Oriental, NC

We've spent the past three nights here in Oriental North Carolina along with Heesook, Don and Christopher. We're staying at the Whittaker Creek Marina and it has turned out to be a great stop for us. The surroundings are very pretty and the people are really nice here...the kind of folks who wave to you when they drive by. They also go out of there way to help you. A mechanic has showed up when called. The girls and I stopped by the grocery store with our Burley and I ended up getting a larger load of groceries than thought. Ended up, the cashier walked away from her register and loaded us and Burley into her pick up truck to drive us back to the marina. Kathleen here, a liveaboard person, has driven Mattias around for errands and the girls and I to the doctor and pharmacy some miles away.
The weather has warmed and we can get into shorts in the afternoons while we still need heat at night. Mattias has been getting the boat fixed up further. He used the original electric chart that came with the boat and a volt meter to figure out how to repair the heater. Some puffs and chugs from the heater later and voila!, it's fixed! So nice to ditch the space heater and just flip the switch on the thermostat. The heat not only is a comfort for us but helps to dry the condensation that builds in the boat. Mattias is also putting on the new alternator when it comes back from the mechanic today. He took the propane tank in for refill and to be safety updated. Also got the dingy blowed up, which the girls enjoy goofing around in, and will purchase an outboard motor today for it.
Since the weather is so nice, the first day Heesook and I took the kids for a long walk to find a park. We saw some really unusual Victorian houses with wrap around porches along a neighborhood near the water. Stopped for lunch at a pizza/sub place. She had to head out early as Christopher and Hanna were scrapping. He's a year younger but they are pretty similar in temperament that they don't always get along but I am trying to get across to Hanna that he just likes her and that has seemed to get her attention! Yesterday we sat out at a communal picnick table and the kids worked on craft projects.
We've had a couple of evening bonfire potlucks and last night was especially festive with some other marina people included. Don and Richard purchased 60 pounds of oysters fresh off the fisherman and set off to prepare an oyster feast of raw and grilled. Liv tried the raw one and wasn't brave enough for the whole thing. I finished that for her. So yummy! We all liked the oysters that had been grilled. So smoky and good! The other night I made a lasagna and Heesook, Don and Christopher came for dinner. We all managed to squeeze around our table and it was a nice evening.
The guys will continue to put finishing repairs on the boats today and if repairs get done then we can anchor outside of Oriental tonight. Liv is getting medicated for a bit of bronchitis and annoying ear infections that didn't clear since Annapolis. We slept in this morning and are relaxing now. Liv is organizing and Hanna is watching a dvd. Since we don't have propane yet, we have the hot water for coffee on the grill. A long wait for coffee!
The connection is very low this a.m. so I will post pictures later.

More later,
Carrie