanksgiving was a busy day with the family. It was also a wonderful, relaxing day.

We managed to spend a lot of time outdoors and to get a few things done for the holidays. We started our outside activities with a late brunch at Jana's. Then the ladies when shopping for the holidays and the guys went boat lot hopping, looking a great deal.

Just before dusk, we went to see the Swansboro flotilla followed by dinner at Captain Charlie's. Later in the evening I found my Crocs had been decorated with a purple people eater which apparently was a major focus of the ladies shopping.

Today after catching the wonderful sunrise along the marsh on Route 58, we went for a walk on the beach. Then the kids all headed home. After that we made a trek over to Emerald Isle for the annual Christmas parade. I even took the time to create a website with photos of most of the floats and a few shots of the crowd.

Late tonight we got word that the kids had arrived safely back home in Cornelius, NC and Reston, Va. Now we can go to bed tonight and rest easy. We have survived our first Crystal Coast Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful.

Thanksgiving day dawned a cool gray day. I doubt the temperature ever got above 50 Fahrenheit, but it was definitely warm inside.

This shot was taken from the Carteret county side of the White Oak River looking towards the Onslow county side. It is framed with with some pine trees in Bluewater Cove where we live.

Today was devoted to family meals, the Macy's parade, a dog show, football, and lots of naps interspersed with a few dog walks.

There is nothing like being together with your family on Thanksgiving, the American holiday.

This morning the rains stopped, and the sun came out. It was great to have the weather clear before the Thanksgiving holiday.

This shot was taken at launch ramp in Croatan National Forest near Swansboro on the Carteret County side of the White Oak River. It is one of my favorite places to watch the sun set over the White Oak River.

It would not have taken much to float your boat today. The water was way up the ramp.

The high temperature at our house was 67 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not bad for the day before Thanksgiving.

The weather has definitely changed. This morning I went over to Clyde Phillips Seafood to buy some Shrimp for our holiday feast. The White Oak River was already a little choppy. The word at the seafood shop was that it was going to be a while before anyone went out fishing. The winds have been impressive, and we have had some substantial rain. These were the highest wind gusts reported by the Weather Underground as of this afternoon. The high winds did not stop these surfers over at Emerald Isle late this afternoon.

... Peak wind gusts as of 5 PM Tuesday...

Cape Lookout... ... 59 mph 242 PM
Manteo... ... ... ... 52 mph 441 PM
Pea Island... ... ..63 mph 420 PM
Kill Devil Hills..62 mph time unknown
Rodanthe... ... ... .61 mph time unknown
Duck... ... ... ... ..61 mph 344 PM
Alligator river... 60 mph 230 PM
Cape Lookout... ... 59 mph 242 PM
Cedar Island... ... 52 mph 1150 am
Hatteras ASOS... ..44 mph
New Bern ASOS... ..45 mph
Cherry Point... ... 46 mph

I think we are lucky this storm is not building when the weather is a lot colder. It could be a nasty Nor'easter.

It's hard to believe the shot at the top of the page was only taken 12 days ago.

Even paradise has to have a few storms.

have really enjoyed my first fall along the Crystal Coast. I am still busy finishing things around our new house and taking courses, but that doesn't mean that I have not been able to enjoy what is some of the most spectacular weather that I have ever experienced. I have particularly enjoyed the late fall walks along the beach and the sunsets over the White Oak River. I recently selected a few and posted them on the web at a site I call Coastal NC Shots. I did another site of shots that I took at Emerald Isle Beach on October 19. My favorite ones are at a spot that I call Margaritaville.

I have also done some articles about the local area, foods and restaurants over at my blog View from the Mountain. One of the posts was called The Magic of Good Neighbors. I am guessing that many people moving into the area are amazed about how friendly Coastal Carolinians are. It is a different pace of life here. That easy pace of life is of the special things that I hope doesn't change. It may take a little longer to get some things done, but that just gives you more time to enjoy the beauty of your natural surroundings or try out some of the wonderfully uncrowded but top knotch restaurants. I even managed to go kayaking this year for the first time in a long time. This area is perfect for kayaking.

We did get to go the annual Seafood Festival in Morehead City, but we missed Swansboro's annual Mullet Festival. All the exposure to fresh seafood has completely hooked me on the wonderfully fresh local shrimp. I even wrote a post about The Easy Way to Perfect Shrimp. Some local friends have convinced me the only place to buy seafood is at Clyde Phillip's Seafood between the bridges. We also did a crab feast and made some great crab cakes.

This is the first of my regular posts here. I will also try to provide links to new pictures of the area that I take. Many of the pictures eventually end up at my Flickr site which you can also always reach from the link on the upper right of the main page. There will continue to be local articles like The reason it is called the Crystal Coast on my main blog.