A Few More Checks On The List

Beaufort  

Low wind this morning meant that our bimini could be marked for its final fitting. The canvas was then carried back to the shop where a tuck will be made in one area. After that, it should be good to go. Not long after the canvas contractors departed, two representatives from the local US Coast Guard Auxiliary came to do the annual safety inspections on both Crossoads and our dinghy. We received our new stickers and are good for the next year. It was a productive morning, with two big items being checked off the list. After lunch we walked around town to stretch our legs. We have one elusive item left to find on our Beaufort Scavenger Hunt. It was a pretty afternoon. The sounds of songbirds filled the still air. We had already walked these streets several times, but today we paid a little closer attention to the historic train depot. The plaque on the wall provided a build date of 1907, but this building looks much different from the town's other buildings of similar age -- from top to bottom. Red tile shingles cover a steep hipped roof. The flared eaves extend outward to create deep overhangs. Impressive wooden brackets provide the support for the stucco building's roof. Passenger service ended here in 1938. The building served as home to the town library until the 1960s. The train tracks that ran through town were removed in 1994. Today it is the home to the Beaufort Woman's Club and has a display of early railroad memorabilia inside. We still did not locate our last hunt item.

We expanded our exploration and went further east on Front Street to the site of a new planned development. A sales office is located in town and we've looked at the brochures and displays for six weeks. The best part of this new community is that the homes are not all mega mansions. Several sections are set up with both houses and townhomes under 2,000 square feet. Sunset soon followed with an increase in cloud cover. I settled in and watched the UVA women put together a strong performance in a sweet win over Miami. Tomorrow will be rainy and breezy (gusts to 35 mph ... again) with a chance of a thunderstorms. It is not looking like a good day for canvas installation, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.