In fact you would have to be insane to sit inside when the weather is nearly perfect as it has been this week.
The week of June 8 was really warm and a great week to be on the beach and in the water.
I think that I went swimming in the ocean four times that week since the pool was much too warm.
Some of that heat lingered into the early part of the week of June 15, but by Tuesday it was only a memory.
We went out Bogue Inlet and cut down in front of Hammocks Beach in hopes of catching some Spanish Mackerel.
We were fishing a couple of trolling rods and using a "bird rig." All had Clark spoons on the end of the leaders.
I had done some practice trolling earlier in the summer, but this was my first serious attempt.
We ended up having some luck with gold spoons on the bird rig. A put up a few slides of our trip except for the fishing part where things are a little busy.
The first slide is of a bottle nosed dolphin who met us just as we got into the White Oak.
We decided to catch some live bait before going.
Fortunately my partner in Spanish fishing, Alex, is pretty good with a cast net so we quickly got some live shrimp and minnows. We even caught a baby flounder which we threw back.
The shrimp were so young that they were translucent.
Our second trip out was unbelievable. The water was without a ripple. We found a pod of eight to ten bottle nosed Dolphins just outside the inlet.
I put up a lot of slides of our Mackerel Morning or more specifically the trip out to the ocean, back to Swansboro, and up the White Oak, but once again I was too busy fishing to take pictures when we were in the ocean.
We were much more successful, and I have already enjoyed a nice mess of Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish.
Lots of other things have been happening on the local scene. Ballyhoos is now doing a Sunday breakfast. Andy's in Swansboro is now serving some wonderful frozen custard. and the water in our neighborhood swimming pool has cooled to the comfortable point.
We also got to enjoy the Swansboro Arts Festival. It was a perfect Saturday for an event along the water.
Back on the homefront, Raymond's Gut in Bluewater Cove has greened up for the summer. The pool and the access to the White Oak make Bluewater Cove where I live a really special place.
Things are going very well down here in Paradise. The tomato crop is outstanding, the fish are providing some nice meals, and we have have replaced our Sable Palm tree that died.
The new one looks great.
We even have a good idea of how to keep this new one from meeting the same fate.
We also have captured another Pennsylvania couple who will be moving down to the area.
Finally yesterday we got some much needed rain.
See you in the water.