Topsail Beach NC

I have to say that North Carolina has some nice rest stops. Too bad our legislators have to get involved with peering inside the facilities and obsess over who uses which one.

I can see a certain amount of sense in getting married at a winery, you'd be all set up with the celebratory drinks.

I haven't been to the beach in a while even though it's an easy drive from where I live in central NC.

I've always liked the fact that it's not too far to drive to the west to the NC mountains or to the east to the beach from where I live.

Topsail is one of the closer beaches to me.

I was determined to get a shot of a bird in flight but most were too fast for me.

Now that I commute to work instead of connecting from my computer at home, I don't photograph my backyard birds as much.

I don't really photograph anything as much as I used to.

I thought the yucca in bloom looked lovely on the dune.

I love dunes and they are so important to the coast.

I never tire of photographing the ocean.

I think it's in part because it constantly changes.

I had trouble deciding which shots to use for this post.

It take me longer to be selective about photographs than to just pick a bunch.

With long posts I run out of things to say in between the shots.

We went out to eat last night on the sound side and I caught a sunset.

I like the way islands are surrounded by water.

That way you can get a sunset on the water even when it's not on the ocean side.

The moon put on a show when it came up on the ocean side.

I needed a tripod to do it justice but you can get an idea.

July begins 2016

We've had a stormy long weekend but Sunday was nice enough for a drive to Oxford, NC where Bill has retired to.



When we were still married we had a tentative plan to retire somewhere out in the country in the mountains.



Since we're divorced and back to a close friendship I'm kind of glad that Bill didn't retire quite that far from Raleigh.



He's 8 years older than I am and retired last year.



He bought a farmhouse and five acres of land in Oxford NC which is less than an hour from Raleigh.



The shots above include his first phase of the vegetable garden he's put in, the cold frame which is growing weeds now that the plants are out, and a pasture that he originally thought he'd use as a meadow but currently plans to plant trees on.



One of the old tobacco barns on his property fell down recently the other is being eaten up by vines. Starting with the next shot are photographs inside Oxford proper as opposed to out in the sticks where Bill lives.



The first shot on this post is of the horses when I first turn on the road his house is on and part of the 5 mile drive from the turn to his house. 



We went into downtown Oxford all decked out for independence day and I photographed some of the houses on the way there and back while Bill drove.



It's nice seeing such well maintained older houses.



I particularly like the one with the sunflowers out front and the old truck.



It's nice to see a variety of styles.



Part of what I don't like about newer subdivisions is the houses often all look a lot a like, that's certainly true of the 1960s one I have lived in since 1984.



Happy Independence Day!

Late June 2016

I managed to get up early enough for a walk at the park and lake near my house.



It's not so much a matter of waking up early enough but on the weekend it's getting motivated to leave my house before it gets hot.



I work 30 miles or so from my house and the traffic can be terrible.



To avoid bad traffic I go in early so I beat the worse part of the morning commuters and I leave early to beat the evening commuters.



After so many years of working primarily from my home computer I relish not having to get dressed and leave the house over the weekend.



In the summer if I don't get out early I can't walk because I don't handle heat very well.



This morning was perfect for walking. 



I was surprised there weren't more people at the lake but I'm sure a lot of people showed up after I left.



It's easier for me to walk in the fall and winter because I don't have to work around heat.



My attitude is I can always add more clothes against the cold.



The only time I can't walk in the winter is when it's icy and I have to be concerned about falling.



I love catching the moon in the morning before it goes down.



I've never seen a sign like the one below. 



I like the idea of a butterfly highway.



I'd rather walk through a butterfly highway than drive on one for automobiles.



I was surprised the creek wasn't higher with all the rain we've had.



I know the plants have been happy about a wet summer.



The flowers at the lake and park looked very happy.



I'm not sure what this plant is. I wondered if it might not be a variety of hydrangea but the flowers aren't like ones I'm used to.



If someone tells me what the plant is I'm sure it will be something I should have thought of.