I've been watching NASCAR for a few years now, after many years watching Formula 1. Not actually watching, more like having it on to accompany whatever I'm doing - on TV you miss the speed and sounds of a real race. I once had a taste of stock-car racing when I volunteered at the Edmonton Indy, and thought the thunderous sound of a V-8 pushrod engine at 9500 RPM was AMAZING.
So I'm planning to see a race - in Bristol, Tennessee ...
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Beachside Day 3: Friday |
| 2012.08.30 |
Beachside Day 2: Thursday |
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Today I need to venture into Wilmington to do some shopping. After some time with coffee on the deck. Did I mention it's hot here all the time? 10 am and it's 80/80 - 80 degrees, 80% humidity, and the extra sun shining onto the deck warms it up more. Inside, the a/c runs all the time and is cool but not cold unless you're dressed to be outside, which I have tended to be since getting off the road. That sweet southern belle at the Jackson City Sears sold me two pairs of shorts, one for the beach and one for casual wear, for 70% off, and the beach shorts are about all a guy needs around the house for morning coffee and checking emails and such. Thankfully, you will not have to see what that looked like, you only get to imagine. Comfy though, and that's what's important. :)
For shopping, there's the long stretch of South College Road that turns into I-40 if you go far enough north, which I did and turned around to go back. When I came in it was dark, so this was a run to see what there was along this corridor, and it had one of everything pretty much. Now I had a rough idea of where it was.
The K-Mart in Wilmington is a dying store, a small cluster of cars in a sea of empty parking lot. Inside the store feels like an old Wal-Mart, and is pretty empty of people, but I find what I need and it's cheap with no line-up at the till.
Along the way I tried another US fast-food stop: Chik-Fil-A, subject of some controversy and protest before I left home. I had a basic sandwich combo, 7 bucks, worth every penny of that.
Then to a Harris Teeter to buy some surprise snacks for martinis with TFS tonight. Snacks are important, and I've promised to her ever since I confirmed coming out here that I'd make myself useful and be waiting with martinis when she walked in the door after work. It's only fair - share the leisure.
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Almost 6:30 pm EDT, watching for the moon. It's full this week; I was hoping to catch it rising, but I was preparing some snacks to go with our martinis and missed it. |
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Almost 7:30 pm EDT, then about 7:45, the moon was up. Pics shot later, at least with automatic settings, were a white dot in the midst of black, and just couldn't capture what it's really like. |
TFS finally makes it home, and we snack, we libate, we walk the beach again, and go for a spontaneous swim! The water here is warm, not like on the west coast TFS says. The water is so shallow that it's easy to go out 20 or 30 feet before you'll stand in water more than chest-high between waves, and when a wave comes, just jump up and the wave goes around or carries you in.
There are very few people on the beach at all, but once we've swam and dried off for a while in a double-wide lifeguard station, some kids come wandering down the beach, very impressed by our nautical bravery, I think. Impressed, and quite drunk - one of them does a complete tip-over and face-plant into the sand. With slightly more of our wits about us we headed back down the beach, to the deck again, and to end the evening.
At about 3 am - we're easing up a bit... |
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Beachside Day 3: Friday |
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