4.20- Bud

Bud

Yesterday Bud was laid to rest in the waters of the River Neuse near Oriental.

We'll miss you, Bob.

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3.23- Skateboard kids

Skateboarders on Midyette St.

Some young skateboarders were cruising down Midyette St. towards the Wildlife Ramp as the sun sank in the evening sky.

The Midyette family founded Oriental... In 1872, Robert P. Midyette purchased 350 acres of land which would eventually become the town of Oriental. At the time, the land was timberland and farmland.

Several members of the Midyette family came with Robert to settle on the land, and several of the early Midyette homes were built between Camp Creek and what is now Midyette St... Including, I believe, the houses in the background above.

In the late 1880's, Robert P. Midyette began subdividing and selling lots near Chadwick Point (the confluence of Raccoon Creek and the Neuse River), southeast of Midyette St.

The earliest parcels were developed into a lumber mill and mill worker tenaments (owned by lumber mill owners), a store, and warehouse and docking facilities on the Neuse River for the Old Dominion Steamship Company.

As more residential and commercial lots were subdivided, the town of Oriental was chartered (March 4, 1899), and the bustling little fishing and lumbering village grew, the Midyette descendants continued living on a 150 acre plot that remained un-divided until well after R.P. Midyette's death in 1902.

The Midyette family compound (which soon included homes of families by marriage) stretched along the banks of Camp Creek and Midyette St. to the town's gate at what is now the intersection of Midyette and North Streets.

(Yes, Oriental was originally a "gated community"... One early town ordinance imposed a 5$ fine for anyone who left the town gate open at night, presumably because there were free-roaming farm animals within the town borders.

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3.22- "Local Knowledge" aids to navigation

Whittaker Creek Range Markers (dayboards)

Range markers are very helpful aids to marine navigation.

These markers are on the shore of Whittaker Creek... Boaters traveling the channel between Whittaker Creek and the Neuse River can use these markers to stay within the channel that has been dredged out of the surrounding shoal.

A boater headed into Whittaker Creek from the Neuse River can maneuver the boat so that the orange stripes on these two markers appear lined up... the rear marker is higher than the forward marker, allowing a boater to see both markers when they are lined up (or when they are not).

When headed out of Whittaker Creek into the Neuse, the boater must occasionally (actually, frequently is more advised) glance behind to make sure the markers are lined up.

The picture below was taken from directly in front of the forward/lower marker while looking straight down Whittaker Creek channel into the Neuse River - A boater coming into the creek would maneuver the boat to keep the markers on shore lined up (as conceptually depicted below), making sure that the boat is staying in the middle of the channel:

I have seen many a boat go aground navigating this channel... apparently staying within the channel markers (the posts sticking out of the water in the aboe photo) is not all that easy, and in any case may not guarantee a deep enough passage, depending on the boat, so the on-shore range markers are a great help.

I believe this particular range is a "private" range constructed by locals and not the Coast Guard... therefore they probably don't show up on charts, and constitute a bit of "local knowledge."

Here are the approximate locations of the Whittaker Creek channel and Range Markers (dayboards):

View Larger Map

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3.19- "Thirsty Thursday" at The Silos

The Silos Restaurant & Saloon at twilight

The Silos is located on NC Hwy. 55 just a couple hundred yards outside the Oriental town limits.

It always draws a large crowd on Thursdays for $1.00 pint draft beer specials... including Yeungling, my preference.

Complementary peanuts are a signature of the place, though the new owners/management (who came in last year) introduced the revolutionary concept of sweeping up the peanut shells off the floor every few days or so... prior owners did not, and peanut shells formed dunes and drifts wherever people did not walk... Some customers, including myself, favor the old leave-em-on-the-floor approach.

From what I understand, these were actual silos on the property, converted into a bar/restaurant by the previous owners... Currently, only the left-hand silo is open for business.

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3.18- Pear trees

Pear tree in bloom

Pear trees are blooming all over the area lately.

Today the sun has come out (after several grey rainy days), making them more brilliant.

This tree is in front of the Oriental Freewill Baptist Church on Ragan Rd... The Church's message board today reads:

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3.16- Spring Chickens

Chickens prove the truth of the "Vari Kennel" name for their temporary roost
(Click on images for full size)

This small flock of chickens was spotted in Oriental's old village as they awaited trans-shipment through town... their ultimate destination is a farm in the mountains of western NC.

The three hens and a cock are not destined for dinner-plates, but for egg-laying and pecking around the farmyard.

(Click on images for full size)

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3.10- Springtime on "Indian Ditch"

Budding tree overlooking marshland on the southern side of the "Indian Ditch" between Turnagain Bay and Long Bay
(Click on image for full size)

Spring continues to evince itself along the waterways of Down East NC... This shot was taken on the banks of a canal known to locals as "Indian Ditch."

This particular "Indian Ditch" runs about 1.25 miles through marshland between the heads of Turnagain Bay on the West and Long Bay on the East, a convenient shortcut to the other side of Piney Island (home of the U.S. military's "BT-11" target range... as signs along the north bank of the ditch attest [see picture at right])

The term "Indian Ditch," as far as I can tell, refers to irrigation and transportation canals built by Native Americans... I have found no authoritative information on the history of this particular ditch, but have found U.S. Govt. references to the "Indian Ditch" as comprising the southern border of the "BT-11" target range.

If the ditch was indeed originally built by Native Americans, I have a feeling it has since been improved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, seeing as how it is a good 5 feet deep for its entire 1.25 mile straight-line run through swampy marshland.

Trees grow along the ditch where the canal's dredgings have been deposited, forming dry land berms/dikes between the canal and the surrounding marshlands.

It is hard to imagine such an engineering feat using hand tools and stone-age technology, though I would readily believe that Native Americans built some sort of waterway communicating between these two bays to provide for canoes or other small fishing boats.

It would certainly make sense for area natives to want a shortcut from the Neuse River estuary to fisheries of Long Bay and West Bay, and, via another purported "Indian Ditch," all the way to the waterways now known as Core Sound.

Please, if you have any info on the history of this ditch, or know of some sources I could consult, please drop me a comment or e-mail.

Here is a shot of the ditch, followed by a Google map showing its location:

View Larger Map

[Steven has left a comment linking to an 1884 U.S. Coast Survey map on the University of North Carolina "NC Maps" site which shows an "Old Canal" at the location of today's photographs:

http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/ncmaps&CISOPTR=701&DMSCALE=50&DMWIDTH=750&DMHEIGHT=750&DMX=3309&DMY=2705&DMMODE=viewer&DMTEXT=&REC=1&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

Thanks for the reference, Steven!... UNC's NC Maps on-line collection is news to me, and I am enjoying looking through all the maps... So far I have found an 1844 postal map showing a waterway passing between the Neuse River and Long Bay, again in the same place as the above "Indian Ditch.":

http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fncmaps&CISOPTR=624&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=750&DMHEIGHT=750&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMX=13233&DMY=4289&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=1&REC=30&DMROTATE=0&x=387&y=353

]

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3.09- Kershaw Creek

Capt. Miller at the helm, cruising up Kershaw Creek
(Click on image for full size)

The weather is finally turning to Spring... a beautiful 85 F, sunny day here in the ONC.

Today I had the pleasure of joining Capt. Miller for a pre-season "shake-down cruise" on his May Craft 1900, just to make sure the engine wintered OK... After a little work cranking the engine, everything went smoothly.

I look forward to some more power-cruises with Capt. Miller as the season advances... I might even have to break down and get me a fishing license!

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3.08- The Happy Couple

Mr. Mark Blango and his bride, Ms. Andrea (Jones) Blango are all smiles on their wedding night

Mr. and Ms. Blango were married yesterday at the Deliverance Temple in Bayboro, and were out and about at my local tavern with some of the wedding party in the wee hours this morning:




Ms. Andrea (Jones) Blango hails from Stonewall, while the happy groom is from Aurora... both towns are right nearby here both in Pamlico County, NC.

They will be off to Vegas for their honeymoon come Monday.

Congratulations!

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3.01- Ben's Chili Bowl - the line

Cooking the "Half-Smokes" at Ben's Chili Bowl on 14th St., NW, Washington, DC

More road-trip today... last day in DC for this visit, so a trip to Ben's Chili Bowl was in order... Yes, do the half-smoke with the chili, onions and mustard. The mustard is critical, if you ask me.


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2.28- "Les Footbaleurs"

My older brother, Fred (red shorts) tries to tackle the ball at the regular weekly pick-up soccer game at Tubman Elementary (and other locations, varies by weekend) in Columbia Heights, Washington, DC

Another road trip to DC continues... This afternoon, my brother Fred played in his regular weekend pick-up football match, this week held at Tubman Elementary in Columbia Heights, DC.

Here are a couple of other shots of the match:

LOCATION OF TUBMAN ELEMENTARY, WASHINGTON, DC:

View Larger Map

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2.27- Takoma Park Tacos

Taqueria "Atol de Elote," Takoma Park, MD

Road trip continues...

If you are ever in Takoma Park, MD (0r even on the DC side of the border) and are hungry for some great tacos and pupusas, this is the place you need to go.

Make sure to ask for the green salsa (verde) and extra of that to go with their great pupusas (with the best cabbage condiment,curtido, and I highly recommend the great Salvadoran style beef tacos on fluffy corn tortillas, again with the salsa verde.

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2.26- SkyWatch Friday - Migration

Great Cormorants flying North over the River Neuse towards New Bern

(Click on image to enlarge)

Huge numbers of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) that have been wintering in the local NC coastal areas (as well as SC and GA) are now migrating northward.

These pictures were taken on one of the early morning ferry runs from Minnesot Beach to Cherry Point... While waiting for the ferry and while crossing, endless streams of cormorants in V formations, single-file lines, and general jumble formations were flying above the river towards New Bern and final destinations well north of there.

The vast multitudes were difficult to capture in still photos, and I wished I had had a video capable digicam with me.

(Click on image to enlarge)

HAPPY SWF EVERYONE!

I look forward to seeing the other Skywatch pictures from around the world on the other SWF sites listed at:

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2.23- "The Broad Street Grill" on tap

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Draught beer taps awaiting the imminent opening of the Broad Street Grill in Oriental

"Scoot's," a long-time staple of Oriental dining, has closed... Proprietor and Chef Eric Stickrath has expanded, redecorated, re-branded, and re-purposed the eatery, which will soon open as the "Broadstreet Grill."

Pabst Blue Ribbon is only one of the new consumables Oriental will be able to enjoy at the BSG...

Chef Eric has largely scrapped the old "Scoot's" sandwich and pizza joint concept, and describes the new BSG concept as "creative regional cuisine in a casual atmoshphere." (and a non-smoking one, too)

Personally, as a moderate "foodie" and an experienced Europe-traveler, I would replace that seven-word description with a single word: "Bistro"... like the casual on-every-corner family oriented and affordable restaurants Parisians refer to as bistros... But nobody asked me.

The "G" in the "BSG"
(Click on image for full size)

But don't worry, "Scoot's " fans... Pizza will still be on the menu!

New offerings will include fresh local Eastern NC flounder, scallops and other catches from local commercial fisherman Keith Bruno and seasonal organic vegetables from village farmer Sandy Beal, as well as steaks and as-of-yet-undisclosed new creations by Chef Eric...

Rumor has it Ms. Beal will have a menu item named after her, too.

Recipes are being tested while the renovation nears completion... at right, fresh made tortilla chips and a spinach dip were evaluated during my photo shoot:
(Click photo to enlarge)


The somewhat intimate-sized Scoot's dining room has been greatly expanded for the Broadstreet Grill... Chef Eric has leased the adjoining space in the building, knocked down walls, and added what might well be the longest bar in Pamlico County:

(click image to enlarge)

When Chef Eric had the floor taken up from the new real estate, he discovered an old terrazzo floor... that is a rather complex floor created from layers of concrete topped with a sprinkling of marble chips, like you might find in really old central-city bank buildings, etc. (read about terrazzo on Wikipedia)... after renovation, the floor was undergoing some final waxing when I visited:

(click image to enlarge)

And the BSG is hiring:

(click image to enlarge)

Be sure to keep an eye out for my coverage of the actual opening...

It is something of an Oriental tradition to always say "two weeks" if asked when a project is going to be completed (no matter the actual expectations), but Eric is confident this one will be done in half that time.

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2.16- "If ya hear any noise..."

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Decibel doodles on the blackboard at Town Hall during a special meeting of the Oriental Town Commissioners
(Click on images for full size)

The Town Board of Commissioners held a special meeting today to consider a number of matters, including the continuing drama over whether and how to change the Town's old-school "nuisance" noise ordinance.

Commissioners (and the Mayor, in blue blazer, above) differed on several particulars... One dispute was whether sound diminishes by 3 dB or by 6 dB when the distance from the sound source is doubled.

Apparently, a Professor of Sound who gave a presentation to the Board at it's last meeting had said that sound diminishes by 3 dB when distance is doubled.

Two Commissioners contended that the Prof. had been mistaken, and that the two Commissioners had done their own on-line research and determined that it actually diminishes by 6 dB when distance is doubled.

It looks like someone in the "6 dB" faction had done some doodling on the blackboard (or whiteboard, I suppose) before the meeting:

The Commissioners ultimately agreed to re-contact the good Doctor to find out if the answer is really 3 dB or 6 dB, and to conduct some field demonstrations of music played at various dB levels at several local businesses where live music is played during the season.


Speaking of Noise, here is some noise from George Clinton and the boys... an act I can only dream would play at one of our local venues, and I guarantee these guys would blast past any of the dB levels being discussed at the meeting...

Parliament Funkadelic performing "The Mothership Connection (Starchild)" live in concert, Houston TX... yes, it's 10 minutes long, but well worth it, especially to see the Mothership land and Starchild emerge:

"If ya hear any noise, it's just me and the boys, hit me... ya gotta hit the band"

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2.10- The "Collard Shack"

Proprietor Cathy Jones, in front of the "Collard Shack" in Otway, NC

(click on image for full size)

Today I dropped by the "Collard Shack," a colorful little... well, a shack that sells collards, among other things.

The little shack with its eye-catching sign is an irresistible must-stop on NC Hwy. 70 in Otway, NC.

The Collard Shack sign... call (252) 241-9751 for more info

Despite the sign, this little place offers much more than just collards... Though of course fresh collards are readily available...

Local honey, country hams, pecans, assorted preserves (strawberry, figs, sorghum, apple butter etc), rutabagas and potatoes are available...


as well as those must-haves, pickled pigs feet and pickled pork brains.



That's right, PICKLED PORK BRAINS IN MILK GRAVY are well-stocked here. Ms. Jones started carrying them on request from local customers, but only after she made sure they don't come in clear jars:

(click on image for full size)

And don't forget the peanuts and salted mullet!
(click on images for full size)

..........

That's right, this is a Southern staple supply depot... No maple syrup or Ben & Jerry's here!

And, much like the famed "Love Shack," this is a "little old place where we can get together" with the visitin' porch out front, favored by locals in warm weather or cold, thanks to the wood-burning stove out front:

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2.08- Harker's Island Harbor

Clams, scallop and oyster shell remains in a cage on the stern of a commercial fishing boat, Harkers Island Harbor
(click on image for full size)

Today's picture comes from Harkers Island Harbor, operated by the Carteret County Harbor Authority. Carteret County is home to most of North Carolina's commercial fishing licenses.

The harbor is inhabited mostly by 30-40 foot commercial fishing boats, about half the length of most of the commercial fishing vessels that line the two fish-house docks in Oriental's Raccoon Creek (as seen in the banner photo at the top of the blog.)

Vessels docked at Harkers Island Harbor
(click on image for full size)

View Larger Map

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2.06- Gathering molluscs

Fishermen gathering bivalve molluscs in the North River, Carteret County, NC

(Click on any image in this posting for full size... except the ducks)

The scallop fisheries of the NC Outer Banks and Core Sound were re-opened at the end of January this year, after three years of being closed due to low populations of the pricey bivalve.

While scalloping will be allowed in these NC inshore waterways through April, they may only be taken by hand, hand rakes, hand tongs, dip nets or scoops, but not by dredges, which can destroy wide swaths of the sea-grass beds on which the tenuous scallop population depends. (the guys in the center of the picture are using rakes, and I believe the guy in the lower right is using tongs)

Recreational fishers are limited to taking 1/2 bushel of scallops on Saturdays and Sundays, and commercial fishers up to 5 bushels on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Today is Friday, a commercial fisher scallop day, but ther are also numerous oyster beds in the area, so I'm not sure if these are commercial scallop fishers trying for their Friday 5 bushel limit, or if they are folks gathering oysters, or even clams. (Perhaps a friendly local fisherman might know and drop me a comment or an e-mail educating me on the topic)

[2.08.09 UPDATE: I have been reliably informed by a local commercial fisherman that North River, Carteret County, is a very popular spot for taking oysters and clams... it is supposed to be "silly" with oysters... I had actually noticed that oyster shells litter the shoreline and the little island in the photo above, and I did see bunches of oyster clusters during low tide... Also, rakes are apparently used for taking clams, while hand tongs are used for oysters.]



Whatever they are after, these guys are wading in water that was about 35 degrees Fahrenheit at the time this shot was taken...


Notice one guy in the upper left of the feature picture at the top of the posting is wearing a wet suit ... he is handing up his floating barrel (used to store the catch on ice) to a dry helper in a boat... there is another guy in a wet suit almost fully submerged behind another floating barrel to the right of the boat.


At least the air temperature was up to around 50 F., as opposed to the below/at/just above freezing temperatures of the past couple of days...



There was ice along parts of this shoreline at 8:00 a.m. when I first passed this spot, and nobody was out there then.

Pelicans join the party, perched on
a small islet in the North River

While in the area, I also used the 600 mm. set-up (described in "Technical Note," below) to add a couple of new birds (both are ducks) to my photographic life-list:

Redbreasted Merganser (mergus serrator)
(male, top: male & female, bottom):




American Widgeon (anas americana) (both male):

Technical Note on the headline photograph:
I am using a borrowed Canon Rebel XT1 with a Pentax 300 mm. f.4 lens, with a 2 X converter, for a total focal length of 600 mm.

I did not have a tripod with me, and the converter cuts down on the light intake, so I had to open the lens all the way and set the ISO at 1600 in order to get a fast enough shutter speed (at 1/1000) to get a fairly crisp shot with this long lens.

I therefore got more "noise" (anyone remember when we called it "grain"?) and less depth-of-field than I could have desired for this shot... The closest person in the feature picture at the top of this post is about 250 yards away, and the background shoreline is 1.4 miles away.

Here is where these fishermen were wading in the 1 to 4 foot waters:

View Larger Map

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