Hi F &F,
As you know we decided to have an extra day in Edenton. My favorite small town so far along the East Coast and I think others have found it so as there are many who moved to live here permanently from other parts of USA. They are celebrating 300 years 1712 to 2012.
Graeme took himself off on a mission in the morning to check out a small oil painting he had seen in an art gallery .Came back smiling with a parcel under his arm! We found a perfect spot to hang it but minus the large gold frame it came with.Called Together Forever ,it is a water scene with two boats and seemed the perfect choice for an early Wedding Anniversary gift .It will be 37 years
next January10th !
We bought tickets for the annual Christmas in Edenton.Started off with a trolley tour of the many beautiful homes then visited two of the homes Iredell house and Barker house. Treats inside the homes included their famous eggnog A cholesterol delight! Wassail, a wine based punch and lots of home baked cookies.Also music been played by local residents made for an authentic tour.
Myra and Noel joined us at 3.30 pm and we visited the Cupola house , there we were welcomed with men and women in traditional costumes of the period A lot like Williamsburg in Virginia.
At 4 pm the house Candlelight tours stared and we started with the Hayward Plantation first.A most beautiful home and sitting right near the Edenton Bay. After that we visited about 6 homes again well decorated for the Christmas season and we finished off with a visit to the Old Edenton Courthouse 1767 for Christmas Carols.They have a all men choir , they all sang archipelago then we join in later on.Finished up with dinner at the 309 Bistro .I had the most delicious pork Osso Bucco.
Great day.
Over and out
Erica
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Day 7
Hi There Bloggers,
Sorry you will have to wait as the wifi and blog site have been acting up I will try it again in New Bern later.
Over and Out
Erica.
Sorry you will have to wait as the wifi and blog site have been acting up I will try it again in New Bern later.
Over and Out
Erica.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Day 6 In Edenton
Hi there F &F ( Family and Friends)
We are enjoying our stay here in Edenton ! It is another beautiful day although a bit cooler ,ie down to 50 degrees. Our slip is wonderful with full views of the Edenton Bay. I could stay here for at least a couple of weeks! Armed with our maps and info we walked up one side of the Main Street and down the other.Stopped to look at St Paul's Episcopal Church ( the oldest in NC) also checked in at the visitors center and bought some blistered peanuts .So called , because of the process to prepare the peanuts which are boiled first in water then cooked in canola oil which blisters the skin .Supposed to be less oily. Stopped for lunch at the bistro 309 Had a delicious Cuban Reuben sandwich with salad and homemade honey Dijon mustard dressing.Hoping to go back tomorrow night for dinner there! That leads me onto the next thing ,we have decided to stay an extra night so we can go on the Christmas candlelight tour of 15 of the historic houses .Apparently it is a must do and there will be egg nog served and desserts along the way.We called Myra and Noel and they will join us around 4 pm.
Decided we would go on a long walk to get some exercise and walk off our big lunch, so set off to a nearby Plantation . The air was crisp and clear, the water was sparkling, the sun sunning brightly, it can't get much better! Got back around 3 pm and then borrowed Bob's courtesy car get get our provisions from the local Food Lion supermarket. Graeme is on duty to cook up the Lets Dish Moroccan Chicken while I do this blog.A little history to finish about Edenton.
It was established in 1712 and served as the first Colonial Capital until 1743.In the days before the Revolution it was a small but highly prosperous seaport .With the building of the Dismal Swamp , Edenton no longer held its importance as a port and put an end to its boom in 1830's.
Over and Out
Erica .
We are enjoying our stay here in Edenton ! It is another beautiful day although a bit cooler ,ie down to 50 degrees. Our slip is wonderful with full views of the Edenton Bay. I could stay here for at least a couple of weeks! Armed with our maps and info we walked up one side of the Main Street and down the other.Stopped to look at St Paul's Episcopal Church ( the oldest in NC) also checked in at the visitors center and bought some blistered peanuts .So called , because of the process to prepare the peanuts which are boiled first in water then cooked in canola oil which blisters the skin .Supposed to be less oily. Stopped for lunch at the bistro 309 Had a delicious Cuban Reuben sandwich with salad and homemade honey Dijon mustard dressing.Hoping to go back tomorrow night for dinner there! That leads me onto the next thing ,we have decided to stay an extra night so we can go on the Christmas candlelight tour of 15 of the historic houses .Apparently it is a must do and there will be egg nog served and desserts along the way.We called Myra and Noel and they will join us around 4 pm.
Decided we would go on a long walk to get some exercise and walk off our big lunch, so set off to a nearby Plantation . The air was crisp and clear, the water was sparkling, the sun sunning brightly, it can't get much better! Got back around 3 pm and then borrowed Bob's courtesy car get get our provisions from the local Food Lion supermarket. Graeme is on duty to cook up the Lets Dish Moroccan Chicken while I do this blog.A little history to finish about Edenton.
It was established in 1712 and served as the first Colonial Capital until 1743.In the days before the Revolution it was a small but highly prosperous seaport .With the building of the Dismal Swamp , Edenton no longer held its importance as a port and put an end to its boom in 1830's.
Over and Out
Erica .
Day Five Off to Edenton
Hi Family and Friends,
Today we decided to leave mid day as we wanted to see the Albemarle Museum which had rave views in the area .It indeed lived up to its name a well put together museum with lots of exhibits starting from the beginning settlers ,Native Indian and European then going on to the Civil War , WW2 and the modern day. Its a short run in the Albemarle Sound up north to Edenton.This part of the trip is a deviation for us ,as we want to catch up with some old friends Myra and Noel McKechie .Noel used to work for Mobil Oil and retired in this area some years ago..Also we were intrigued to see the town and on top of that the dockage was free! The journey took 2 1/2 hours and easy running at about 20 knots. We had to avoid quite a few crab pots and pass an area off limits (sounds like navy military may do some training in the area!) Arrived at Edenton harbor and we were greeted by Bob the friendly dock master.He helped us tie up , gave us a welcome packet with maps, a bag of peanuts in the shell (popular down here) and bottled water and said he had a courteously car we could use if we wanted to do any shopping.This is service and all for free! We were the only visiting boat ( the advantage of traveling south so late) Just us , 3 small resident boats and the seagulls.
At 5 pm Myra and Noel arrived for drinks and snacks on board.We had fun catching up then walked together the one block to the Waterman's Grille for dinner. We found the town friendly and certainly stronger economically than Elizabeth City. Beautifully restored old homes line the waterfront. it turns out that this area did not receive much damage during the Civil War. we feel we are really getting into the south now!
Over and Out
Erica
Today we decided to leave mid day as we wanted to see the Albemarle Museum which had rave views in the area .It indeed lived up to its name a well put together museum with lots of exhibits starting from the beginning settlers ,Native Indian and European then going on to the Civil War , WW2 and the modern day. Its a short run in the Albemarle Sound up north to Edenton.This part of the trip is a deviation for us ,as we want to catch up with some old friends Myra and Noel McKechie .Noel used to work for Mobil Oil and retired in this area some years ago..Also we were intrigued to see the town and on top of that the dockage was free! The journey took 2 1/2 hours and easy running at about 20 knots. We had to avoid quite a few crab pots and pass an area off limits (sounds like navy military may do some training in the area!) Arrived at Edenton harbor and we were greeted by Bob the friendly dock master.He helped us tie up , gave us a welcome packet with maps, a bag of peanuts in the shell (popular down here) and bottled water and said he had a courteously car we could use if we wanted to do any shopping.This is service and all for free! We were the only visiting boat ( the advantage of traveling south so late) Just us , 3 small resident boats and the seagulls.
At 5 pm Myra and Noel arrived for drinks and snacks on board.We had fun catching up then walked together the one block to the Waterman's Grille for dinner. We found the town friendly and certainly stronger economically than Elizabeth City. Beautifully restored old homes line the waterfront. it turns out that this area did not receive much damage during the Civil War. we feel we are really getting into the south now!
Over and Out
Erica
Behind already! Day 4
Hi there Friends and Family,
Another beautiful sunny day and warm 72 degrees on the Dismal Swamp Canal. We left mid morning , the sailors (our neighbors for the night ) had got up early to make the 8.30 am lock opening.We decided the 11 am opening suited us fine.In fact we never saw any other boats on today's trip apart from the odd small fishing boat .One guy offered us a specked trout he had caught.We politely declined.Filleting fish is not one of our skills yet! The South Mills lock had the same arrangement as the other one.This time in reverse.The bridge opened first then the lock keeper raced off in his car to organize the lock opening.This time we went down 8 ft.This guy was not as friendly as our other lock keeper.No tips or advice or history lesson. The rest of the Canal was idyllic .Graeme had music playing on his I Pod Diana Krall soothed us all the way ! We rounded the last bend and there was Elizabeth City. The dock was right on the edge of town. Elizabeth City became popular after the completion of the Dismal Swamp was completed in 1805. It's named after a resident innkeeper called Elizabeth Tooley. After settling in , we made a walk into the town carrying our very dirty fender covers ( caused by the locks) to find a laundry place.While walking along a lady informed us we were entering a bad part of town and mentioned there had been a drug bust just last night near where we were walking! Great! Well, we were fine .Found a great little coffee house called Muddy Waters .Had the best cup of coffee , sure beats Starbucks! Lovely old homes here but the area not so thriving and definitely several places were run down. We decided to eat out and there has a handy place called Groupers right next to our dock. Naturally we ordered fish and seafood! Early to bed again.
Over and Out
Erica.
Another beautiful sunny day and warm 72 degrees on the Dismal Swamp Canal. We left mid morning , the sailors (our neighbors for the night ) had got up early to make the 8.30 am lock opening.We decided the 11 am opening suited us fine.In fact we never saw any other boats on today's trip apart from the odd small fishing boat .One guy offered us a specked trout he had caught.We politely declined.Filleting fish is not one of our skills yet! The South Mills lock had the same arrangement as the other one.This time in reverse.The bridge opened first then the lock keeper raced off in his car to organize the lock opening.This time we went down 8 ft.This guy was not as friendly as our other lock keeper.No tips or advice or history lesson. The rest of the Canal was idyllic .Graeme had music playing on his I Pod Diana Krall soothed us all the way ! We rounded the last bend and there was Elizabeth City. The dock was right on the edge of town. Elizabeth City became popular after the completion of the Dismal Swamp was completed in 1805. It's named after a resident innkeeper called Elizabeth Tooley. After settling in , we made a walk into the town carrying our very dirty fender covers ( caused by the locks) to find a laundry place.While walking along a lady informed us we were entering a bad part of town and mentioned there had been a drug bust just last night near where we were walking! Great! Well, we were fine .Found a great little coffee house called Muddy Waters .Had the best cup of coffee , sure beats Starbucks! Lovely old homes here but the area not so thriving and definitely several places were run down. We decided to eat out and there has a handy place called Groupers right next to our dock. Naturally we ordered fish and seafood! Early to bed again.
Over and Out
Erica.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Day 3 on the Dismal Swamp
Hi Family and Friends,
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to leave at 8.30am in plenty of time to catch the 15ft Gilmerton bridge which first opened at 9.30am.Would you believe it ,the previous rail bridge usually open decided to close to let on a 49 carriage train! So we waited a good half hour there and missed our opening.However we called up the bridge keeper who informed us it was a 15ft 1/2inch clearance so we just got under ( we have a 15 ft clearance on the boat)and headed off for the Dismal Swamp. So named because the diggers of the canal( all employed ruffians back in 1787 ) declared it a dark and dismal area.It is the oldest operating artificial waterway in the USA. Our first stop was at the Deep Creek Lock where again we had to wait for an opening of about 45 mins. Not the kind of journey if you are in a hurry!
The Lock Master organized us and the sailboat behind us then proceeded to open the gates and the water flowed in to a height of 8 ft. Once completed, the Lock Master decided to give us an informative lecture about the canal . The area surrounding the Canal has Jupiter and Cypress trees in abundance .They leach tannins into the waterway and the fresh water becomes very acidic.So much so ,no bacteria can survive in it. The water is the color of dark tea. George Washington owned the whole area of the dismal swamp. He was a man of many talents and means.He harvested the trees for lumber , and another fact little known fact, he was also the largest rum producer in USA ! The Lock Keeper had double duty and once we were underway,he drove off down the road to open a bridge we then went through. The journey to our destination the Dismal Swamp Welcome center took about 5 hours going through the lovely serene vistas at about 6 miles speed and using 1.7 gallons per hour.
( normally we would be using around 30 gallons per hour)The sailors would be proud of us ,we were enjoying the journey not aiming to get there as fast as possible! We tied up and two sailboats joined us for the night.We went for a nice long walk through the nature reserve then cooked dinner on boat thanks to Lets Dish. I was in bed by 9.30pm!
Over and Out
Erica.
Sent from my iPad Canal.
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to leave at 8.30am in plenty of time to catch the 15ft Gilmerton bridge which first opened at 9.30am.Would you believe it ,the previous rail bridge usually open decided to close to let on a 49 carriage train! So we waited a good half hour there and missed our opening.However we called up the bridge keeper who informed us it was a 15ft 1/2inch clearance so we just got under ( we have a 15 ft clearance on the boat)and headed off for the Dismal Swamp. So named because the diggers of the canal( all employed ruffians back in 1787 ) declared it a dark and dismal area.It is the oldest operating artificial waterway in the USA. Our first stop was at the Deep Creek Lock where again we had to wait for an opening of about 45 mins. Not the kind of journey if you are in a hurry!
The Lock Master organized us and the sailboat behind us then proceeded to open the gates and the water flowed in to a height of 8 ft. Once completed, the Lock Master decided to give us an informative lecture about the canal . The area surrounding the Canal has Jupiter and Cypress trees in abundance .They leach tannins into the waterway and the fresh water becomes very acidic.So much so ,no bacteria can survive in it. The water is the color of dark tea. George Washington owned the whole area of the dismal swamp. He was a man of many talents and means.He harvested the trees for lumber , and another fact little known fact, he was also the largest rum producer in USA ! The Lock Keeper had double duty and once we were underway,he drove off down the road to open a bridge we then went through. The journey to our destination the Dismal Swamp Welcome center took about 5 hours going through the lovely serene vistas at about 6 miles speed and using 1.7 gallons per hour.
( normally we would be using around 30 gallons per hour)The sailors would be proud of us ,we were enjoying the journey not aiming to get there as fast as possible! We tied up and two sailboats joined us for the night.We went for a nice long walk through the nature reserve then cooked dinner on boat thanks to Lets Dish. I was in bed by 9.30pm!
Over and Out
Erica.
Sent from my iPad Canal.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
On the water again heading South Dec 2012
Hi there Family and Friends!
Well this year we left it a little late to travel south but so far it worked out on the trip down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk , the start of the ICW.
Day 1:
Saturday 1st Dec we left our boating home and headed for Reedville a quaint little Virginia town at about the half way point to Norfolk. We had following seas which made for a pleasant ride, only problem was there was fog sometimes quite thick with visibility less than a mile most of the way. Fortunately as we're headed into the marina at Cockrell Creek the weather cleared and the sun was shining .After a 4 hour journey we were able to tie up at the small Reedville Marina and Crazy Crab Restaurant at the fuel dock. . After settling in ,we took a walk through the town and visited the little Fishermens Museum ,the Model Train Museum and a tour of one of the old houses owned by the Taylor family.All for the price of $3 each! After a cocktail onward the boat we walked all of about 12 steps to the Crazy Crab Restaurant where we dined with the locals.The place was full by 6.30pm and people waiting to be seated.The steamed shrimp were one of the best meals we have had recently, and the fresh flounder and rockfish were pretty good also. A successful first day cruising!
Day 2:
Had a leisurely morning and left about 11am , the water was less calm initially but at least no fog! A we approached the York River area , amazingly the water calmed down and took on a smooth glassy appearance .We also saw our first brown pelicans , three of them in a line skimming the surface .They usually only come up the Chesapeake Bay about half way .As we entered into Hampton area we slowed down and made the last part of the journey passing by all the Navy vessels, mainly aircraft carriers Norfolk is famous for. Reminded me of when my Dad came over from NZ and we were invited to go on board the brand new John C.Stennis aircraft carrier. he was like and excited school boy! We decided to try Portsmouth as we had stayed in Norfolf previously. Docked at the Tidewater Marina with its nice floating docks and then took a short walk into the town. Started out with a beer at a huge sports bar with about 14 TV's playing various American Football games simultaneously . Two exciting games were just finishing and the crowd were really getting excited.Afterwards we took a stroll through a lovely old historic housing area and then went to eat at the genuine German Bier Garden! Graeme had schnitzel and I the pork loin complete with red cabbage,sauerkraut and German potato salad and mustard .
Back to the boat for an early night.
Over and out
Erica and Graeme.
At
was following current
Well this year we left it a little late to travel south but so far it worked out on the trip down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk , the start of the ICW.
Day 1:
Saturday 1st Dec we left our boating home and headed for Reedville a quaint little Virginia town at about the half way point to Norfolk. We had following seas which made for a pleasant ride, only problem was there was fog sometimes quite thick with visibility less than a mile most of the way. Fortunately as we're headed into the marina at Cockrell Creek the weather cleared and the sun was shining .After a 4 hour journey we were able to tie up at the small Reedville Marina and Crazy Crab Restaurant at the fuel dock. . After settling in ,we took a walk through the town and visited the little Fishermens Museum ,the Model Train Museum and a tour of one of the old houses owned by the Taylor family.All for the price of $3 each! After a cocktail onward the boat we walked all of about 12 steps to the Crazy Crab Restaurant where we dined with the locals.The place was full by 6.30pm and people waiting to be seated.The steamed shrimp were one of the best meals we have had recently, and the fresh flounder and rockfish were pretty good also. A successful first day cruising!
Day 2:
Had a leisurely morning and left about 11am , the water was less calm initially but at least no fog! A we approached the York River area , amazingly the water calmed down and took on a smooth glassy appearance .We also saw our first brown pelicans , three of them in a line skimming the surface .They usually only come up the Chesapeake Bay about half way .As we entered into Hampton area we slowed down and made the last part of the journey passing by all the Navy vessels, mainly aircraft carriers Norfolk is famous for. Reminded me of when my Dad came over from NZ and we were invited to go on board the brand new John C.Stennis aircraft carrier. he was like and excited school boy! We decided to try Portsmouth as we had stayed in Norfolf previously. Docked at the Tidewater Marina with its nice floating docks and then took a short walk into the town. Started out with a beer at a huge sports bar with about 14 TV's playing various American Football games simultaneously . Two exciting games were just finishing and the crowd were really getting excited.Afterwards we took a stroll through a lovely old historic housing area and then went to eat at the genuine German Bier Garden! Graeme had schnitzel and I the pork loin complete with red cabbage,sauerkraut and German potato salad and mustard .
Back to the boat for an early night.
Over and out
Erica and Graeme.
At
was following current
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