It only took me a few days to realize that my goal of writing about the news everyday is just too much for a hobby. My new goal is to do a couple of posts a week. We will see how that goes.
With today being Memorial Day, I am actually at my desk instead of out on the water. We were out yesterday morning and from our quiet anchorage counted over sixty boats in area where we might normally see half a dozen in three hours. I suspect it will be even worse today.
I just watched a strange boat leave inlet. I did not think the guy was going to get the boat out of here, there was a lot of turmoil in the water, but the good news is that we might not need to dredge in the fall.
- Though I only have details that I have seen on Facebook, my thoughts go out to the family of the surfer who died yesterday while saving four other people from a rip current on Emerald Isle. While the ocean might look calm, it is no swimming pool. When I went for a beach walk late in the day yesterday, the currents looked pretty strong.
- The Gulf oil spill is still on my list. As I see our waters and beaches crowded with tourists, one can only think how different it must be on the Gulf beaches. This Washington Post article, Holiday weekend is ominous sign of hard times to come for Louisiana beach town, starts to touch on the pain and devastation that will come to the region. On top of that, oysters are going to be hard to come by this summer.
- The weather never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday Edmonton was reporting some wet snow, and Toronto issued a heat warning as temperatures hit 88F. In fact large parts of Canada have had a much colder May than normal. Here on the North Carolina coast, we are being told to gear up for a busier than usual hurricane season. We are warm, and the water is warming early, but we are also very dry and in need of rain.
- I saw a report which talked about the benefits of mandatory voting. The most surprising thing in the report was that Australia already has mandatory voting. I think voting works a lot better than just shouting down people with different ideas that yours.
- Finally I have to share some thoughts on Memorial Day. As I negotiated the minefield of the local Food Lion Grocery Store on Emerald Isle yesterday evening, I had to wonder if any of the people in such a rush are enjoying much of anything. It used to be that people (myself included) went on vacation and eventually decompressed enough to enjoy themselves. I am not sure that is happening any more. People do not have time for two weeks of vacation. They take a few days and never manage to unwind. It makes for crazy parking lots and some dangerous waterways. I hate to see people wound up like a spring all the time. It certainly causes problems.
