Wandering Wilmington

Arline, owner of Cabin Creek Campground decided it would be a good day for us to take in a bit of Wilmington. So this morning she picked us up for a conversation-ladened forty five minute trip down highway 17. Wilmington is a harbor town at the southeast corner of North Carolina, harboring the Coast Guard, old money, antebellum mansions, and an ambiance of slowly drawn southern living. On the way in , she acted as tour guide, pointing out vast areas of interest to us for future visits. However, I did note the fact that many shopping zones were particularly for Robin’s eyes only. We parked near the wharf, directly across from the anchored USS Carolina, and began a foot journey through the open air market area designated for foot traffic only. Garden delights, baked good, flowers, candies, cookbooks and  an array of chotchkes were laid out for visual fascination. We perused through the maze stopping at every booth but only purchasing a bagful of fresh basil as I’m having a hankering for homemade pasta sauce. Our ultimate goal was O’Paddys resturant for a lunch of brisket and steamed veggies. Making our way back through the marketplace we were entertained by a street piper, dressed to the nines in his kilt and hat and further down the street talked with the owner of Segway tours, making a note to stop by again for a tour of the city via a Segway as opposed to a horse drawn carriage. I had experienced a Segway about four years ago while on a bike trip to Myrtle Beach and was fascinated by their versatility and of course, dreaming of ways to utilize a new toy like that should I decide that one was needed. Feeling guilty about leaving Gary, Arline’s significant other, back at the park, we headed back to Jacksonville. I donned some shorts and a T, heading over to the driving range to provide some assistance or in the very least, some conversation. It was a bit of a slow day so I started up the tractor and guided the ball picker around the range, waited on some customers wanting buckets of balls, and then Gary showed me how to operate the batting cages should one of the machines go awry. After spending a few hours there, Robin sauntered over from the campground with Brutus. Looking into each other’s eyes we at once decided it was a night for pizza. We headed into Jacksonville, placed an order and then cruised more of the town, learning point to point shortcuts to venues we would visit on future treks, whiling away time until the pizza was ready. Back to the RV for take out and then settling in for a smorgasboard of football, runway divas, and law enforcement taking down criminals on the hour. Time for bed and visions of a trip to the beach tomorrow.