February 2023

Coming off 2021, the most remarkable year in history of the real estate business locally, no one knew what to expect for 2022. “Transition,” Carla Lewis, of Intracoastal Realty, says. Normalized has been a frequent description of what happened. Slowed and flattening are others. Correcting even. At the beginning of the year, inventory was critically…

Every year, just as soon as we finish the December issue, we start prepping for the February edition even as we are working on January’s. There’s a delicate dance to be done. We don’t receive the sold data used to create our Real Estate Roundup (RERUP in our world) until the year has ended, and…

Scanography, often referred to as scanner photography, is an art form that captures incredible detail by using a flatbed scanner. Professional photographer and former journalist Susan Francy began playing around with the concept while living in Florida. Among her first subjects were seagrape leaves. When their magnificence proved to be too great for what her…

Tricia was 13 when she met Robbie at his home in Enterprise, Alabama, where they both lived. His sister, Lynn, was a new friend and asked Tricia over to spend time together. She immediately developed a huge crush on the cute blond-headed 15-year-old boy. After going over a few times, Robbie and Tricia ended up…

The story of the Edens family is one of love. Talking from in front of the Scotts Hill house he grew up in, Ronnie Edens recollects that the family produce stand he’s looking at used to be just about in the middle of the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 17 before the roads were straightened…

For those who were lucky enough to be raised in the Southeast or visit on a consistent basis, the aroma of collard greens wafting in from the kitchen is almost certain to conjure fond memories of grandma’s kitchen or potlucks with family and friends. For outsiders, it may seem a bit counterintuitive to cook vegetables…

New techniques are making it possible to minimize the impacts of a hurricane, and the example of Babcock Ranch could have useful applications for communities across the coastal regions of North Carolina. Babcock Ranch is a residential community in Fort Myers, Florida. It made national headlines for weathering Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on Cayo…

The Harbor Way Gardens, established in 2003, is one of the largest efforts of the Harbor Island Garden Club, in its 71st year. In addition to noteworthy flowers and fountains, the garden walkway features bricks and pavers that people can purchase and write short messages on. Wrightsville resident Peggy Gentry began the program in 2006…

To read part I, see “Fishing for Research,” May 2022 Wrightsville Beach Magazine Dr. Frank Schwartz, deceased ichthyologist at the UNC Morehead City Institute of Marine Science, never shied from challenges. His shark tagging study begun in 1972 is renowned for being the longest ongoing effort and provides a vital baseline to assess the current…

Long before the modern homes of today’s Wrightsville Beach came on the scene, it was the iconic beach cottages with wrap-around porches and rocking chairs that lined the island. In 1995, the Myers Cottage built at 124 S. Lumina Ave. in 1909 was loaded onto a flatbed truck, driven across the southern Banks Channel Bridge…