Southport Pier

Southport Pier, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I took this photo while sitting in a swing overlooking the mouth of the Cape Fear River near where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Southport is a sixty mile commute from the Island where I have been living, or a four mile ferry ride. Needless to say, with elevating gas prices and time constraints the ferry makes the most sense. North Carolina has a whole series of ferries that help island communities stay connected with the mainland.

Southport is another quaint little seaside town that has a rich small-town feel, and not so much of a touristy feel. I think the Southport area is also home to a variety of actors and film sites on the East Coast. The locals at Carolina Beach recommended that I make at least one trip across the river to Southport, and I would have to say that it is well worth it. Just for the ferry ride, it’s worth it. In terms of things to do once you get there, well, life is a little more simple. Like I said, it’s not a touristy town so much, so it is geared toward a slower pace of life. Enjoying the water, enjoying a cup of coffee, or a nice bite to eat were the prime ways I spent my time there.

I think that is one of the most difficult challenges for people in our area of the world. We are hungry for an experience, but once you’ve been anywhere for any length of time, the newness of the experience wears off. Then it is a matter of what you are going to do, how you will form your habits, and how you may find enjoyment in the daily routine.

The pier and the river walk along Southport point again to taking time to relax, and enjoying the moments. One of the things I guess I have been learning down here is how to relax and enjoy the moments. Not an easy task for someone like me, but one that I’ve been willing to try. Sure my days are pretty full (all of our days are), but learning to take that time to step aside is so key and so fundamental. Southport reminds me of that need.

Perhaps there is a place you go where you feel content to just be, or to just watch the water, or to just sit on the edge of something. Make sure you find space amid the hurried rush of life to take the time for bench swings, piers, and soaking it all in.

Not Quite Home

Not Quite Home, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

As I walked along the boardwalk in Wilmington, NC along the Cape Fear River, I felt like I was back home in Parkersburg for a bit. Maybe it is the combination of bridge and sternwheeler that does it.

I imagine anyone who has grown up along a major river town sees this as a familiar image. Once, all of the major waterways of the US were covered with these sternwheelers. But now, they are an icon of the past used mainly for touring.

My senior prom was on a sternwheeler. So was my class reunion. We used to take rides to blennerhassett Island on them when I was a kid. I imagine anyone who sees an image like this gets taken back to adventures along the river, and being a pirate, or a sailor, or some other such hero or villain of yesteryear.

Feel free to post a memory you have of sternwheelers if you grew up in a rivertown like me.