{"id":2091,"date":"2021-11-30T02:54:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T02:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2021-11-30T02:54:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T02:54:08","slug":"giving-thanks-on-the-carolina-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?p=2091","title":{"rendered":"Giving Thanks on the Carolina Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As I walked out on the beach looking toward the vast darkness, a soft glow of pastel colors started to illuminate the horizon of the eastern sky. There\u2019s just something about sitting in the sand watching the sun rise over the ocean. It\u2019s calming, peaceful and a bit magical. As a boat captain once said, \u201cAnyone who has never seen the sea at six in the morning does not know the sea.\u201d I agree. It\u2019s my favorite time of the day when I visit the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Resized_20211125_062534.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Resized_20211125_062534-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2104\" width=\"304\" height=\"405\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/TSun.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/TSun-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2113\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/TSun.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2113\" class=\"wp-image-2113\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211125_073717-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211125_073717-1024x498.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2092\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211125_073717-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2092\" class=\"wp-image-2092\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC_0039-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC_0039-1024x637.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2099\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Tyler watches our new Sanderling buddy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird28-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird28-1024x253.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2098\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird28-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2098\" class=\"wp-image-2098\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird16-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird16-1024x749.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2097\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird16-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2097\" class=\"wp-image-2097\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird10-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird10-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2096\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird10-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2096\" class=\"wp-image-2096\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird6-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird6-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2095\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird6-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2095\" class=\"wp-image-2095\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird4-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird4-1024x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2094\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird4-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2094\" class=\"wp-image-2094\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird1-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird1-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2093\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/bird1-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2093\" class=\"wp-image-2093\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A few of the beach birds we saw: Black Skimmers (top left), Snowy Egret fishing in the surf (top center), Great black-backed Gull (top right), Brown Pelican w\/Double-crested Cormorants and an owl decoy (bottom left), American Oystercatchers (bottom center) and a Boat-tailed Grackle and his shadow (bottom right)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My family and I decided to spend Thanksgiving week at the beach. It\u2019s been a tough year, and we needed this time together. We chose Ocean Isle Beach, a quiet spot on the southern coast of North Carolina, about a mile and half from the South Carolina border, as the crow flies. The area was beautiful, even though it still showed signs of severe damage from Hurricane Isaias, a Category 1 hurricane that slammed directly into this small town one year ago and caused the worst flooding the island had ever experienced. As one lady I spoke with in a local market told me, \u201cThe storm really caught us by surprise. We were complacent, thinking it was \u2018only a Cat 1,\u2019 so most of us decided we would just ride it out. We were lucky to get out. It was really scary!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC_0103-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC_0103-1024x541.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2100\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC_0103-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2100\" class=\"wp-image-2100\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Family<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7757.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7757.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2102\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7757.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2102\" class=\"wp-image-2102\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Tyler &#038; Darby<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7756.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7756-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2101\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_7756.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?attachment_id=2101\" class=\"wp-image-2101\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Father &#038; Son watching waves<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting a popular beach area in late November is much different than enjoying a hot summer vacation at the shore in July. There are far fewer people, many of the businesses have reduced operating hours, or have closed for the season and the water is just a bit too chilly to take a dip in. You can, but it would be a quick one without a wet suit! However, the days still can be sunny and warm, and all the things that make visiting a beach during the warmer months so enjoyable seem a bit more magnified in November-the soothing sounds of the water, the salt air, the cool sand between your toes and the Brown Pelicans gliding just above the ocean waves. These are the things that I seek when I venture to the seaside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ShrimpBoat4-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ShrimpBoat4-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2111\" width=\"477\" height=\"315\"\/><\/a><figcaption>A local shrimp boat fishes about 1\/3 mile off shore, with hundreds of birds following close behind<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/RedFox2-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/RedFox2-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2103\" width=\"375\" height=\"247\"\/><\/a><figcaption>A local Red Fox below our balcony. Our first morning there, one of the neighbors fed this critter pieces of chicken. He must have been a regular, because each time he would come back he would stop and look up at that balcony<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild5-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild5-662x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2109\" width=\"209\" height=\"322\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Our sand version of Devil&#8217;s Tower<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild4-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild4-498x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2108\" width=\"177\" height=\"363\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Tyler sits with the finished 20&#8242; sand gator<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild3-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/SandBuild3-498x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2107\" width=\"189\" height=\"389\"\/><\/a><figcaption>The 20&#8242; semi-mosiac (over 500 seashells) sand gator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/USSNC.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/USSNC-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2114\" width=\"440\" height=\"440\"\/><\/a><figcaption>We took an afternoon and toured the battleship USS North Carolina in Wilmington<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ShallotteRiver.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ShallotteRiver-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2110\" width=\"436\" height=\"436\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Cruising up the Shallotte River on a nature cruise<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We love visiting the coast. It\u2019s a great way to relax and recharge your batteries, watch some wildlife, eat some great seafood, play in the sand, and just stroll the along the beach looking for that perfect seashell. I wouldn\u2019t consider myself a beach person though. After 6 days, I was ready to hit the road and head home. For me, our beach trip definitely served its purpose, and simply reminded me to Give Thanks for all that I have, and all the people in my life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/sunrise8-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/sunrise8-1024x544.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2112\" width=\"672\" height=\"356\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I walked out on the beach looking toward the vast darkness, a soft glow of pastel colors started to illuminate the horizon of the eastern sky. There\u2019s just something about sitting in the sand watching the sun rise over the ocean. It\u2019s calming, peaceful and a bit magical. As a boat captain once said, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?p=2091\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Giving Thanks on the Carolina Coast<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2091"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2118,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions\/2118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}