New bed!

OK, 15-year-old me would not have been excited about this. But 45 year-old property manager me is ECSTATIC! It was long overdue (especially to those of you who have stayed at OBP multiple times over the years) ... we have a new bed in the condo! See for yourself:

Also, we are happy to report that SunSkipper building B also features an outdoor grill and picnic table. (First come first served, of course.)

Want to get away? Go here to check availability. https://www.vrbo.com/263506

Pleasure Island to get beach re-nourishment

Not surprising, due to the path of Hurricane Florence, the beaches along Pleasure Island -- Carolina and Kure Beaches, respectively -- were significantly impacted. In fact, on our recent trip down to CB, we noticed that there is not a lot of beach remaining on the north end of the island as you approach Freeman Park.

There is good news, however. According to reports, beach re-nourishment will begin next month! Let's go to WECT:

“When Hurricane Florence came in, it changed the whole profile of the beach," Carolina Beach Mayor Joe Benson said. "Additional sound was lost and it delayed the bidding of the contract about a month.”

Benson said the Army Corp of Engineers was set to fund the project where the contract includes periodic nourishment every three years, but this project will also include additional repairs for sand lost after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and Hurricane Florence last September.

Much of the damage to Carolina Beach after Florence occurred at the north end down Canal Drive where entire sand dunes were depleted.

“This project is much larger than the one in 2016," Benson said. "These projects are critically important to protect town infrastructure, public and private property, and the added benefit of drawing tourists and residents for recreational purposes.”

One aspect I would never of thought about is this: the beaches need to be re-nourished to help out the sea turtle population. Nesting season begins May 1.

Governor: Beaches are 'open for business'

It's been a couple months since Hurricane Florence roared across North Carolina (followed not too long after by Matthew). The beaches and inner banks took the brunt of the storm -- and it's been a methodical process to rebuild many of the areas. Thankfully, there has been some great progress made.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper was along the coast recently, reassuring people that the beaches are "open for business."

“That means employees can get back to work, that puts money in their pockets, that means more tax money can come to the state,” said Cooper, according to WWAY TV.

The timing is great ... after all, people will be wanting to enjoy the coast once all this snow and cold weather goes away!

See ya later, frozen gator

By now you have probably seen this, but it speaks to just how cold it's been ... even in southeastern N.C.

A viral video of alligators frozen in an icy pond at North Carolina’s Shallotte River Swamp Park has been the talk of social media, with many people wondering whether coldblooded crocodilians can survive in brutally cold temperatures.

The video shows several alligator snouts sticking out of the park’s frozen pond – a deep freeze caused by a cold front that covered most of the Eastern United States last week.

Who's ready for warmer "beach" weather? I am. I'm ready for this:

{Full disclosure: That photo at the top is from about seven years ago.}

This warmer weather makes me think of beach music

Hey, y'all, it's getting warmer! It will soon be time to hit the beach again! All this talking about the beach has me thinking also about beach music. We even created a beach music playlist on Spotify for your enjoyment.

So be sure to start thinking about when you'd like to get down to Carolina Beach. After all, some say that's where the Shag was created.

In the meantime, maybe this can hold you over:

The perfect weekend getaway

My lovely wife and I recently had the opportunity to get away JUST THE TWO OF US for our 15th anniversary. We decided to enjoy what Carolina Beach has to offer. In all honesty, it was an opportunity to take advantage of the area like we normally can't with kids in tow. And it was so much fun.

After getting settled into Our Beach Place Friday evening, we hit the Flaming Amy's Carolina Beach location. We've seen the "Eat at Flaming Amy's" bumper stickers for years, but have never been to one. It was amazing. I had the Buffalo Shrimp Po Boy burrito, which was unbelievable. And it's hard to beat their salsa bar.

After dinner, we walked from our condo toward the boardwalk area of CB. Again, this is something we had probably deemed as too ambitious with children, but it was actually a very pleasant mile-walk along the beach. After meandering around the boardwalk activity, we sunk into some chair outside at the Fat Pelican -- a dive bar in every sense of the word.

On Saturday, we walked back to the boardwalk in hopes of beating the early-morning Britt's Donuts crowd. No such luck. But you know what? We didn't mind -- we had all day and it was nice to meet people while we waited about 40 minutes for the doughy goodness. The wait was well worth it.

The bulk of the rest of Saturday was spent lounging on the (spacious) beach. A cool, stiff breeze kept things very pleasant.  For dinner, we hit the Ocean Grill and Tiki Bar -- and were able to sit on the pier this time around. (Again, because of being sans kids.)  My wife had a crabcake sandwich and I had fried shrimp -- all washed down with great drinks. We even saw an ocean rescued and a wedding from the pier!

Finally, before leaving on Sunday, we had our second donut experience of the weekend at Wake and Bake. I got a turtle-flavored donut, while my wife got a peanut butter one. WOW, were they good. And the donuts are so different from Britt's that I don't even feel like I'm cheating.

All in all, it was a fantastic, relaxing and enjoyable weekend in Carolina Beach.

It's getting closer and closer to shorts weather!

Hey, folks, Spring is finally here! Which means we are getting closer to Summer! I don't know about you, but I am ready for the warm weather. And so are these cuties! (Full disclosure: They are my kids.)

The calendar is already filling up over at Our Beach Place. Check the calendar if you are interested in reserving some time in beautiful Carolina Beach.