Oriental, Sailing Capital of NC

Oriental, Sailing Capital of NC

Greetings from the Neuse River

Life here along the banks of the Neuse River, overlooking close to four miles of water, is a sharp contrast to living in a city. Most months, it is idyllic; then, there are the months that remind you that Mother Nature is definitely in charge.

This neighborhood of houses face the Neuse River and backs up to several acres of farmland -- most years, soybean --- then thick tracts of pine forests to the main road.

I love to watch the sea gulls, sometimes the pelicans, and cormorants or egrets and the occasional eagle or osprey. The cute visitors are "chickens" that my neighbor called me about photographing who were grazing in her yard. Even at 100 feet away, they were skittish and flew to the further neighbor's yard but just enough for me to photograph them for identification. These "chickens" turned out to be cattle egrets. The flock numbered about thirty -- by the river bank...not sure why they picked her yard.

I suppose you could say this blog is an occasional picture-book of life in Pamlico County or whatever comes to mind at the time.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Predicting a White Christmas?

The icy fingers of Winter grabbed us very early this year and our heat pump has not been able to keep up with the wind and cold over  the last few weeks.  This is a shot from last winter...but none the less echoes what we've been feeling here on the Coast. The volunteer cedar trees that I left to mature are lending wonderful haven to the doves however, and seems we have a lot of doves in the yard lately. Just last week, there were a dozen doves sitting --- enjoying the sun, among the leaves and grass. It was hard to see their purplish gray bodies all balled up among the brown leaves.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

GETTING READY FOR THE DRAGON'S VISIT

I've been called the "Dragon Lady a time or two...and while as a child, I remember the dragon on my mother's dishes, I had never entered the the mythical world of this fascinating creature. Enter retirement in Oriental, NC and here the Dragon reigns. She...yes...it's a she...and they're eggs around here to prove it. The Spirit of Christmas will conclude with the Dragon's dance on New Year's Eve. Legend goes....never mind....here is one of my depictions  of the Oriental Dragon.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Nature Paints the Countryside with Color

In the six years of living here at the Coast, I don't believe I've seen a prettier --- and more sustained color drenched countryside. The above photo taken of leaves floating in a creek several miles away -- complete with all the little specks of "stuff" floating by. My days have been busier than a one-arm paper hanger and my postings not so frequent...but it was nice to take a take off and record some of the beautiful color around. The golds have been especially spectacular.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Dragon Boats Race

Residents of Oriental have nurtured a kinship with Dragon lore, images, eggs -- you name it. One develops a certain kind of craziness you know, living a few steps from  the edge of a continent, a bit isolated and rural. Yesterday, they staged the first of hopefully many, dragon races. These boats pack about 20 rowers with a drummer and someone who steers (22 in all) and I had only a few minutes to click off a few shots in the heat and humidy

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Painting as First love...

For all my dalliance with Photography and writing Poetry, Painting is really my first love and most closely identifies who I am. It gets harder and harder to get to it these days with the constant administrative right-brain work that I've been doing these last few months as President of the Pamlico Arts Council. "Winged Opus" (watercolor) was a part of the series for the show "Feathers, Fins & Things" several years ago.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Images that Sear the Mind - Tar Baby vs St. Sebastian

Much has happened over the last couple of weeks --- including the loss of a dear friend and close neighbor. In fact, we co-owned, Kinu, my dog --- together briefly. Seems I've also been traveling more than usual. And, reflecting as I do, here by the river....I went back in my files to look at this piece of sculpture on display at the NC Museum of Art. This work is by a Jamaican-American, Michael Richards (1963-2001) who was killed in the NYC 9/11 tragedy and eerily, it seems to forecasts Richards' own death. Cast from his own body, planes pierce the body like arrows reminiscent of St. Sebastian.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Watching Dragonflies


There's something magical about watching dragonflies. Seeing them is one of the real treats of summer, in my opinion. Their wings are such delicate engineering accomplishments. I once watched this exquisite red dragonfly get caught by a lizard...right outside my front door. He'd been so happy just seconds before. This photo was taken this past weekend at the NC State Museum in Raleigh at their waterlily pool. Luckily, there weren't any lizards nearby. And that new museum building is so contemporary and beautiful.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Sunrise on the Neuse

There is a proposal for 11 squadrons of F-35B aircraft at Cherry Point which is a few miles downriver from us. Research that I've done registered an F-35B landing at a noise level of
109 dB. Deafening. And we are looking at 176 of these babies flying overhead aroung 2014. The prospect is frightening. This tranquil surrounding may not be so tranquil after 2014. Not to speak of home values.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Looking at more gulls....

I look at gulls a great deal living around here. They're pretty fascinating birds and I love to hear the sounds they make. I have a number of gull photos. This one I decided to play with to create a soft watercolor impression.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Gulls Pattern



I'm going to crow a bit tonight. My "Gulls Pattern" photo won "Best of Show" in the Beaufort County Photography Show in Washington, NC. The reception was tonight and while I hadn't gotten the check yet -- there's a little bit of cash award with this. Not bad for a painter who took up Photography just a few years ago.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Wild Turkey

One of Frederick's dear cousins, (Gene) was buried last week. He was 85. One of the nephews claimed Gene spoke to him in a dream and requested some "Wild Turkey" a couple nights before. Gene loved Wild Turkey. So, before the casket was lowered into the ground, the ceremonial "Wild Turkey" send off took place. The bottle was opened, sipped by the three remaining male relatives standing around. They toasted him; poured some Wild Turkey over his casket and placed the bottle in the hollow of the casket before the vault was sealed. I was there and can report this firsthand. But, I have to admit that I didn't partake of the cherished liquor. If Gene was looking on, he would know how much he was loved and how memories of his life will be treasured.

We had a few days of reprieve from the heat. And seems my blue bird hatch box will be in use again. A new pair of bluebirds have taken over the box and Mama was dragging in some grass this morning. This will be the 3rd nesting for the year!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Remembering Home....



Coming Home

In the home of my mind a Poinciana,

blazing scarlet, stretches shade over

the curved driveway of our house;

an upstairs veranda shouts to sea.


Above: Close-up of one of the Poinciana blossom clusters and the first stanza from my poem, "Coming Home" --- which I hope is in its final editing stages.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Baby Blue before 1st Flight

A couple days ago, I was lucky enough to see the first baby blue make its first flight out of the hatch box after a couple of days watching it measure and ponder. It was pretty wondrous. I didn't catch the flight on camera but it may have been hard as he took off in a flash. My camera did record a bit of the activities prior with -- it seemed -- hours of watching baby blue plucking up the courage to take off. Ma & Pa were still busily feeding him and it seemed, minutes before, he was "bleating" --- probably hungry. The blues were cleaning out the nest--at intervals-- flying out with egg shell fragments in their beaks. I was still not able to get in close enough for what I would consider art shots but there will at least give a flavor of the event. The top photo shows Ma & Pa Blue sometime during the momentous event. The flying filaments are my "magic halo" to keep house sparrow from taking over the nest earlier in the season.

Friday, June 18, 2010

DAYLIGHT WHISPERS

© Evie Chang Henderson

Morning’s reluctant fog slinks
and daylight whispers arch
over woods defining
the untamed foliage beneath me;
grass tassels heavy with seed
sway gently in the wind––
a bob white’s call echoes across,
punctuated by shrill cries of
a killdeer mourning her nest
destroyed in newly mowed grass.

There’s always company
on this mile of wires and poles;
early chatter and chirps rise and fall––
eager to start the day.
But I must be watchful––
hawks also prowl the neighborhood.
Each day has a story and
sometimes the road below
veins with blood––beckoning
vultures who can feast for days.

Clouds bank––still blush,
beyond trees that rim these fields,
then streak white across the sky
to waters that lap
docks and bulkheads nearby––
a saltiness in confluence
with earth musk and morning glory.
But, it’s time to move on,
grasshoppers are beginning to stir
and feed I must.

(First Place, Poetry/New Bern Literary Symposium - 2009)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Monarch Butterfly on Pink Zinnia

Each year, I plant a patch of zinnias for the butterflies. Monarchs and swallowtails love zinnias. This photo was taken in my garden last year. I was disturbed to read that this year, the Monarch population may be down 50%. This is due to a very cold winter, herbicides and of course, destruction of habitat. Monarchs do about a 3,000 mile roundtrip migration each year. Next year, I'm going to try to plant a milkweed habitat for them.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Thinking about the Brown Pelican


I always thought that Pelicans were, next to sea-gulls, the most prevalent sea bird there was. But the other day, while reading about the wildlife threatened in the Louisiana coastal marshes, I discovered that the brown pelican is really on the edge of being a threatened specie. I photographed this brown pelican last year down at Calabash, SC.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Opinions People Have...

Today, I overheard a few associates of mine talking about the Gulf of Mexico Disaster. While most of the group were bemoaning the catastrophe, one person said that she thought the media was making too much of the situation...that yes, it'll affect the fish, etc. but all we have to do is get used to not eating shrimp for a while.

I was too stunned to say anything and since I was not a part of the immediate group conversation, I did not add to the conversation.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Critically Endangered


My paintings from my last exhibit, "Feathers & Fins" spoke of the demise of the environment using coastal metaphors. The recent BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is so incredibly sad and depressing that I returned to view my images from that show. One of them titled "Critically Endangered" with the looming black shape in the upper left (note the segment of wing in left foreground) speaks of the huge danger our bird and marine life is faced with.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Water Lily

I'm going back into my Photo files, reviewing and re-editing. What I did a year ago doesn't seem satisfactory anymore. Yesterday and today, I've been looking at my waterlily collection of photos and working on sharpening these images. Here's the web version of one.

Monday, May 31, 2010

My first set of bluebirds in the year had 5 eggs in the hatch box. They fledge safely. And immediately, a new couple wanted to move in. A couple weeks ago, when I checked there was only one egg. I believe the baby arrived yesterday as activity in and out the box ramped up yesterday. Here is Papa Blue.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

A Couple Enjoying the Beach


I photographed this about a year ago. It won First Place in the New Bern Coastal Photo group show (Enhanced Category). It is Memorial Day weekend and the weather is hot and sunny and this is what I'd rather be doing instead of staying at home working and cleaning house.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Indian Pow Pow

Over the weekend, while most folks went to the Air Show, we went to what what called the Algonquin Pow Wow. It was a small crowd but we enjoyed the costumes and short dances.
One of the headdresses is captured here.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Kinu visits Lucy at Topsail Beach


Lucy (foreground) is Fania's dog. My dog, Kinu is in the background. They are relaxing on the deck after playing on the beach and in the surf. They both have some Lab in them so they love the water. This was the first outing for Kinu and his first meeting with Lucy. They loved playing together. Every blogspot needs to show off their dogs, you know.