Binging On Eye Candy

Belhaven  

For the first time since we departed Deltaville in January we went out for breakfast. We took the dinghy in, met the crew of Yampa, and headed back to Gingerbread. We had seen their menu yesterday and were eager to order items we just don't get onboard (which at this point is anything other than oatmeal and protein pancakes). Country ham was calling my name. Barry ordered a western omelette. Great conversation flowed as we discovered how small the world is becoming. Turns out Scott (who we found out yesterday lives five miles from our house) and Barry worked on the same Top-Secret project at Texas Instruments in Dallas back in the late 1980s. After breakfast Barry went back to Yampa to work on an electronics issue. I set out on a walk down Main Street to explore more of the charming town of Belhaven. The town seal is mounted on the Municipal Building. It is divided into sections by a ship's wheel, with each part representing an important element in Belhaven's history. Colorful blooms lined the streets. Beside the library, I found another 6x6-foot fiberglass entry in the Crabs on the Move community art project. Truth is, most homeowners seem to participate in a broader art project. Every building features a different flavor of eye candy.      

Images of crabs were stenciled in blue along the sidewalks. Stately houses lined both sides of the street. Gardens often featured flowering plants along with whimsical sculptures. A well-worn handle on the front door caught my eye at Trinity United Methodist Church. Purple irises and bright yellow day lilies surrounded Saint James Episcopal Church. 

Covered wrap-around porches with large swings and a nice basketball goal on a flat cement pad are favorite features on my list. Turning on Latham Street, a decorative quilt square adorned the side of one house. A bright red birdhouse was the feature item of the colorful roadside flower bed. The high winds we've been experiencing could have explained the presence of a pastel blue bird's egg in the middle of the road. A large garden was planted with young beans, onions, peppers and tomatoes. 

The Mad Batter is located where Pungo Street intersects Pamlico Street. I arrived just before its 10:00 opening and waited along with a young woman and her four-year-old son for the doors to open. The young boy was so excited to go in and get a cupcake. Fresh cheesecakes and pies were being loaded into the display case as we entered. I picked up two cinnamon rolls to go and took them back to the dinghy. While there I also peeled off my foul weather jacket before setting off on another lap. Still with a fleece jacket on, I went out Water Street and soaked up a little sun that was trying to peak through the heavy cloud cover. My head was on a swivel, looking at both sides of the streets to pick out all the small architectural details that give a house character. Whether on shutters or on stair kicks, the little touches make a big statement.

Large statement pieces were also abundant, such as an anchor by the driveway, geraniums in an old cast iron pot, and a stately old tree with a bench beneath. I reached the end of the road by River Forest Manor then turned back on Main Street for the final leg, taking closer looks at a boat planter full of pansies, a hedge of fragrant honeysuckle, and the vivid berries of a holly.

Clever window displays and good music led me to stop in and browse at a small locally-owned gift shop. The old City Hall built in 1910, now houses the Belhaven Memorial Museum. It was closed for renovation so I didn't get an opportunity to learn about this town being the birthplace of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway or to see the collection of over 30,000 buttons of long-time resident Mrs. Mary Eva Blount Way. Maybe next year. Flooding is an issue for this waterfront town. The Nor'easter blowing off the coast is creating higher than normal tides, sending the Pantego River over its banks and into the street. I returned to the dinghy dock just as Barry was finishing up his project and as the wind was picking up. We returned to Crossroads and listened as the wind howled all afternoon. I pulled all of our remaining food stores out of the commissary and repacked the storage areas in the galley and salon. Overall, most everything I stashed onboard back in December has been on point. We have a few extra of some things (cans of green beans) and have run out of several things that we've since replaced at State-side grocery stores. Supposedly today, our third day waiting on weather, was to have the worst conditions. I hope so because I'm running out of new areas to explore and boat projects to complete.