Why Beaufort NC

06/24/2025

Now THAT was a delicious lunch! Thank you Starfish Grill on HWY 24 for my fantastic lunch! The tuna tacos and Caesar salad were exactly what I needed today!

My day started with mowing my yard before it got TOO got (when I started mowing it was 88 degrees and when I was done it was showing 91), and then it took me into Beaufort to pick up some bikes, and then through Morehead City and down HWY 24 to a final walk-through. By the time that wrapped up, I was ready for something delicious, and luckily, I was pretty close to Starfish Grill.

Located in the Croatan Crossing shopping center (2896 A NC-24, Newport, NC 28570), this delightfully unassuming restaurant is located on the lefthand side of the complex.

I love restaurants that aren't worried about having the biggest and fanciest locations, or spending millions on decorations; they care about putting out great food and offering fantastic service! Every time I have eaten here the food has been top quality and the service has been stellar!

Starfish Grill is such a cool place; from the counter to the window into the kitchen, the beautiful tables and cool, modest decorations, the giant mural of the shrimp boats, it has such a coastal feel.

Everything I have had there is delicious, and I struggled to figure out which taste bud I wanted to hit. I decided on the special, the Jamaican Jerk Tuna Tacos, with a Caesar salad; man, did I make the right choice!

These tacos were sooooooo good! They were stacked with tuna, perfectly cooked (still swimming), and the flavor was amazing. The Caesar salad was spot on perfect, fresh, crisp, with just the right amount of dressing. Paired with a glass (or three) of tea, it was exactly what I needed.

The real star of the meal however was my server, Renee. She was the only server taking care of the entire restaurant, and she did a phenomenal job. You could tell that she has a passion for it, and loves what she does! Thank you Renee for the fantastic service!

I love places like this; consistently good food, great service, and an at-home feel. Hard to beat!

06/24/2025

Interesting piece of our area's history!

On June 24, 1942, a K-3 patrol blimp spotted 27 survivors from a steam merchant ship that had been torpedoed that morning by the German submarine U-404 about 44 nautical miles east of Cape Lookout.

The men were picked up by a U.S. Coast Guard boat and taken to Morehead City. Ultimately, U-404 would sink four ships off the coast of Cape Lookout.

Image: Circa 1943, U.S. Navy K airship at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Weeksville, North Carolina. (Image courtesy Museum of the Albermarle).

06/24/2025

The wild horses of the Rachel Carson Reserve were out on a hot June afternoon, grazing within easy view of Front Street. There was a group of four down by the boat ramp and Front Street Tree Tunnel, and the pier there offer a spectacular 'close as I care to get' view!

The foal and her mama were down in the 1400 block. Usually it is a larger group, but it was just the two of them in view today, grazing along Taylor's Creek.

As usual, remember to only observe these beauties from a distance!

06/24/2025

This is your reminder to drink some water and stay hydrated. In Morehead City/HWY 24 at noon today it was reading 99 degrees. Drink some water!

I got severly dehydrated once; I was 12 or 13 years old, at Boy Scout Camp in the North Georgia Mountains. It was a hot July, and I thought that because I was drinking root beer I was staying hydrated. Nope! I ended up passing out on the archery range, and woke up in the medical tent. They told me that even though sodas are liquid, not all liquids are created the same for hydration, especially when it is as hot as it was that day.

Here are a couple of tips:

-Drink water! Lots and lots and lots of water! Drink more water than you think you need...you need it!
-If you are getting tired or water or find it boring, throw some fruit down in there. Lemon, lime, some watermelon, a slice of apple, a couple of sliced strawberries...it will alleviate the mundaneness and give you a few extra nutrients!
-Tea is another great option, specifically green tea or black tea. Make a big pitcher and keep it in the fried for on the go cool refils throughout the day. Of course sweet tea is delicious, but unsweet is a little healthier if you can handle it!
-Sports drinks can be good as well, but in moderation.

Please forgive the crassness, but I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that a good barometer on if you need more water in hot weather is: if you don't feel the need to p*e, you aren't drinking enough water. If you do feel the need to p*e...drink more water anyways!

So to put my own spin on things: If you are reading this, drink some water. When you are done reading this, drink some water. When you think about this later, drink some water. When you wake up in the morning, drink some water. Before you go to bed at night, drink some water. When you turn on your tv, drink some water. When you get in your car, drink some water. When you are making breakfast, lunch, and dinner, drink some water. And find a few dozen other times in between to, you guessed it, drink some water.

If you are taking care of kids or the elderly or pets when it is this hot...make sure they are drinking plenty of water too!

The moral of this story, stay hydrated! Please consider shareing this so we can help folks in this hot weather!

06/24/2025

Now THAT'S the way to wrap up a day! A sunset under the bridge and the perfect song! It was a hot one today, but it sure ended beautifully! Have a wonderful night!

06/23/2025

The horses stay cool by hanging in the shade...I do too, with the added bonus of some ice cream! Thank goodness for this Beaufort Breeze that certainly makes a difference!

The highest I have seen the truck thermometer today is 93°, which is certainly a warm one here, but that breeze off the water makes all the difference in the world. As I was coming back from an appointment of of Lennoxville Road, I saw a couple of the Rachel Carson Reserve wild horses heading into the woods on the islands...smartly taking advantage of the shade!

After a day of running between properties, picking up bikes, meetings, and working intermittently in the office I decided to take a few minutes before my next batch of meetings, get some ice cream, and take a nice little stroll.

I decided on my usual from Beaufort Creamery, one scoop of Reeses, one scoop of Banana Pudding, all down in one cup. So delicious and refreshing! I tell you, if you can't find good ice cream around Beaufort, you ain't looking hard enough!

I did my stoll down the docks, enjoying the breeze, beautiful water views, and big and small boats in town. I turned and walked up Queen Street; I to go check on one thing at a property. So many beautiful sights all over! I did my best to stay in the shade; there was at least a 10 degree difference under a tree vs not. Don't get me wrong, I live my life on the sunny side of the street, but on a day like this, if shade is an option, you choose shade!

After wrapping up on Queen St, I headed west on Ann St, enjoying the sights of Ann Street United Methodist Church and First Baptist Church; we have so many beautiful churches in our town!

I came back south on Turner St, taking a few minutes to stroll through the Beaufort Historic Site before heading back to the office. Love the new 'Only Rain Down The Drain' painting at the little drain on Turner St!

I tell you, even on a schorching hot day, this is such a lovely little town! I saw a lot of folks out and about, and just as many sitting on their front porches in the shade.

Gotta love it!

06/23/2025

A little fun from my Greg Moss, Realtor, Beaufort Realty side of things!

06/23/2025

Now that was a sunset to come home to! Had to go downtown for a couple of work things and saw this! What a great way to wrap up a fun and busy weekend!

We are certainly blessed to live in a beautiful place!

06/23/2025

I pinned a $20 bill to his collar and wished him the best of luck. I can't believe I'm not going to see my boy for 4 weeks!

Isaac started the NC Governor's School for Natural Sciences today, and boy was it tough dropping him off at Greensboro College! I know that this is a phenomenal opportunity and will be a wonderful experience for him, but as a parent who likes and loves his family, it is hard! This ain't just a week at summer camp or me going away to take care of a parent for 2 weeks...this is a whole month!

I know he will be fine, but a parent does worry! Luckily we have some experience with this; Amanda went to Governor's School when she was a rising senior; she went for French Horn (and is still one heck of a player...ask every East Carteret HS musical for the last 12 years!), and we have had a number of friends' and neighbors' kids go to GS for many things over the years, and they all made it back safe.

Greensboro College has a beautiful campus, and all the other Governor's School students we met were smart, polite, and seemed to be well prepared. Let's just say though that I wasn't the only parent dropping off their young adults that was struggling with it. Not that I am particularly worried about Isaac...he is an amazing son with one heck of a head on his shoulders. It is the variables that are beyond our control that we worry about!

As we were wrapping up and getting a few pictures before we headed out, I gave Isaac a nice, manly hand shake. He laughed and gave me a big hug. Thank goodness!! I am going to miss that boy for the next month!

06/22/2025

Ok, I think Biscuitville might be a decent fit at the Crystal Coast...it is yummy! We are up in Durahm today, taking our 17 year old, Isaac, up to Greensboro College for NC Governor's School. We decided to stay in Durham last night for 2 reasons; 1: We wanted to take a little time last night to drive around the Duke University campus (one of the colleges that Isaac is considering), and 2: the hotel room here was $122 cheaper than what was available in Greensboro last night (with Dad staring a college tuition bill or two in the face every dollar counts!!)

The drive around Duke last night was fantastic, especially with the sunset. These are not my best pics of sunsets; we just stayed in the car and cruised around the luscious and verdant campus. Isaac truly enjoyed seeing the spectacular grounds, beautiful buildings (where he MAY be attending classes), and the amazing setting.

The hotel we stayed at last night didn't offer a complimentary breakfast, so we kicked around different options and decided we wanted to get something that we don't have access to locally, and we chose Biscuitville!

We have eaten at Biscuitville restaurants once or twice over the years, and have always been pleased.

Amanda and Gabe got their fried checken biscuits with hash browns. They LOVED them! Isaac wanted to FILL Up for his big day checking into Governor's School, so he went with the pancakes platter; three pancakes, eggs, and bacon. He thoroughly enjoyed it, though he did say that my pancakes were even better and that he was going to miss my cooking like crazy for the month he is gone! Melt my heart!

I had the hot chicken and honey biscuit, and man, did it hit the spot! Hot, sweet, delicious!

It is not often that you see Cheerwine in a fountain machine, but I NEEDED some coffee, so I went with one of their cold brews...quite good!

It was fun watching them make the buscuits right in front of us...they use many of the same techniques that I use when I am making biscuits at home!

I think this kind of food would do quite well at the Crystal Coast!

06/22/2025

06/22/2025

A little fun from the Hilton in Durham. Cracked me up!