Below are the 12 most recent journal entries recorded in ocracokewaves' LiveJournal:

Saturday, January 24th, 2009
10:59 pm	Snow on the coast It happened. My dream spot got some snow.  Granted it cleared by the next day.  It was worse in other ares so I cannot complain very loudly. Seeing snow on the beach was a shock, but I have had a few days to recover my composure. What is more irritating than the snow is the lack of blue skies.  I had to steal this picture from earlier in week. Blue skies keep me a happy camper.  Perhaps our grown kids can live inside most of the time.  I cannot and neither can I ignore the out of doors. Loving the out of doors keeps me outside and awake.  There is nothing like sitting still then getting warm and  finally falling asleep in my favorite chair. That is a great way to spend a cold winter's evening.  Visit Coastal NC for some peaceful sunshine and plenty of opportunity to walk the beach. From what I have read our weather is getting ready to change for the best. Current Mood: awake (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 26th, 2007
3:14 pm	We've almost made it through the first year In 2004, we started thinking about living on the NC coast.  Last September we bought a place near Cape Carteret, NC. It has been a wonderful year on the coast. We have enjoyed local festivals including the Swansboro Oyster Roast, the Newport Pig Cook Off, and the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick's Day Festival. You can find links to pictures of the festivals as well as other information in my home site where I collect links and information about our move. Fall is fast approaching though the air temperatures are still hovering in the low nineties. The water temperature in the surf is in the mid-eighties so with a breeze, it is pretty comfortable on the beach. Give it another eight days and almost all the tourists will be gone.  It is a great time to visit the area whether you go for the quaint fishing village of Swansboro or the carefully restored history of Beaufort.  The southern outer banks are about as far asway in character as you can get from Myrtle Beach.  If you require the constant stimulation of crowds and shows, we are not the place for you. However, it you get excited about a sunset or a sunrise and if you love quiet walks on the beach with your dog or trying small locally owned restaurants, you'll have a great time here. Current Mood: cheerful (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 27th, 2007
10:58 pm	A wonderful spot for sunrises and sunsets I have a fascination with gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. It turns out that the Crystal Coast is a wonderful place for photography. Our move there has helped me populate my Picasa Web Albums site. I have even been accused of having trained pelicans to help, but they're just normal NC pelicans who enjoy a warm spot in the sun. If I can provide any information about the area, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. I am a Realtor®, but my only interest is helping people understand what a neat place the Emerald Isle area is. You won't regret visiting the area.  Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: Carolina In My Mind (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 27th, 2007
9:23 pm	Living my dream on NC's Crystal Coast We've been on the Carolina coast several months now with plenty of trips back to the mountains. So far things have been wonderful. The people are friendly and the weather has been fantastic. It's hard to decide what picture most represents my feelings about the coast, but the one above comes close.  I have a couple of new websites.  One is about my experiences living in Coastal Carolina on the Southern Outer Banks.  It is my "Coastal Paradise" site which has information about restaurants and other things I discover while wandering the coast.  I've also decided to help other people find their spot on the coast so I'm now working as a Realtor® at Bluewater GMAC in Cape Carteret.  My real estate site also has some additional link to local information.  I'll also be writing about the coast on my Ocracoke Waves blogger site. It's nice to be in a spot with lots of new material to spark my creative side.  I've also posted some coastal pictures at my Picasa web albums site. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 25th, 2006
3:57 pm	I finally made it to the coast After several years of trying, we found a place on the NC coast near Swansboro, NC. The weather this fall has been great, and I've moved on to a career in real estate which I hope will be up and going well by January. I continue to do many posts at my main blogs, View from the mountain and Applepeels. Time will tell if the time on the coast becomes the driving force of our lives. Current Mood: determined (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 1st, 2006
8:36 pm	Spring is definitely here. I was able to work outside until after 7 pm. The great weather has me thinking about warm salt water once again. I'm hoping for a trip down to the Southern Outer Banks in North Carolina in May. Current Mood: creative (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 14th, 2006
1:24 pm	Now that I'm getting ready to start a new job, I thought I should drop by and update my thoughts. Starting a new full time job certainly isn't the end of my dreams to spend some of the next few years on the NC coast. I am hoping more than anything that it will be a means to that end. I'm very excited about my new job over at Webmail.us. It is a great opportunity with a company that is focused, hasthe right technology and great leadership. I look forward to helping them be successful. That just may get me to the beach a little quicker than trying to be an unpaid writer and minimally paid photographer http://sobotta.org . I'll continue my forays to the Beaufort, NC area, perhaps just not as many short visits. Maybe we can do fewer but longer visits. Current Mood: excited Current Music: The Lucky One 3:37 Faith Hill Fireflies Country 1 1/14/06 1 (Comment on this)
Friday, September 23rd, 2005
9:59 pm	The coast is still on my mind I can't say that I have made a lot of progress on my coastal plans, but I certainly haven't given up. I'm looking forward to a visit to check out things after Ophelia. There was damage in the Beaufort area, but not severe. Maybe it brought a little reason to the market. I'm looking forward to sticking my toes in the salt water at least a couple more times this fall. Current Mood: blah (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 18th, 2005
9:29 pm	Looking Better Things are looking a little better for our new chapter down in Carolina. There are a few places becoming available that aren't selling the first day. That's an improvement in the real estate market down in Beaufort if you're a buyer. Perhaps the localized real estate bubble is backing off just a little. Hopefully that will make it a lot easier for us to find a reasonably priced place to call home at the beach. I have high hopes for the next few weeks. Current Mood: hopeful Current Music: Carolina In My Mind (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 25th, 2005
10:02 am	Blue Sky, Infinite Water We just got back from a visit to the Carolina coast. We had a magical afternoon on Cape Lookout. I have done the cabin in the woods thing or close to that, but I'm ready to be back on the coast. I can't get enough of it, and I spend most of my time trying to figure out how to get there permanently. Just maybe this time I can make it happen. My post, "The Best Twenty Dollars You'll Ever Spend" describes our afternoon on the beach. Current Mood: restless Current Music: Mud Slide Slim (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 24th, 2005
9:46 pm	Summer is coming Though it doesn't feel like it today, I know summer is on the way. I know I need to figure out where we really want to live the next fifteen year. It is very hard to do that with a lovely home in Roanoke and wife who loves the city. While I really like Roanoke, I'm ready to try something different. I want a different life style and I think I will find it in the Beaufort, NC area. Figuring out how to do it is the challenge. Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
9:59 pm	First Thoughts I'm trying out Live Journal to see how I like it compared to the other software I use for blogging. I plan to focus this journal on my thoughts about potentially living in the Southern Outer Banks area or SOBX as it is know in the sticker world. I have been visiting the area since I was only three years old. In the last year my desire to live on the coast has increased so we have spent a fair amount of time looking at homes in the Beaufort, NC area which is one of my favorites. Part of me wants to get up in the morning, ride my bike down to the general store for a newspaper and then spend the day writing, fishing, and taking pictures. Each visit helps me visualize actually living on the coast. Right now we live on the side of a mountain so my main blog is View from the Mountain. I also have another blog, ApplePeels, where I talk about my experiences working for Apple Computer for the last twenty years, Current Mood: grateful Current Music: Let Me Ride (Comment on this)