ORIENTAL, NC

Of Sailboats & Serpents

Odd little Oriental. This little town of 875 souls brags that it is the Sailing Capitol of North Carolina. It also is home to dragons of many colors.

And they are quite serious about their dragons as the items above and below will indicate.

We saw rocks like this scattered around town, some with this very official looking sign posted above (complete with the state's Wildlife Conservation Department's seal). We saw a dragon floating in a pond, a dragon sculpture emerging from a lawn and little and big serpents all around.

Due to past hurricanes, all new homes are built at least 10' above ground. Oriental sits at the edge of the Neuse River which is the widest river in the USA. Who knew?! That alone would be enough to crow about but the folks of Oriental like the eclectic more than they like their landmarks perhaps. I only learned of it when I googled the net for more info on Oriental.

I've seen old barns and buildings with many things on them but never a piano keyboard.

This  blue bottle garden caught everyone's eye. It was much bigger than this small scene indicates. 

This was our first port of call that required the use of the ship's launch to get us to shore. Our boat was too big for the public dock. There were two thousand sailboats moored at several marinas that lay at the foot of the city. Many have left their boats parked here for the winter.

 The smiling face of a steward is almost lost in the broad details of the stern.