Long ago we learned that every spot on earth has some wonderful secrets. You don't find the neat things about a place by driving through. Sometimes when you're visiting you stumble upon them, but mostly you have to spend some serious time in an area to really appreciate what makes an area special.
When we lived in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Public Gardens made living in Halifax even more special. When we farmed near Fredericton, New Brunswick, there was a really neat wading pool that our kids used to love. It was one of those places where kids could be kids. In our short stay in Columbia, Maryland, we grew to love the well groomed trails that wandered through the huge Poplar trees which grew to heights unimaginable to someone whose last sixteen years was in the land of stunted Spruce and Fir trees.
In Roanoke, Va. before development took it away, we used to enjoy an old woods road that we groomed into a trail. It was a haven away from pavement and even summer heat. Once we had to retreat from the trail, our deck with a view over the city of Roanoke became our special place. I still spend lots of time taking pictures of the sunrises. Many of those pictures are posted at my on line print site.
As we've come to spent more time in Swansboro, NC, it has become clear that the bridges over the White Oak River are a pretty special spot. The area makes for some pretty special sunsets and seems to draw people every evening.
Recently we were out on a mission looking for some nippers to cut brush. We struck out on the nippers but decided to have dinner on the water and make the best of the situation.
We picked the Icehouse Restaurant in downtown Swansboro for our Grouper dinner. As we settled into our seats, I couldn't help but marvel at the view from our table which is captured in the image to the left. The water and sky couldn't have been a nicer shade of blue. The temperature was nearly perfect. Add a great meal, and you have a perfect evening.
There are several restaurants clustered around the bridges. We've tried many of them and the food is almost all universally good. Yet part of me wonders how much the wonderful beauty of the White Oak River near the bridges contributes to those special moments. We aren't to the point of one the diners who left the Icehouse by boat, but we certainly enjoy watching the boats skim across the surface. Seeing so many others enjoy the water in such a beautiful place can only make it more special.
I'm enjoying learning a new world and look forward to sharing some additional not-so-secret secrets I've already discovered. If you interested in the reasons we selected Swansboro as our favorite part of North Carolina's coastal paradise, you can check out my Coastalnc.org website or the view from my kayak.
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