Wilmington, NC Day 1: Cape Fear!

Warning: the next few days are gonna have a lot of Cape Fear jokes.  This cannot be helped.

So what I'm doing down here on the Atlantic coast?  It's just pure vacation.  It's weird that people do this every year - they take a week off of work in the summer to see the sights, to rest, to eat good food.  Whenever I have done this in the past, it's been an anomoly, something I had to plans months for, and often was a logistical nightmare.  And I usually only did it wen I was at some sort of breaking point - where the choice was either go on vacation or go stark-raving mad.  Now, at least for the time being, it's becoming routine.  I can depend on it like the fact that a hill goes up for only so many blocks, then goes downhill for a bit.

Anyway, Amy's sister Pam and brother-in-law Brad invited us to do vacation with them this year.  (They have been avid followers of this blog, and now they wanted a starring role!)  A few weeks ago, the plans came together and we decided to go for Pam's home state of North Carolina and a beach vacation.  I've never been on a beach vacation.  I've seen the ocean (both Atlantic and Pacific) but I've never squished my toes in the sand or read a "beach book" or built sand castles or let the surf pound on me. It sounded cool.

So we booked a plane to Durham leaving at 5:40 AM.  We had to get up around 4:45, and that after a night of watching fireworks in Ithaca and not getting in until midnight.  Those of you who know Amy already realize what a tremendous feat this was for her, and if there were awards for heroic behavior in the face of adversity, she would get it.  We got to the airport at 5:10, and the desk clerk sneered, "You're tardy."  I would argue there is no such thing as tardy at 5:10 AM!

Anyway, Pam met us at the airport, and we had a nice Greek lunch (gyros, souvlaki) with the entire family - including their daughters Becky and Liza.  Becky having a work life that she couldn't ignore wouldn't be joining us, but Liza will.  We piled our stuff in the cars to head down to the coast.

Wilmington is on the Cape Fear River about 15 miles from where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.  As everyone knows, it is named Cape Fear because if you pilot a boat down it with your family, you will get attacked by Robert Mitchum (or Robert DeNiro, if you're in the color version) and fear for your life.  Everything is named Cape Fear - Cape Fear Whole Foods Market, Cape Fear Community College. There's a Cape Fear Daycare, but it's full of bullies.  Sorry folks.  This is gonna get worse before it gets better.

OK, so definitely you want food affecionados to guide any vacation - this was instrumental in making Paris a great trip.  No exception here.  Through the storm of chain restaurants, and chefs who haven't worked out their mommy issues, Brad is our beacon.  He leads us to Manna Avenue on Market St..  Amy has a neon pink-purple cosmo, Brad has moonshine (it's hip these days), and I have the Shrub of the Day, which is a boozy concoction with bourbon, vinegar (!) and concord grapes.  All of a sudden life got slower.  It's as if we shoved the car into Southern Gear.

For dinner, Pam ordered Cornish Game Hen, which presented itself as a few sushi-sized pieces.  On the other side of the spectrum, I had The Porkshank Redemption, which was a huge, smoked barbecued pork shank served over grits.  The meat was boiling hot all the way to the bone, which is very unusual, and it tasted like smoked heaven (is there smoke in heaven?  In my version, yes!) .  Amy had grouper with an olive sauce.  Brad asked so many questions of the waiter, that I forget what he actually had.  But it was all close-your-eyes-while-you-eat good!

And then an after-dinner beach preview.  I stood there on the side as tons of water rolled up and over my feet, leaving a pile of sand.  In 10 minutes I was buried above my ankles in sand, but not having moved an inch.  I figure an hour or so, and I'd be up to my neck in sand like those guys in the Huey Lewis video.  (You know what I'm talking about - don't pretend that you don't!)  Isn't that cool?  You can basically run a vacation where all you do is stand still and get entertained.  For free!

But the day shut down early - our early morning rising had taken its toll on Amy and me.  We collapsed into bed, ready to greet the Fourth of July.