August 14-August 24                         New Bern, North Carolina

We arrived at the airport in New Bern shortly after ten o’clock and were driven to the marina in the courtesy car of the Hilton.  We were delighted to see the boat and everything seemed in place.  The wall covering in the heads and hall looked wonderful, the freezer on the aft deck was working well, and the A/C in the bow was functioning.  The following day, the workers began to arrive or calling to let us know their plans.  The next days were filled with activity as work was completed and projects began.  Some went extremely well, others were frustratingly mediocre, and all were expensive.

We had several evenings of rain, which usually ended before dawn.  The lovely town of New Bern was even more beautiful with the cooler weather and plenty of water for the plants and flowers.  We took daily bike rides and made occasional visits to the restaurants and shops.  On our anniversary, we invited John Peterson and his wife, Vivian for dinner at the Harvey Mansion Historic Restaurant and Inn near the marina.  To our delight, they arrived with John’s daughter, Michele and her husband, Scott.  We had an excellent dinner and an evening of good conversation.  Vivian a small, trim, and attractive woman, is also a physician. She seemed subdued by her more outgoing husband and his family.  I regretted that I did not have an opportunity to spend more time with her.

On Sunday evening, we invited Jimmy and Tammy Watts to have dinner with us.  We returned to the Harvey Mansion for another delicious dinner.  Jimmy and Tammy were charming and we had a wonderful time talking, laughing, and getting to know each other.  To our delight, they invited us to dinner on Tuesday evening.  We dined at Nickola’s, a small, charming restaurant specializing in Northern Italian cuisine.  The owners are immigrants from Croatia who, like many such newcomers to this country, have worked hard and become successful business owners.  The food was excellent and we had a wonderful evening. 

It is rare to meet new people that become instant friends.  We hope to see the Watts again soon.  Jimmy is one of the most talented men we have met.  He is a welder of composites for the Coast Guard facilities at Cherry Point and is an expert in metal fabrication.  He was able to design and make special attachments for our ladders that will greatly facilitate installation and removal.  He also designed, made, and installed a grab bar above the stairs from the helm area to the galley that will keep others and me from slipping or falling upon descent.

Despite work still incomplete, we were determined to leave as scheluded.  We would find time to do it ourselves, if necessary.  This was not going to be an insurmountable problem!