6.30- South Ave. Utility Work

Old Glory is secured to the bucket

Utility workers blocked off South Avenue between Wall St. and King St. for a while today while replacing a utility pole.

I arrived just as the worker in the bucket finished lashing the flag to the bucket... the flag was placed on the pole along with thousands of others throughout town and Pamlico County in anticipation of Independence Day.

The utility work caused severe traffic tie-ups in the downtown Oriental area...

I stood and watched for about ten minutes, and there must have been at least four or five cars in that time that had to turn around in the Oriental Inn parking lot in order to bypass the blockage (since Wall St. [off to the left in the picture] was the only way in or out) at this heavily-traveled intersection leading from greater downtown Oriental to the sprawling suburb of Neuse River Heights and to such popular tourist destinations as Lou-Mac Park, the fishing pier, the South Avenue waterfront (visible dead ahead in the photo), and Miniscule Beach.

The levels of driver frustration were palpable... as one fed-up driver rashly exclaimed in a fit of violent rage: "Well, I s'pose ah'll jes turn 'round 'bout hair, and go on back 'round t'other way." Really, that's about as accurate a quote as I can give him... that guy clearly needs to chill a bit, take a little BP med and relax ... ONC stylee! We don't appreciate that kind of reactionary threat around here...

-30-

4.28- Land-Line

A bow line is at the ready, just in case she starts to drift away

As I have said several times lately, it is indeed sailing season.

Today's picture shows a smart vessel with fresh bottom-paint and other last-minute maintenance while "on the hard" at Clancey's Marina, on Camp Creek at the confluence of Camp, Smith's and Green's creeks.

-30-

1.07- Dinghy Dry-Dock

The Dinghy Dock crosses mud where water normally allows small boats to tie up

Strong Southwesterly winds all day today, in the 15-30 knot range, have done their usual trick of blowing all the river and creek waters out into Pamlico Sound, leaving water levels extremely low.

A surfboard would have been about the only watercraft capable of reaching the Dinghy Dock this afternoon.

For my out-of-area readers, we don't get lunar tides in local waters, due to the protection of the outer banks islands separating Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean...

We only get "wind-tides"... Sustained Northeasterly winds push the Pamlico Sound waters up into the rivers and creeks, raising the water levels locally, while SWy winds do the opposite.

When the mud flats appear under the Dinghy Dock, the water is about as low as it's gonna go.

-30-

1.06- "The Noise is Back in Town (Hall, that is)"

An exodus of "pro-live-music / Tiki Bar" supporters towards the Exit after Town Board of Commissioners voted to kill a previously-approved "Stakeholders" group

[This posting has been edited since it was first posted... see note at bottom]

This evening the Oriental Board of Commissioners held their monthly board meeting.

A significant part of the public audience was there to hear an agenda item concerning the Town's "noise ordinance." (See my prior posting regarding the noise issue before the Board's meeting last month)

After other town business, the Board got to the seemingly controversial "noise ordinance" issue... whether the Town should adopt a more modern decibel-level-based ordinance in place of its ancient "nuisance" ordinance.

There was some discussion among the Mayor and Board members about the fact that at last month's meeting the Board had unanimously voted to appoint a "stakeholders' group"...

The Mayor started off the discussion by bringing up the lack of any definition of how such a group would be selected to tackle this "cumbersome issue," and Commissioner David Cox added that indeed the Board had not even defined the tasks or time-frame for any treatment of the noise issue by such a group.

Cox then moved to rescind the "stakeholders group" concept, noting that he had a "hard time seeing how this tack might help." Commissioner Nancy Inger seconded Cox' motion, and the Board then held a discussion of the motion.

Mayor Bill Sage opined that "[Cox] is right," regarding deficiencies in the stakeholder concept... Sage explained that he had initially resisted the idea of a stakeholder committee because the public has had opportunities for input on the matter and because such groups are not very efficient methods for developing policy, he had nonetheless accepted the idea as a way to give at least 6 persons a chance to contribute to the process through a stakeholder committee.

Cox explained that he was not "trying to ram something through," but that an ill-defined "citizens advisory committee" would not be an ideal engine for drafting policy decisions... "we were elected to do this stuff," Cox said, implying that relegating responsibility on the issue to an ill-defined committee was something of a cop-out.

A majority of the Board members present (Commissioner Candy Bohmert was absent) expressed reservations about the efficiency of such a group for reaching any decision regarding the Town's noise ordinance...

Mayor Sage offered "If you want efficiency, I can draft [a noise ordinance proposal] and get it to you next week," to which Commissioner Cathy Kellam noted "I've already done that," adding that she now believes a "[stakeholders group] would increase divisiveness" in the community over the issue of noise regulation.

Commissioner Inger noted that a "complicated committee only detracts, is inefficient... [and] we have the resources we can call upon to come up with a proposal," referring to sound experts and musicians who have offered to help the Board determine reasonable noise levels.

Cox' motion to eliminate the "stakeholders" concept was unanimously adopted by the Board members who were present, and it seemed to me that the Mayor (who votes only in cases of tie votes among Board members) had also come to favor the rescission...(though the Mayor has since informed me I am mistaken)

Whether for good or ill, clearly a case of "We voted for it before we voted against it" ...

Later in the meeting, Cox moved to adopt a proposed noise ordinance he had drafted. Cox stressed that this was a procedural step that would put the issue officially "on the table" for discussion and consideration (strictly speaking, parliamentary procedure under Robert's Rules requires adoption of such a motion before discussion can begin on a proposed ordinance)... The motion was not seconded.

More "live music vs. noise" drama is expected in the coming month or months... I'll try to cover it here, but be sure to check out additional coverage at (in alphabetical order):

Pamlico Ink,
Pamlico News, and
Town Dock.Net

[Note: I have edited this posting since I first posted it.

It seems I misread some of the subtler aspects of the issues discussed at the meeting, and even misread some of my own notes when I first attempted to describe the action. I'm not a journalist, and I don't pretend to have any standard of accuracy in any of my blog depictions of life in and around this town and county, or in general.

My blogs are primarily about pictures of my beautiful and interesting surroundings here in Oriental, Pamlico County and down-east NC.

But I decided I had to include the noise ordinance as a topic in my blog because the blog is really about life in this town, and believe me there is no avoiding this topic living in this town right now.

And always remember: I WELCOME ANYONE TO POST NON-ABUSIVE AND NON-CURSING COMMENTS TO ANY POST, BY NAME OR ANONYMOUSLY to correct any mistakes of fact or to denounce, reject, disown or explain away any opinions I may express.]

-30-

12.22- Land & Sea Cycles

Eclectica on the porch of "Land & Sea Cycles," a store in the old Central Hotel at Hodges St. & Broad St.
(Click on picture or here for full size)

Today brings blue skies and cooler air after several rainy gray, but warmer, days here in oriental.

Need to do some last minute Christmas/Channukah shopping? Try "Land & Sea Cycles" in the old village at the intersection of Hodges St. and Broad St. Plenty of the unusual here.

How about a two-tailed dragon candle-holder ? (the dragon is a symbol of Oriental, of course.)

Located in the old "Central Hotel" building (as the sign says, circa 1903), this place adds a lot of color to the primary intersection in Oriental, Broad St. (NC Hwy. 55) and Hodges St.

Sorry, not much time for discussion of Central Hotel history, as I have been busy on tamales and tomorrow will be driving to Washington D.C. to pick up my older brother who is coming down here for the holidays... More later.

-30-

12.21- Tamales

Holiday spread at Capt. Ray's

Capt. Ray held a holiday party at his home in "The village," the old part of Oriental, this evening.

Today's picture features my own contribution, San Antonio style tamales.

I lived in S.A. for twenty years, and tamales are an integral part of the season there.

Last year, my first Christmas in Oriental, I went without tamales. I had gotten used to purchasing tamales at some of S.A.'s many tamale houses during the holidays, and there is nowhere to buy them in down-east North Carolina, so this year I decided to make some myself.

I have made about five dozen so far... I plan on making about 12 dozen or more before Dec. 25. Pictured above are some from my second trial batch.

My only previous tamale-making experience has been at a couple of tamaladas when there were six or more women supervising, all of whom had years and decades of tamale-making experience.

Even though I had no Abuelas to show me the way this time (and no tamale stores) I decided to try and make some on my own...

Good consumer reviews so far, albeit from Yankee and down-east N.C. gringos, for what that is worth. So far only two folks have pulled the "Gerald Ford" - trying to eat the tamale without first removing the corn husk.

Besides liking this second batch myself (first batch of two dozen, not so much) I was also pleased at very enthusiastic reviews from a Southwest expatriate gringa from Arizona.

She was all smiles at having ANY tamales for Christmas season, and to boot said mine were quite delicious... Very much appreciated compliment from one of the few folks around here who are familiar with the Norteno/border region style of tamale.

-30-

12.18- In the trenches

Workers trenching and laying communications cable along Midyette St.

A crew was out laying cable in the misty rain on Midyette St. today... also a Bay River Sewer crew was working on a manhole nearby (more distant trucks).

The crews were pretty busy, so I did not find out any info on what they are doing... I'll ride by tomorrow and see if I can find out.

Also today the Pelicans were out again in full force (see yesterday's post)... So I decided to take some video to capture their frenetic feeding on the Neuse River just outside the Oriental Harbor breakwater:

-30-

12.13- Spirit of Christmas & Luminaries, Part Three

Luminaries along Hodges Street at the close of Oriental's Spirit of Christmas celebration
(Click on image or here for full size)

This year's Oriental Spirit of Christmas celebration concluded today with a host of activities that included the Spirit of Christmas street parade and the post-parade luminary-illuminated streets.

FOR MANY MORE PICTURES OF SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES AND LUMINARIES,
SEE MY POST FOR TODAY AT "THE DINGHY DOCK"

12.11- Luminary assembly, Part Two

A few of the 3000+ fully assembled luminaries lining the floors of the Town Hall

Volunteers this afternoon assembled the 3000+ luminaries that will line Oriental streets for the Spirit of Christmas Parade coming up on Saturday.

I was not able to get pictures of the assembly in progress today, but all afternoon volunteers filled little plastic bags with sand from a 4 ton pile, placed the sandbags in the pre-folded luminary bags, and inserted the pre-lighted candles. (See Luminary Assembly, Part One in second prior post below, or click here)

Below you can see the meeting room at Town Hall filled with the assembled luminaries (undergoing final inspection by three young volunteers who helped make them)... The bags also overflowed into the Town Hall garage:

-30-

12.09- Luminary assembly, Part One

Candles for luminaries are "pre-lighted" on the lawn of the Toucan Bar in preparation for the "Spirit of Christmas" parade

Oriental's annual "Spirit of Christmas" parade is coming up on December 13. That means it's time to assemble the 3000 luminaries (little paper bag lanterns) that will line Oriental's streets for the parade.


Parade Elf Lori Wagoner supervised the process, which this year took place at the Toucan Bar on the grounds of Oriental Marina & Inn.

The first step in the assembly process was to fold 3000 bags and "pre-light" 3000 candles.

The candles were each lit and allowed to burn a few minutes before being blown out and put back in their boxes.

This makes it easier to light the thousands of candles once they are in their bags and in place along the streets.

While the candle lighting took place out on the lawn, other volunteers folded the bags on the deck and inside the Toucan bar.

Parade Elf Lori Wagoner displays the "Bag Folding 101" instructional poster
(Click on picture or here for full size)

Folding the tops of the bags down provides some structural rigidity to the luminaries. The army of volunteer bag folders enjoyed some beverages and fun company during the arduous task:

The next steps will be performed another day... filling little sandbags, placing the sandbags in the paper bags, placing the candles in the bags, and lining up the finished luminaries for delivery.

You can follow the whole process right here over the next few days.

-30-

12.06- Village music (Skywatch Friday is prior post, below)

A band plays in Oriental's old village, next to the Fulcher Seafood Market store on the corner of Hodges Street and South Water Street

I wish I knew the name of this band... I think it was "Hot Buttered" something or other...

They were a vast improvement over the usual "wedding bands" that play around here (you know... everyone's favorite 50's, 60's, etc. pop tunes, from "Ride Sally Ride" to "Sweet Home Alabama")

I guess these guys might be called a "jam-band," whatever that means. The songs, instruments, lyrics and arrangements were far from the usual rock'n'roll standards bands that play the wedding receptions and Tiki Bar throughout the spring and summer.

This is the first live outdoor music since the contentious "noise ordinance" Town Board meeting of earlier in the week (See post of Dec. 2, below)

No word yet on any complaints. I sure had none for this band.

[12/09 Update: today's Pamlico News weekly newspaper reports complaints were made... the paper reports three different complaints, but doesn't make clear whether they all came from the same source or from different homes]

In any case, no rioting in the streets... just good music, a warm fire, and dozens of Christmas trees on the corner lot.

-30-

11.22- Gale warning

Two red triangular pennants fly at the Oriental Harbor Marina flag mast

Two red pennants means "gale warning"... This means winds from 34 to 48 knots (39 to 54 miles per hour or 63 to 69 kmh) are predicted.

The Oriental Harbor Marina flag mast is visible from most places in the harbor, and from the bridge over Smiths Creek...

If you are thinking about going boating, it is a good idea to glance at the OHM flag mast first... One red pennant indicates a "small craft advisory," which is either 15 or 20 knots, I can't recall. Red square flags with a black square in the middle mean "hurricane warning"... I haven't yet seen those flags at the OHM.

-30-

10.7- Where are we again?

Town workers erect new banners - promoting Oriental as the Sailing Capitol of North Carolina - On Hodges Street

These banners promoting Oriental have been appearing at various strategic locations around town over the past couple of months.

Today a bunch more went up along Broad Street and Hodges Street, the main thoroughfares through town.

Apparently the Tourism Board found a good deal on the banners... I've noticed similar banners in other towns and cities. Must be something of a trend.

The crew was having a great time putting these signs up... the guy actually installing the signs was putting on a one-man show, cracking up the "ground crew" the entire time they were working their way down Hodges.

I think the signs look nice, with an attractive sailboat & gull motif, but I am getting a little worried about the explosion of Oriental's self-promotion signs that have sprouted up all summer long.

The Oriental History Museum has also been erecting "historical markers" around town also.

It's beginning to make me feel like I'm living in some sort of museum, with all the promotional vertical banners and the explanatory placards at every turn, just like the Smithsonian museums. Well, more about that later.

-30-

10.3- Overlapping seasons

Signs in front of a Main Street residence indicate that shrimp season is now running into election season.

Fresh shrimp and candidates for elective office get equal billing in Ponce's yard.

While the message is clear on the Presidential ticket, the signs suggest possible household disagreement on the race for North Carolina House District 3; Norman Sanderson (R) is running against incumbent Alice Underhill (D) for the seat.

At least everyone can agree on the shrimp...

-30-

9.25- Why don't you kids go play out in the street?

Kids playing on "boogie boards" in the wind-tide-inundated portion of Hodges Street.

The water is going down today as 94L approaches the South Carolina-North Carolina border and winds down a bit after a night of gusty winds in the 20-40 mph range.

These three kids were enjoying the "Hodges St. Beach"... a foot or more of water has covered the street since yesterday (see yesterday's post, below... even more pictures of the high waters on "The Dinghy Dock" posts for today and yesterday.)

-30-

9.23- Warp factor five

Workers stretch out "warps" at Garland Fulcher Seafood Co.

These guys are untangling the cables that drag the trawling nets behind shrimp-boats. The cables are called "warps," and the are quite long.

Sometimes I will see workers using forklifts to haul the heavy cables several hundred feet down the streets near the two fish-houses in town because they are too long to stretch out on the property. The man on the left of the picture, with the white galoshes (standard wear for all shrimp-boat and fish-house workers, apparently) is standing across South Water St. from the Fulcher Seafood Co. parking lot

After the warps are stretched out and straightened, they are wound up on reels on the deck of the trawler.

-30-

9.22- Captain's Quarters porch #2

Visitors gab with locals gathered on the porch of the Captain's Quarters Bed & Breakfast around 4:00 this afternoon.

One of Oriental's informal gathering places, the porch of the Captain's Quarters B&B, today saw the B&B guests outnumbered by locals dropping by for conversation and libations.

Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd, particularly on this porch right on the main road through town, Broad Street (Hwy. 55).

From left to right; Patty, Sandy, Robby (all locals), Tom & Linda (visiting from Greenville, SC, home of the "Greenville Daily Photo" blog I visit regularly) and Tory (on last day of extended summer visit from Iowa). Other locals came by, visited and went on their ways during the afternoon, and the porch party was joined by other B&B guests and still going strong at 8:00 pm when I dropped by again.

Yes, I have featured the Captain's Quarters porch before in my posting of August 28 (featuring B&B owner Capt. Roy)... What can I say, it is a popular spot, pure Oriental, and I just didn't feel like hunting for a picture today.

-30-

9.20- "Celestial Nights" concert

Dave Collins & The Celestial Nights Singers perform at the Old Theater in Oriental
(click on picture or here to view full size)

Local troubadour Dave Collins, accompanied by the "Celestial Singers," performed last night in Oriental's historical theater on Broad Street on Friday and Saturday nights.

Dave Collins arrived in Oriental earlier this summer, and has become a popular draw as a one-man show with regular gigs at "Scoots" and the Tiki Bar at Oriental Marina & Inn.

Dave pulled together a group of other talented local singers and musicians for this weekend's show, "Celestial Nights," which proved to be a hot ticket in town, filling the theater both nights.

In addition to Dave on vocals, guitar, piano, keyboard, fiddle, flute and sitar, the show featured:

• Mellissa Stowe, vocals & percussion
• Lynn Speas, vocals & percussion
• Care Gerdeman, vocals & percussion
• Shelly Engelhardt, congas & chimes, and
• Leanna Shae Collins (Dave's daughter), flute, vocals & percussion

The first half of the show featured Dave's original compositions featured on his first CD and an upcoming CD, while the second half consisted of classic covers.

You can see a bunch of my other pictures from the show on today's posting at my other blog, "The Dinghy Dock."

-30-

9.10- Reading on Hodges Street

(click here to view full size picture)

A neighbor and her son enjoyed some time reading today at the artistic bench installed on Hodges Street at South Water, in "Downtown" Oriental.

Today I ran across Janet and Spencer enjoying a cool, if gray, afternoon reading together at the art bench on Hodges Street.

Spencer was looking through a catalog of audio lectures on various academic topics by professors from around the world... seems interested in the Shakespeare course described on the left-hand page.

-30-

9.07- Slow Sunday at the Deli

Umbrellas guard empty tables on the deck of the Oriental Harbor Deli & Bistro, as a thunderstorm darkens the western sky.

As the "alien season" in Oriental fades in the wake of Labor Day and worries about Hanna-Ike-Josephine storms, there are few visitors in town this weekend.

During the summer season, aliens (and a few locals) enjoy lunch and dinner on the deck at the Oriental Harbor Deli & Bistro, with a grand view of Smith's Creek and the Oriental Harbor Marina.

Though clearly open for business today, I did not see a single customer this afternoon. The whole town is extremely quiet and empty for an early September weekend, but no doubt Hanna prompted weekend travelers to stay home for this one.

The Oriental Harbor Deli & Bistro resides in the early 20th century passenger depot building of the Norfolk & Southern Railroad Co.

In addition to the Deli, the old depot is also now home to the Oriental Harbor Marina's heads and laundry room, and "The General Store," which offers Oriental souvenirs, a surprising collection of wines and $2.00 cans of coke (the wine is much more reasonable than the cokes).

The N&S RR ran regular passenger service from New Bern to Oriental into the 1940's. The N&S RR 's first lines to Oriental were built in the very early 20th century, and provided important transportation for local timber and produce (mostly cabbages), as well as passengers.

Before the N&S RR built its line into Oriental, the Old Dominion Steamship Company had been providing freight and passenger services from Oriental to New Bern, Elizabeth City, Portsmouth, VA (and available transfer service to as far away as New York City) from its pier on the Neuse River at the end of King Street.

The N&S RR line traveled along Midyette Street to service three lumber mills, including the giant John L. Roper Lumber Co. mills located along Camp Creek, before crossing Broad Street to the passenger depot on the harbor front at Water Street. While N&S RR acquired an easement to build a planned spur across the village to the former ODSS warehouses and Neuse River pier on King St., it was never built.

The depot building now stands about about 100 yards away from its original location.

Below is an old N&S RR Map I have enhanced to show the main properties, rail lines and proposed rail line discussed above...

-30-