Spring?

Rain upriver

It is not always weather per se that reveals the season. Although the appropriate date has come and gone, spring seems not so close as it did during early February when we went barefoot and wore t-shirts and shorts because our nights now are regularly near freezing and the days full of northern winds that leave us chilled even when the sun shines.

But there are the other signs of spring that mean more than our human calendars. Bartlett pears have blossomed. The scaup have departed (no more "pop-up ducks") as the grebes have arrived. A second loon now whistles at sunset. The ospreys have started to refurbish their aerie in the dead pine beside the river. An otter surfaces here and there. Cattails sprout pale green shoots. The songbirds sing happily in the afternoon woods.

Waterfront in Beaufort

Wild grass on spoils in woods.

Late last week, we drove to the metropolis of Bayboro (the town has a laundromat) ten miles north for a reception marking the opening of an exhibit of Ben Casey's photos.

http://www.bencaseyphotos.com/   

Ben is a friend, a fine observer and an honest teller of tales. Once a week, in The Pamlico News, Ben writes a column of humorous and sometimes sarcastic (when it is deserved) commentary.

Keith of Endurance Seafood ("Fish so fresh it bites")
by Ben Casey

We headed inland (this time to the mountains) again this past weekend. It was delightful to see our daughter for her birthday (and all of us together for Scout's 12th birthday as well, wagging himself ecstatic when we sang "Happy Birthday"; of course, he did the same when we sang for Taylor a few days later, not knowing the difference between their two names). Lots of snow (that fell without sticking) reminded us what winter can be like. Lots of bad drivers reminded us why we like to remain close to the coast.

Talking with Butch and Bill on the dock last evening, catching up on what I missed, the conversation turned to surf casting and sailing to Ocracoke, touring the wooden boat building at the NC Maritime Museum Watercraft Center in Beaufort. Activities for the transitional months of spring and autumn when the heat is suppressed, but the weather is ideal for ambling along the waterfront or sitting on the beach.

Regardless the weather (mainly because we love the cold nights), we are all, including Scout, happy to return to life on the water.