Clam Chowder

Friday was a better day for running than Wednesday or Thursday, but it was still overcast, forty degrees, and there was a noticeable north wind blowing.  But I had not run since Tuesday, and I have a regrettable masochistic streak in me when it comes to running, so I headed out the door toward Fort Macon.  A mile from here the road is sheltered a little more from the north wind by sound-side vegetation, and I had dressed accordingly, so I was really not uncomfortable.  I ran all the way back on the beach, though, and I had forgotten how far it was from there to the Bath House area and then back to the condo.  It was a welcome sight after six miles.

As a reward for my effort, we were looking forward to the annual Clam Chowder Cook-off organized by the Friends of the N. C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. 

The cook-off had been re-scheduled from last Friday due to Winter Storm Jasper, and we began to wonder if it would have to be re-scheduled again due to Kenan; temperatures were dropping and it began raining by mid-afternoon.  We have had a lot of fun at these cook-offs in previous years, but because of Covid the chowder and cornbread – four samples of each – were all take-out this year.  We pulled up outside the Watercraft Center in Beaufort a little early, but they were accommodating and we were able to pick up our boxes early.  We had already been appreciating the wonderful aroma of clam chowder on the way home, but returning to the condo and opening the two boxes they had handed us on such a cold and rainy night was very wonderful!

We sampled them one by one as listed on the ballots provided and dutifully ranked the chowders and the cornbread from first place to last.  Martha and I do not always agree on everything, but as in past years we were in agreement that Chef Dawn Freeman had the best chowder and Dee Dricks the best cornbread.  We marked our ballots and Martha e-mailed them in to be counted.  Not being politicians, we trust that there will be no fraud on the part of the Friends of the NCMM in electing a winner, to be announced on Saturday afternoon.

This morning we awoke to a surprising view outside – the rain had been replaced overnight by blowing snow, not enough to accumulate (as we had been watching it do in Highlands on the Main Street web cam) but definitely visible in this video:

As I am writing this, the tea-kettle wind is shrieking again and the snow has been replaced by sunshine.  The palm trees are shaking wildly in a 27-mph gale, and we have been urged by the Authorities not to remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions.  I think we will remain in port today.  I only wish we had some more of Dawn Freeman’s chowder!