In North Carolina, each late summer/fall brings the threat of Altantic hurricanes. For those with interests on the coast and in the coastal plain, each tropical wave coming off Africa generates interest…where is it going? Early season, into the Caribbean. This time of year, though, storms tend to curve north and catch NC where it sticks out into the ocean. Two weeks ago, I was on vacation at our family’s house on Emerald Isle. Tonight, we’re back in Chapel Hill, watching Irene creep north-north-east toward Bogue banks. It seems to be turning a bit more to the east, and may miss landfall in Carteret county. Earlier today, it had been projected to come ashore within 20 miles of Emerald Isle. It now looks like it could stay mostly offshore, but there’s still likely to be a lot of wind and rain. Right now, per the Weather Channel, the wind is ~30mph at Emerald Isle and is out of the northeast with heavy rain. Irene had been projected to carry 120mph wind onto shore, but it looks like it may be more like 95-100. Currently, it’s projected to be ~75mph at Emerald Isle. The fact that the eye is likely to pass east means that the worst winds will be from the north to northeast, and will flatten out the surf. It is likely to exacerbate sound-side flooding, as with Isabelle in 2003, but may prevent ocean overwash on Bogue Banks. Time will tell. The eye should pass Cape Lookout early tomorrow morning.

Jan and I just spent a wonderful weekend at Sharp Rock Vineyards at the edge of the Shenandoah National Park. We stayed in the cottage, which is the original farmhouse on the farm. The host, Jimm, was gracious, the winery dogs and cats were fun, and the wine, especially the dry Rose, was wonderful. We hiked the Old Rag circuit on Sunday. I fished a bit on Saturday and Monday in the Hughes River, and we enjoyed a weekend unplugged (no cell phone coverage and no towers in Rappahannock County, VA. If you appreciate a rustic B&B experience and like good wine, it’s a hard combination to beat. Good hiking (Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, and others). You can make wine the focus of your trip, sampling not only Sharp Rock vintages, but several other wineries in the Rappahannock/Madison county area. This is one of the most scenic areas of Virginia, in my humble opinion, and we’ve already planned to go back next summer.

Well, it’s the first white Christmas in the RTP area of NC since 1947, but it’s a mixed blessing. It’s fun to see the snow, but with family members trying to travel hither and yon, it’s added a bit of stress to the equation. We’ve had a day of watching the forecasts, snowfall accumulation potential, an intensifying coastal low pressure area, but have finally reached acceptable solutions. We’ll be sending parts of the extended clan west over the mountains and east to the coastal plain. Hoping for safe travels for all…but that snow on Christmas sure is exciting!

What a hot June it’s been here in central NC. Most days over 90F, and one officially 101F at the RDU airport. That makes the break so nice. Low 80’s, low humidity, blue sky…after a meeting this afternoon, I left one campus building and just sat on a wall outside, pulled out the iPad and scored some campus wifi for email. Much better than my office!

Tonight, we’re sitting on the patio enjoying a wonderful evening. Even have a small fire burning in the fire pit, and a nice Cotes du Rhone red! Tonight’s lows should be in the upper 50’s. Doesn’t get much better here in the summer.

The weekend weather is supposed to be equally spectacular. We’re heading to the beach for the long weekend.

Cheers, y’all!

Each year in the spring, the daffodils put on a show at my parent’s house in Pitt County. My great-aunt Lottie (born 1895) planted the first ones at the homeplace in the 1930’s. This year, WRAL’s Tarheel Traveler visited during the peak bloom and interviewed my mom and dad. They didn’t give their names nor the exact location, as they get plenty of traffic there anyway. It’s a neat piece. We’ve got many pictures of our own kids in the flowers…hope you enjoy the video!

Awoke this morning to pouring rain and low expectations of seeing the beach. Drove to get the paper, and got drenched getting one from the box. However, during the 2nd latte this morning, I looked out and saw sunshine and blue skies! Dropped the paper, chugged the coffee, and hit the beach for a three-mile walk. As soon at the old dog is settled, I think we’ll head out again. There’s a chance of rain again later today, but much better weather than expected!

Those oysters at Jordan’s last night were excellent; we’ll head back for a another peck this evening!

This year, the weather over the MLK holiday weekend is more salubrious than last year, though it is supposed to rain all day Sunday. Last year, the highs were in the 30’s on the beach. Today, we had beautiful sunshine this morning, and though the sun is filtered through some thin clouds now, it’s a pleasant 60F on the deck. A walk of about 2 miles this morning to get the paper, breakfast with 3 lattes, then a 5 mile walk. Crackers, brie, and pepper jelly for a snack before oysters at Jordan’s this evening. This is the kind of day that makes you glad you live below the Mason-Dixon line ;-). The last 10 days have been pretty chilly for NC, with lows well down in the teens and highs most days in the 30’s. Ice on the ponds, and my backyard goldfish pool still had an inch of ice on the corners though Friday’s temps were into the 50’s. We’d debated all week about whether to come, waiting on Thursday’s forecast. Hopefully the rain will pull out Sunday night and give us nice weather to get out on Monday morning before we come home. Jan and I both have Monday off, and she has Tuesday off. We’d stay late Monday, but I have a scout committee meeting in the evening.

We talked to some friends right down the street here at EI, and they told us that Swansboro has a new Performing Arts Series, and there’s a folk acoustic trio playing at 2PM Sunday. A possibility for tomorrow.

Oh well, the clouds are beginning to thicken and it’s getting cooler as the afternoon progresses. Time to head inside…