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Sunset, Raymond’s Gut, February 25, 2014
February is winding down and I am just one of many waiting for spring. All those of us around the marsh keep hoping for some additional warmth to make us feel like spring is on the way. It is not that unusual for us to have strawberries around the middle of April. With that being the case, a lot of growing has to be accomplished in a short period of time and that requires some consistent heat.
This has been a colder winter than normal and some of our outside plants have been damaged. More than just plants have been impacted. Most years the small fish in our watery world are around all the year. That often means that we have regular winter visitors like our great egret buddy, Frank 29X. This year after our third serious cold spell, the fish seemed to disappear. With no fish even the cormorants deserted us.
The week right after Valentine’s Day was closer to our normal temperature and we even managed to touch 70F a couple of times. With those warmer air temperatures, the temperature of the water in the marsh started its upward climb. I was pleased to see a Kingfisher back that same week and also to see in the marsh grass a handful of the tiny fish that the egrets love to chase. It is a good sign that spring is on the way, but we will have some additional cold bumps to endure.
As far as humanly possible, we have scheduled spring to take place normally. Both the Emerald Isle Saint Patrick’s Day Festival and the Swansboro Oyster Roast are on track for the middle of March. It helps if the outside weather is in the nice range for the beginning of the outside festival season but the festivals generally survive any weather challenges. I remember patio heaters at the Emerald Isle festival one year.
Still each day as winter slowly exits can be exciting. Coastal weather changes can cover a lot of weather ground in a day. The morning of February 25 we started the day in the upper thirties with blue skies. Well before noon, the temperature was approaching sixty degrees Fahrenheit. I took my small forest of tomato plants out to enjoy the sunshine and the all around nice day which had a high temperature of 64F.
It is a good thing that the tomato plants were just outside my office because well before the afternoon was over some clouds started coming in, the wind shifted and the temperature started dropping. February 26 our high is supposed to be in the upper forties.
You learn to roll with the weather punches here on the coast and to structure your day to work around them whenever possible. This time of year we search for any trace of warmth even if all we can find are a few final rays of sunshine as the sun goes down. The situation flips by the time we get to August. We often have no choice but to work into the warm even hot hours of the day to get our chores done. When you do that, it is imperative to figure out how to cool off as quickly as possible or the heat can take you out of commission. Often the answer to the heat is as simple as driving over to the beach and jumping in the water.
Each season even winter brings its own treats. Though we haven’t had as many as normal, usually we can count on February for clear blue skies and spectacular winter sunsets. By March the ground is warm enough for planting. By April if the wind behaves itself, we are venturing out again on the water. By May most of us are making regular trips to the beaches and even sticking parts of our bodies into the water. June brings the start of the beach season and usually a little better fishing. Then we are into summer and spending as much time near the surf as possible. Not long after we get used to summer, fall overtakes our beaches. Fall always seems to last longer than the other seasons. That is okay with most of us. Fall is the best season here on the coast. The waters are still warm, the air has less humidity, and the air temperatures are very comfortable. Also we mostly have the beaches to ourselves except for ever hopeful surf fishermen.
Then comes winter which some years is hardly noticed. This year was an exception with its colder than normal temperatures. Still our “winter” is nothing to complain about especially if you have lived through a few northern winters.
One of the other things that I like about February is our days are getting longer so it is easier to enjoy the out of doors after work. That extra light makes a huge difference.
We will have plenty of nice sunsets even after February disappears so I will not miss them or the cooler waters as the month departs. I am anxious to be back on the water whether by boat or kayak. Life really is all about the water down here. Figuring out the water puzzle is part of the reason most of live here on the coast. We are an area where land and water can stretch your imagination. It is not unusual to hear people say that they live for the water.
I am always ready for the water as soon as it gets warm, but in the meantime, I’ll enjoy as many of those beautiful February sunsets as I can. There is some warmth in them even if they just warm my mind up a little for the better months ahead.
You can read more posts about why we live on the Crystal Coast at this selection of older posts.
If you would like to see some pictures of the spectacular scenery in our area during warmer times, check out our just published $2.99 Kindle reader book, 100 Pictures, 1000 Words, A Crystal Coast Year. It is worth clicking on the link just to see the free sample of seven pictures. Kindle reader software works on just about every platform including iPads and iPhones.
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