New Bern

Last week, Martha read a copy of Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero that was here in the condo with some other books.  Penciled faintly on the back leaf she found this quote:  “The past is always carried into the present by small things.  So a lily is bent by the weight of its permanence.”  Perhaps this verse came to a thoughtful reader and he or she jotted it down so as not to forget, as I sometimes do.

Most days we have seen this egret standing only three or four feet from the margin of Fort Macon road, and we have wondered why he is standing so close to the road rather than out in the salt marsh just a few feet farther back.  A little research told me this was a great egret (as opposed to a small egret or an intermediate egret), for it stands at least three feet high.  We slowed to a stop to take a picture, and although it stood calmly enough as cars whizzed by just a few feet away, it suddenly became alarmed at a stopped car, and rose up on his huge white wings and soared away over the marsh.  The next day it was back again in the same place.  I am sure this is not an unusual site for locals, but it thrilled us to see such an elegant birds, standing so casually by the side of the road.

Today, we drove to New Bern for the day, a city that we love to visit and less than an hour’s drive on US-70, which is not the most picturesque of roads.  It passes through Havelock and then Cherry Point, where the Marine Corps Air Station is located, and it seems to be the same kind of road you see in many parts of the country, especially near military bases, lined with a depressing succession of storage buildings, pawn shops, vape stores, and tattoo parlors.  There is an especially noteworthy strip shopping center on the way where there is a pawn shop at one end and a church at the other. 

But once you cross the wide, curving bridges into New Bern at the confluence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers, suddenly you are in a different world, with historic houses, a pretty little downtown shopping area, and beautiful churches.  Our lunch destination was a place we often visit, Morgan’s Tavern, located in an old converted livery stable with rough brick walls, high ceilings, and many little dining areas scattered about.

 

Lunch was Morgan’s famous tacos – shrimp for Martha and mahi for me – and their excellent Morgan’s IPA, made in partnership with St. George Brewing Co. in Hampton, VA.  It occurs to me that part of the mission of this blog may be to make the reader's mouth water.

Then we went our separate ways, Martha to shop in the many shops on Middle Street and Craven Street while I wandered up and down the downtown area looking at the pretty houses, some of them built in the early 19^th century.  

New Bern is also the “The Birthplace of Pepsi Cola,” invented in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink.  But just down Pollock Street from Brad’s place is a far more beautiful building, Christ Church, an Episcopal church built in 1871 around the brick shell of a previous church built in 1824.  The church especially prizes a silver communion service given by King George II, which I once viewed on a tour of the church by a friendly docent.

I have a wonderful memory of sitting on a bench there two years ago taking notes for a poem (which will be published in due course):

My practice of gratitude has led me here today
To the churchyard of Christ Church.
A haze of bright morning fog buffed away
Into brilliant clarity, reflecting everything
Around me:  this venerable old magnolia
Under which I sit, its liquid jade leaves,
The burning stained glass windows behind me.

Tryon Palace is the biggest attraction in New Bern, and we have visited it and its formal gardens (beautiful even in the winter) on many previous visits.  The palace is a reconstruction of the original (destroyed by fire in 1798), formerly called Governor's Palace, the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British governors of North Carolina from 1770 to 1775 and North Carolina’s capitol until after the revolution.  George Washington reportedly danced in the palace, and there is an oil painting on display showing him in formal dress surrounded by the nobility of the era.

Here is a photo of the palace from a previous visit (we chose not to visit it again this year).  It is a graceful structure, one of the few buildings of this era designed by an architect.

I made my way eventually to the North Carolina History Center, which also serves as the headquarters for Tryon Palace tickets and information.  The History Center is one of the finest I have seen and I toured it last year as well.  The exhibits are extensive, and cover everything from the environment of the central coast area and how it was settled to the production of naval stores (turpentine, rosin, and tar) and the resulting destruction of the Long Leaf Pine forests, fishing, and agriculture.  It does not shy away from the history of slavery, “the peculiar institution.”  There are heartbreaking displays of advertisements for a slave auction, as well as ones offering a reward for the capture of escaped slaves.  It was a dark time in our history.

It was an especially mild day in New Bern, and we arrived separately back at the car at about the same time and started heading back, past all those tattoo parlors and vape stores, through Morehead City and across the bridge to Atlantic Beach.  Martha suggested we stop for appetizers at a place called Full Moon Oyster Bar just across the bridge, which she had been reading about on Facebook.  It looked like a run-down place, with rusting metal siding and a neglected-looking deck area which we imagine must be crowded during the summer months with diners sitting outside watching the sunset over Moonlight Bay, which was lined with boat slips and colorfully-painted summer homes.  

But appearances are deceiving, and we were welcomed by a friendly young man and two young women who quickly made us feel at home.  The special of the day was Blue Cheese Grilled Oysters for a dollar apiece and they were delicious.

Then we ordered the crab dip – from a “secret recipe” – accompanied by a loaf of fresh bread, served with complimentary potatoes and cole slaw.

We had been the first to arrive, but as we sat at the bar people started to come in, and before long the place was filling up, many of the customers welcomed as locals who knew the food and the staff.  We will be coming back to this place again!

I love secret recipes.