Happiest Seaside Town in America

Occasionally my brain feels like it's floating in a jar of dill and vinegar brine, stored in a glass jar, sitting on a shelf in a dark closet, and waiting to be transplanted into the head of the New Genome. Some days begin that way. Not all days, of course. If all days began that way, it would constitute a Code 10 situation. But today is one of those days and trending is not positive.

I realize that steps must be taken and not just any steps but the proper steps through the proper channels. Can't just allow the trend to continue or one day soon I'll find myself on the edge of a cliff, similar to Carlos Castaneda, and I don't have the benefit of a shaman spiritual guide on my side. You remember Carlos and his spirit guide, Don Juan. You should remember. His book is what got us where we are today. Better look it up is my suggestion.

The only spirit guide I have to rely on is Vulpes, the Red Fox, aka Reynard, and he's a practical joker. He'd tell me to jump into the abyss in order to find my wings and, if I did jump, the only wings I'd find would be in a Colonel Sanders box at the bottom of the chasm. 

And so I've decided to take proper steps through the proper channels, as Jeeves put it, and I'm taking Ms. Wonder to Southport. Just in case it isn't obvious, let me explain by saying that Coastal Living Magazine once named Southport as one of the top 10 finalists in their search for America's Happiest Seaside Town. 

Let's take a moment here for station identification and say, in the interest of transparency and full disclosure that the Coastal Living editors were listening to Jimmy Buffet and sipping margaritas while making their decision.

Wonder loves Southport and I reckoned what could be better than a Sunday afternoon in the happiest seaside town in America. And now, this happy little village will be the temporary home of Ms. Wonders's latest photography exhibit, "Ships of the Cape Fear River." That's right. Having completed a successful showing in downtown Wilmington, the exhibit has gone on tour. But if you can't make it to Southport, you can see the entire collection here: Ships of the Cape Fear River

From now until the end of June, Southport will showcase those incredible abstract images of the magnificent ships that leave the Atlantic and enter the Intracoastal Waterway about a stone's throw from the High Street.

Wonder isn't alone in loving happy seaside villages. I'm sure Coastal Living Magazine wouldn't spend time looking for them if they weren't popular with a host of discerning vacationers. Many well-known personalities spend time here when they require freshening. Don't worry, I will not allow myself to fluff up the content by dropping names--not the Genome style; I will only pass along this one little note of general interest by saying that, according to locals, Cher's yacht crew wears the uniform of the Italian navy. Curious, don't you think?

I fully expect that after spending a few hours in the sun, walking the boardwalks through the salt marsh, breathing the air that Cher breathes, I'll be catapulted into a new dimension and the brain will be working with the usual efficacy if that's the word I'm looking for. The ability to perform as desired or expected? I'll ask Wonder, she'll know. She knows everything.

It's my understanding that Napoleon often took a little time for himself to walk on a quiet beach and consider his next move. If it worked for him, I'm sure it will work for me.

Watch for the next post with the word "Southport" in the title. I know how you love to follow my little adventures and I promise to tell you all about our sojourn, leaving nothing out, and including a few photographs to illustrate. Until then, stay safe, and by any and all means stay happy.

Back to the Island

Something there is that calls us back to the island of Ocean Isle repeatedly. I've loved her from the first time I saw her. I don't know what set her apart from all the others. It may have been her name; the words Ocean Isle conjures images of a tropical paradise. It may have been the sound of the surf rolling in as the sun sinks into the sea, or it may have been the soft whispers of the evening breezes.

And why shouldn’t this coastal paradise call to us? The island has everything we need for a day trip or extended vacation. There are lots of sun, sand, and surfable waves, and the boardwalks allow me to cross the dunes without disturbing them. I especially like that.

The thing I like most about the island is that everything I want or need is never too far from the sea—things like icy drinks and shrimp burgers and coffee—especially coffee because no matter how much sand I have in my shoes, nor how much salt I have in my t-shirt, I can’t pass up a cup of the steaming.

As satisfying as it is to have the best things of life right across the street from the Atlantic, it gets even better than that here at OIB. The multicolored sunshine logo on the Sunset Slush pushcarts comes out onto the beach every day bringing Italian ices in a wide variety of flavors. That’s right—they bring the stuff to you, my friend, and they are as dependable as caffeine.

The town of Ocean Isle is big enough to offer outstanding summertime diversions too—like the free outdoor movies on Wednesday evenings and the free outdoor concerts in the park on Fridays. Large enough to provide all that and yet small enough that it doesn’t get in the way—plenty of room for everybody.

Considering everything Ocean Isle offers, I have to wonder why it's routinely overlooked by the big media outlets when they rank the best Carolina beaches. I rate it the number one beach in Carolina—North and South.

But regardless of what draws us here, we are drawn, and the time comes when we simply must go back. We came back this time to search for photographic opportunities to illustrate a travel piece destined for publication in Carolina Roads Magazine.

It was an early August morning and we'd stopped at Lowe's Foods on the mainland for some reason that I've forgotten now. I'd never noticed it before but there at the end of the sidewalk was an inviting little spot named OIB Surf & Java Cafe. I know! Surfing and coffee as if they belonged together.  

Oh sure, I’d seen these little coffee shops everywhere along the Carolina coast. Some of them were pleasant surprises but most were just another bean grinder—good for a cup of the needful but one was as good as another. I wasn’t expecting much from a bean trader located in a strip center. Still, it was early morning and I felt in need of the medium dose for an average adult.

I opened the front door and the instant I stepped inside, my low-level expectations were replaced by a completely satisfying sight that seemed to drop softly through the air like the gentle rain from heaven.

I stared in amazement, speech taken from my lips by a sharp intake of breath. It may not have been the perfect coffee shop, because none of my friends were there waiting for me, but it was close enough to perfect to be getting on with. 

"Good morning," called the barista, "What can I get started for you?"

Whatever it was that she might start for me was destined to remain a mystery for the moment, because this pleasant surprise had taken me by storm, and my system needed time to adjust.

I looked around the room cautiously, expecting at any moment for the place to revert to what I’d expected before opening the door. What I saw were stylish, yet comfortable chairs surrounded by potted palms. I saw surfboards, and wet suits, and a year’s worth of The Surfers Journal. I even saw ukuleles. Yes, that’s right.

Ms. Wonder and I wandered around the place, taking it all in, and making a few photos as we went. Eventually, we found ourselves back at the starting point. We ordered coffee but I couldn't stop looking at the muffins. I don't eat muffins but I ate those muffins.

Eventually, the time was past for living in a dream world and it was time to go back to the island. As we left the cafe, I remember thinking that this place was too good to be true and I wondered if it would still be here when we came this way again. Like Brigadoon, perhaps it appears once in a while and can’t be found except on one special day of the year.

You remember Brigadoon, don't you? It's a musical about a village in Scotland that appears for only 1 day every 100 years. Tommy, the American tourist falls in love with Fiona who lives in the village. Everyone knows that story. You may have performed the role of Tommy or Fiona in your high school production. 

At the end of the day, we sat alone on the beach near the pier, where we enjoyed a Sunset Slush while we watched the sun go down, and listened to the sea roll in, and heard the night birds cry. 

Eventually, the time came to say goodbye and as we drove across the bridge back to the mainland, I thought of OIB Surf & Java. Was it still there I wondered? Or had it disappeared like Brigadoon? As we neared Lowe’s Foods, I fought the urge to turn into the center. I lost the fight.

Surprisingly the coffee shop was still there. Still, I reasoned, several hours remained in the day and it might yet disappear under cover of night. I'll update you with the latest when we come back to the island.