The "Natives"

We had several days of unseasonably warm weather but it has gotten cold again.  I am enjoying the cold since last summer and fall in California were so terribly hot.  Curious to see how I do with the hot and humid spring and summer that will be here before I know it.  When there’s a breeze blowing through the pine trees, it feels like I’m in the California mountains where pine trees are abundant.  I love the sound they make.

So far, I spend my days online, expanding my Etsy shop, PicketfencesVintage, grocery shopping, doing laundry and washing dishes.  I have visited a few antique stores and thrift stores.  One place in particular is called Twice as Nice and is a combination of antiques and thrift store items.  It’s huge!

People here have been mostly pleasant and polite.  Everybody says “Ma’am” and asks “how are you?”  I have come across some people that I don’t fully understand what they say to me. I can pick up the gist of the meaning though.  Just like in California there are many different kinds of people.  However, in California we didn’t see many people in camouflage everywhere.  Because hunting is a big deal here, camouflage clothing is available in Walmart like shorts and tank tops in California and everywhere you go, you’ll find someone wearing camouflage and I’m not talking about the Marines.  There is “open carry” for firearms here, with rules of course.  Many days I hear gunshots in the distance, either from hunting or target practice.  Knowing that this is common here, it’s not too disturbing hearing gunshots ring out.  In California, it was a reason to call the police if you heard gunshots!

Because of the Marine Corps bases here, Camp LeJeune and New River (where Elaina works) there are days when the sound of “ordnance” being blown up or whatever they do with it, is heard throughout the day.  Those days make Abby a little nervous and she wants to be reassured that everything is ok.  When the CH53 helicopters fly over the house, it rattles a little, but like the base’s signs say, “It’s the sound of freedom.” The booms are actually quite loud today.

Elaina and I went to see and tour the USS North Carolina battleship in Wilmington.  It sits in the Cape Fear River and has been restored and preserved as a museum. This was a self-guided tour into the ship and was impressive.  The weather was cold and dreary but never got a drop of rain on us while out in the open.  I took lots of pictures inside the ship. We later had lunch in Wilmington and did a little shopping in Trader Joe’s.