We’re Back!

Hey, great news! I had the insurance agent over to check the damage ya’ll caused while I was gone, and he said it’s all covered (except for a small deductible, of course). Incidentally, Richard, that was a cute trick, nailing the chandeliers to the floor; gave me vertigo, for a minute, there. And who the hell left a drunk iguana in the kitchen?

I’ve got a few photos of our trip down to Ma Paco’s place in Mann’s Harbor (click to enlarge). The town (or village, rather) is located on Roanoke Island, across the way from Nags Head. The most magnificent structure is the local post office.



And here’s a shot of Ma’s farm house. That big tree in the foreground is a pecan.



Here’s a dogwood tree, of great antiquity (notice the girth of the trunk).



Ma Paco has a small orchard with figs, pear trees, apple trees, and some sizable blueberry bushes.




Unfortunately, it rained most of the time we were down there, but we went mainly to enjoy the serenity of the farm and the quiet of the country, so everything worked out fine. We did go over to the beach at Nags Head, where the ever-prepared Mrs. Paco was ready for the rain.



The great thing about a rainy day in the off season is that the beach was empty…


…except for these guys.


The only real disappointment I experienced was in finding a genuine shortage of ammunition. We stopped off at Green Top, one of the largest sporting goods and gun stores in Richmond, and, while I was able to pick up some .30/.30 ammo for my lever-action rifles, handgun ammunition wasn't to be had for love nor money. Not only were they out of .44 magnums, they were even out of .38 special ammo. This is one industry which Obama really has managed to stimulate.