Remembering Rose Bay aka Bell Island Fishing Pier

I found an old black and white photograph of my grandfather in his boat at his favorite fishing place, Rose Bay near Swan Quarter, North Carolina. I decide to use it as a subject for a watercolor painting. As I worked on the small painting it brought back many memories of fishing trips to Rose Bay when I was a child.

Mama and I fished from the pier at the Swan Quarter Wildlife Refuge. Today it is called Bell Island Fishing pier. Back when the photograph was taken, probably late 1940s or early 1950s, Papa Tom kept his boat in a boat house there. He and Daddy went out on the boat to fish while Mama and I stayed on the pier. I fished with a drop line through a hole in the pier. The pier has been damaged, and sometimes destroyed, by hurricanes over the decades. It has been rebuilt many times and recently was restored after Hurricane Isabel took it out a few years ago. It remains a popular fishing spot for many anglers.

You can read my article about the Bell Island Fishing Pier at Carolina County magazine’s website http://www.carolinacountry.com/index.php/carolina-stories/item/the-bell-island-fishing-pier

To find more about the refuge at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/recEdMore.cfm?ID=42532

Durant Park in Raleigh, NC

My friend and I try to walk at least three times a week. When the weather is hot and muggy we walk indoors – the mall, Lowes Home Improvement, or even Walmart. One week we had a cold front cooling off our North Carolina August air so we took a walk in a park. Durant Park in Raleigh, NC is a gem of an oasis from what has become a very busy urban area off US 1 aka Capital Blvd.

The park covers 237 acres of woodland, two small lakes, and a stream offering a diverse choice in walking trails. We took the lakeside trail then came back to our starting point through a woodland trail.  The hour “hike” up and down hills and I am glad I took along my hiking stick. It made the walk much easier on my old knees. On the way back to our starting point we saw a doe with her twin fawns and snapped a few photos before they moved on off into the woods. Flowers, butterflies and the lake made for several photo ops. We definitely have added this park for more exploring.

More about Durant Park.

Do Cougars Still Live in Eastern North Carolina? you Bet They Do!

I’ve been reading and participating in a Facebook conversation about cougars and/or panthers in Eastern North Carolina. There have been many sightings in the northeast part of the state. Wild Life authorities declare there are none of the big cats living in that part of the state. I gathered reports from people who are positive they’ve seen the big cats – both tawny colored ones and black ones.

Should you run up on one, even though they do not exist, be forewarned that it is illegal to shoot or kill it. They are a protected endangered species. It isn’t surprising that these big felines have evaded being noticed by the game wardens. Northeast North Carolina has thousands of acres of wilderness and food is plentiful as the deer population increases. But occasionally someone spots one crossing a rural road or a farmer catches a glimpse of one out in the back forty. They are there and I so want to see one! And to further prove their existence a man caught a picture of a large black cat on his trail cam in Washington County. He gave me permission to post it. See for yourself – this is clearly not a house cat.