We Really Did Taste Nine Bottles of Wine

Day 54 - Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Winery, Tabor City, NC

Every day that we take a walk around the park, we pass by the sign for the Grapefull Sisters Winery and promise ourselves that we will visit before we leave for our next destination.  So with only a couple of days left here, we go late in the afternoon to taste the wine. 

A sign advertising Wine Floats greets us as we come in the door and Herb jokes to Amy, one of the Grapefull Sisters, that it must be illegal to use wine to make a float.  We know about Coke Floats and Rootbeer Floats, but never thought about using wine.  

Amy laughes about his comment and says she is not doing anything illegal.  

The sign also says there will be live music on their porch on Saturday from 2-5 pm, and we are disappointed to miss it since we plan to leave on Thursday.

For the tasting we pay $12 each and Amy lines up nine bottles of muscadine wine, explaining a bit about the muscadine grape.  The vineyard next to the tasting room is planted in muscadine vines, which are native to North Carolina and the southeastern United States.  The grapes are available from late August through early October, so we are here at the right time.

Amy gives Herb and me a sheet to make notes about each wine, and pours a small amount in our glasses.  The other Grapefull Sister, Sheila, takes a photo of us as we write down our comments.  Amy tells us what each wine is best paired with, and when she serves one that should be "sipped as if it were a hot cup of coffee," I don't follow her directions, so she has me 'taste/siiiiiip' that one again.  Amy is fun to visit with and makes us laugh a lot as she demonstrates the tasting.

Another group of people comes in and Sheila seats them at the counter around the corner from us. While Amy walks over to serve them, Herb and I get a chance to look around the store to see the gifts they have for sale.

While there are so many interesting items for sale, and we enjoy looking at each one, we do finally make our selections.  We prefer a dry wine, but all these wines are either sweet, semi-sweet, and semi-dry, so we settle for Waccamaw Red, which is a traditional southern red muscadine, and named for the 150 mile long river in North Carolina and South Carolina.  I think it is really sweet.

No, we didn't buy the sign about unattended children; we don't have any puppies to give away.

As we wave goodbye, we are pleased to see a book for daily Bible readings on a chair by the door.  A religious sculpture sits nearby.

Shark at Shallotte Point

 Days 52 & 53 - Sunday & Monday, September 4 & 5, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City, NC

This morning raindrops are still dripping off the trees onto the roof of Sweet Georgia Brown, and we see puddles all around, so this is second day that we don't take our morning walk here at the RV park.  We also discover the high speed internet furnished by the campground is not working; our hotspots provided by our phones and iPad are quickly put into use.

Oh, my!  Our spirits are dampened.  Do we need a change of scenery today?   Yes!   One day when returning from a visit with Kenny in Shallotte, we had seen a sign for Inlet View Restaurant, so we decide to check it out.

Choosing seats at the bar on the lower floor, we are given a menu, and I find two really tasty appetizers -- Sea Skins and Crab Cakes.  The bartender's shirt tells me they are promoting their shrimp today.

But first we should take a walk along the dock to see the boats.  Having sold Willie's Tug and bought a land yacht, we still enjoy seeing all the boats -- especially those in the water.  Near the boats in the second photo below is a sculpture of a shark hanging from a sign that reads, "Home of the Poor Boy's Shark Tournament, Shallotte Point, NC"

A couple from New Hampshire join us at the bar, and tell us they have come to look at real estate.  I'm sure they will find something they like, but I also know they now live in a beautiful state that we visited recently.  We remember how much we really enjoyed our stay at Copper Cannon distillery in Chesterfield, NH.

Of course the conversation gets around to dogs and their beautiful black lab, and we are too happy to tell them about Dr. Jake C. Harleton, our golden retriever, who had his own Facebook page.

Our spirits are now lifted, and we plan to return for lunch another day while we are still in this area of North Carolina.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   September 4 & 5, 2022

Herb's Latest Toy!

Day 51 - Saturday, September 3, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City, NC

It's raining!  So we don't take our morning walk, but decide to drive to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to visit Costco.  By the time we walk around the store to pick up all the items on our list, we will have the exercise equivalent of our 'morning walk.'

Reasons to go to Costco:

• Buy our must-have groceries only available at Costco
• See what they are sampling and decide if we would like that food item
• Walk around the store
• See what new appliances they have
• Buy other stuff -- and we do!

Herb finds a Ninja electric grill, and while loading it in his shopping cart, he meets a couple who also drove from North Carolina to shop.  

Back home to Carrollwoods, Herb enjoys his new toy outside, grilling salmon for dinner.  It is very simple to plug it into an electrical outlet in one of the motorhome bays.

  

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Saturday, September 3, 2022

Here we are in the Swamp!

Day 50 - Friday, September 2, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City, NC

There's so much to see in the front of the campground, and today on our seventh day here we explore.   No trees here, but we see many farm implements scattered around the yard.  The first thing we come to as we enter, of course, is the dark red building where we check in and pay for the number of days we will rent our site.  

Nearby are two bright red implements, one of which may be a disk or a plow that would be towed by a tractor or a team of horses or mules.  It is a decoration now, but it could have been used to plant the vineyard across the side street from the check-in building.  I have no idea what the other one was used for.

Also across the side street is a whole other area where the vineyard is located, as well as Grapeful Sisters wine tasting room that we hope to visit another day while we are here at Carrollwoods.  Walking past the vineyard, we see trees that look a lot like apple trees, and I make a mental note to ask about them.

The entrance road into the campground leads past the check in building and toward the back area, which I call 'The Swamp,' because that is what it looks like to me.  Another clue is the name of a highway leading to the campground -- Swamp Fox Road.  

Walking back into the swamp, we arrive to Sweet Georgia Brown, which has a sunlit site.  In spite of the blue skies straight above us, there are still too many trees blocking StarLink from seeing the satellite to give us Internet.  The good news is that Carrollwoods RV park furnishes high speed Internet, so Herb puts StarLink away for a few days.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Friday, Septemberr 2, 2022

No Sky Wheel on the Beach for Me!

Days 48 & 49 - Wednesday & Thursday, August 31, & September 1, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City, NC

This campground is in a rural area, and we have to drive several miles to find a restaurant.  Dale's Seafood Restaurant in Tabor City is a winner, with unlimited trips to the salad bar, and a menu with various seafood entrees.  My favorite is grilled shrimp, which is not on the menu, but served on request.  

Tabor City is on the southeastern border of North Carolina and since we are so close to Myrtle Beach, we drive into South Carolina on Thursday to explore the area.  I am delighted to see that the sand is a beautiful white color, but I don't have my beach shoes on, so I settle for going just a short distance toward the shore to take a few photos.

There are beach umbrellas as far as the eye can see, and farther north from the entrance where we came in is a huge 17 foot Sky Wheel, which is advertised as an observation wheel.  It contains 42 climate controlled enclosed gondolas, which can seat up to six passengers.  At the top passengers get a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean through the glass windows and doors.   In the foreground of the photo is a zig-zag fence, and I assume it is to protect the sand dunes from washing away with the surf.

In my childhood I was only familiar with a not too tall Ferris Wheel, which was scary because the rocking seats were not enclosed.  We only had a locking bar across them.

With so many restaurants to choose from, we decide on The Kitchen Table, which features breakfast, brunch, and lunch.   As we walk in, the first thing we see is a 'To Do' display suggesting to 1. Catch a sunrise, 2. Enjoy pancakes and a sunrise mimosa, 3. Head to the beach for fun in the sun, and then 4. Hit the town for dinner and some fun activities.

It sounds interesting, but we don't exactly follow the suggestions.  Herb chooses a seafood omelette with grits, while my choice is a seafood omelette with pancakes.  The generous servings allow leftovers for a snack later.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Thursday, September 1, 2022

Fighting Tigers and the Civil War

 Day 47 - Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City NC

Today's lunch is 'worth writing home about.'

Wing and Fish Company restaurant is in Shallotte, North Carolina, and ten minutes from the beach.

We enjoy our seafood -- fish tacos and lobster salad -- and feel right at home with the flags and banners that remind us of Texas and Louisiana.

I'm not sure if the tiger neon sign was meant to be LSU in Baton Rouge, but I see purple and gold and a Tiger paw.  

I found the following on LSU's web page:

"Way back in the fall of 1896, coach A.W. Jeardeau’s LSU football team posted a perfect 6-0-0 record, and it was in that pigskin campaign that LSU first adopted its nickname, Tigers.

‘Tigers’ seemed a logical choice since most collegiate teams in that year bore the names of ferocious animals, but the underlying reason why LSU chose ‘Tigers’ dates back to the Civil War.

According to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD. and the “Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865” (LSU Press, 1989), the name Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, which was organized in New Orleans. This company became a part of a battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and was the only company of that battalion to wear the colorful Zouave uniform. In time, Wheat’s entire battalion was called the Tigers.

That nickname in time was applied to all of the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The tiger symbol came from the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. A militia unit that traces its history back to the 1830s, the Washington Artillery had a logo that featured a snarling tiger’s head. These two units first gained fame at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Major David French Boyd, first president of LSU after the war, had fought with the Louisiana troops in Virginia and knew the reputation of both the Tiger Rifles and Washington Artillery.

Thus when LSU football teams entered the gridiron battlefields in their fourth year of intercollegiate competition, they tagged themselves as the ‘Tigers’. It was the 1955 LSU ‘fourth-quarter ball club’ that helped the moniker ‘Tigers’ grow into the nickname, ‘Fighting Tigers’.

Thanks to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD., a historian at the Pamplin Historical Park, for contributing to the above information."

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,  and of Walldog and Willie -- Tuesday, August 30, 2022

   

What? A Television Set in the Garage?

Day 46 - Monday, August 29, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City, NC

Kenny's weekend holiday is over and he invites us to see the house he is remodeling to suit his needs and tastes, and as we drive toward the exit of our campground, we get a couple of views of the Grapeful Sisters Vineyard.  Now on to Shallotte, North Carolina.

Touring the house, we see where walls have been taken out, and so many changes have been made that it makes my head spin.  His brother-in-law, Ricky, is helping him with the remodel.  Ricky's last name is Ottaway and Kenny jokes that Ricky (the professional) says, "I'm Ricky Ottaway and I want Kenny Out-of-the-way!"

I am amused at seeing the TV in the garage.  It looks so strange there among the supplies, but Kenny says when they take a break, they can keep up with the news.  He assures me that it will eventually be relocated to the living room.

Now for the fun room -- appliances are stored in one room while the carpentry and painting are finished in other parts of the house.  I see a washer, a refrigerator/freezer, but what really gets my attenton is the refrigerator with the sign, "Warning - Beer Fridge".   Kenny laughs as he explains that it is a joke, the sign is a gift from his sister, Amy.  He says there is only bottled water stored inside, as there will be no 'drinking on the job!'

After taking group photos with everyone's phones, we say goodbye for now and promise to come back next week to see the progress they have made.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Monday, August 29, 2022

 

A Vist to Oak Island

Day 45 - Sunday, August 28, 2022

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Tabor City NC

It's quite warm, 71 degrees, and humid early this morning when Herb and I take a walk around the campground.  Yes, it's foggy also.  You would think our home for the next two weeks is in a swamp.

Our walk takes us past the campground's laundry room and beyond to the entrance gate, where we see a sign for the vineyard, which is located near the front of the lot across from the main check-in building.  I love the humorous name of the vineyard, "Grapeful Sisters," and I will write more on the nearby winery later.

Returning to our site in the trees, Herb points out the spider webs that show up when moisture is on them.  He laughs as he warns me not to walk between these two shrubs.

I call myself a tree person, because I simply love to look at different trees, the trunks and bark, the leaves, the shape of the tree.  It reminds me of the poem by Joyce Kilmer, "Trees."    "I think that I shall never see...."

At the bottom of this tree is evidence that a critter also liked the tree.

We plug into the GPS the Oak Island address of Kenny's sister, Amy, where he will be today.  Being Sunday, he takes a day off from building his house in Shallotte.  Oak Island is a beach town on the coast of North Carolina and is separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway.  I take a quick photo of the water as we cross the bridge.

It is great to see Kenny again, and to meet Amy and her dogs.  Kenny has a small dog named 'Little,' who climbs up into my lap as soon as I sit down.  Dogs always know who the 'good guys' are.  He also has a larger one named Maggie, and Amy has a dog who is named Lolly.  Little is pictured below.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Sunday, August 28, 2022