October 9 – 11, 2024

We’d be spending three nights in Wilmington at longtime friend Carolyn’s house, who I first met through my professional involvement, the Association of College Unions International (ACUI).  When we moved to Charlotte in 2008, she was the Executive Director of Student Life at UNC Wilmington and later would become the Assistant Vice President of Student Services at the University of Alabama Birmingham.  We would visit and stay with her in both cities, enabling us to enjoy those locations better than if we visited them cold. 

We had dinner that night at her house and the next day took off south to Sunset Beach for a bike ride and to spend time with Bonnie, our friend from Charlotte who like many others had recently moved to the area.  I worked with Bonnie at UNC Charlotte and our mutual love of cycling was the glue that helped to maintain our friendship after both of us left the campus.  After checking out her new house we headed out for an easy ten-mile ride through Panther’s Run, a nearby neighborhood. 

It was good to be out on the bikes although it wasn’t one of my better days in the saddle, but then not every ride is a winner.  We returned to Bonnie’s place to drop off the bikes and shower and then drove to Calabash for lunch at a funky little place on the Calabash River called the Waterfront Seafood Shack.  It’s a divey looking joint but boy was that food good.  Knowing we’d be meeting other former Charlotte neighbors later for dinner, we held back and just split a fish sandwich, which was one of the best I can recall having. 

Not sure if there was indoor seating but the afternoon was so nice we sat outside perched on high top stools set against a fence overlooking the river, boats floating peacefully in front of us while various birds flew above and around our heads.  We wolfed down our sandwich and then made a brief stop at Callahan’s of Calabash, a gigantic gift shop on Beach Drive where we were thwarted in our efforts to buy some post cards, a commodity we found it hard to come by in an area where one would think they’d be abundant. 

We then made our way to Sunset Beach for a stroll out to the beach itself, along with many other walkers, joggers and sunbathers.  For a weekday it was surprisingly busy, making one wonder why all these folks weren’t at work, and yet between retirees, work from home employees and those who might have a schedule where they worked on other folk’s days off, it made sense for all of us to enjoy the sights. 

We made a quick stop to drop Bonnie off at her place and then headed north for the 90-minute drive to the Wrightsville Beach Brewery (Wilmington) for dinner with Linda and Joe, who we’ve known since our early days at the Charlotte house we bought in 2009.  Linda and I both served for many years on the Board of Directors of our HOA (I was the treasurer and later became the President), a seemingly thankless task that instead allowed us to get to know many of our neighbors much better than if we hadn’t been involved. 

Upon arrival Joanna ordered a Raspberry Berliner Weiss while I went for the Plover Pilsner that we would employ while enjoying a bowl of the soup of the day, a tasty Butternut Squash soup.  Joanna ordered the Fried Oyster Bites (8 Fried oysters over kimchi spiced NC collards) which I will admit, I actually enjoyed, contrary to my prior interactions with this much beloved snack. 

Next up was a Jamaican Ginger Soda for Joanna while I moved on to the Wobbly Wave Double IPA to go along with the Crab Cake Dinner (A duo of house-made lump Carolina crab cakes served with home style potatoes and sauteed vegetables, and Rasta sauce) we shared.  Normally small appetite eaters, we demolished it all and walked out with a reasonable tab of $75.  A small price to pay for good food and good friends who we’d be missing if we still lived in Charlotte. 

The next day was open for us, and we took advantage of it to get a nice bike ride in.  Having checked online, there was supposed to be a dedicated bike path that started and ended in downtown Wilmington close to the Cape Fear River.  We drove there (Carolyn lives about twelve miles from downtown) and found a place to park, setting out on the bikes.  It soon became apparent that no well marked path exists, or at least we couldn’t find it. 

Regardless, we pushed on and ended up finding some semblance of path and designated streets and after a mid-ride stop at a bike shop to get my seat adjusted, made are way back to downtown and stopped for coffee and a snack at 24 South Coffee House where a vanilla latte and maple scone put the finishing touches on what had turned out to be a very nice outing. 

We returned to Carolyn’s house for a relaxing afternoon and later she would take us for a tour in her golf cart of her neighborhood, the River Bluffs Community, a large complex with many different styles of housing and a robust array of services, both retail and social.  Later, for dinner, we touched down at the Riverside Kitchen and Bar, one of the community’s dining facilities for what would be a nice meal. 

We started with drinks, a Pumpkin Spice Margarita for Joanna and a glass of Chardonnay for me as we enjoyed an appetizer of Mini Beef Wellington.  Next, we all shared an Ahi Tuna dish with sliced cucumbers and a mound of spiced rice and completed the meal with a large serving of Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and a lovely gravy. 

It was a nice way to finish our time with Carolyn and reminded us of the joy that friends bring to one’s life and the fact that we have the opportunity to travel and visit with folks we’d likely not see in person if it wasn’t for our desire to take in as much of the world as we can.  We closed out our time in Wilmington knowing we would return and got ready to drive south to Charleston for another stop with friends. 

Links

Waterfront Seafood Shack: https://waterfrontseafoodshack.com/

Callahan’s of Calabash: https://callahansgifts.com/

Wrightsville Beach Brewery: https://www.wbbeer.com/home

24 South Coffee House: https://www.facebook.com/24southcoffeehouse/

River Bluffs: https://riverbluffsliving.com/

Riverside Kitchen and Bar: https://riversidekitchenandbar.com/