January 2022

Facing the challenge of building on an irregular, triangle-shaped lot in Wrightsville Beach, a visionary design team showed that necessity can truly be a catalyst for successful innovation. With a three-story foyer that feels like an atrium, an open interior with high ceilings, and an array of outdoor living areas, the result is a coastal…

“There are times, they occur with increasing frequency nowadays, when I seem to know nothing, when everything I know seems to have fallen out of my mind like a shower of rain, and I am gripped for a moment in paralyzed dismay, waiting for it all to come back with no certainty that it will.” …

The new year means an opportunity to transform into a better version of ourselves. For those aiming to live a healthier lifestyle this year, start in the kitchen. More conscientious eating doesn’t have to be boring! There are many wonderful new foods to try that are better for people and the planet. Acai you… Acai…

A brief history of South Banks Channel bridge 1888 Footbridge completed in front of Island Beach Hotel 1889 Wilmington Sea Coast Railroad, Co. constructs trestle for trolley 1935 Two-lane wooden bridge built to allow automobile traffic 1972 Current four-lane concrete bridge constructed Fall 2022 Renovations expected to be complete The South Banks Channel Bridge at…

The Indian came in complete silence, startling the Skipper with a perfect imitation of an owl as he burst into camp.  “I had a dream last night” he said to the unsettled Skipper. “I was a great horned owl, and you were an osprey. I was sitting atop the big cedar tree watching you fly above…

The cold season is closing in. Ben Pratte, an energetic, genial man with wide-ranging interests, busies himself protecting his plants from the approaching winter, just like any other diligent gardener/farmer/plant aficionado So what’s so noteworthy about these plants?  They are plantains. The large bananas, normally grown in the tropics and used for cooking, are successfully…

Banana peel has a wide variety of uses, from brightening skin and teeth to being cooked and eaten as a bacon replacement. There are even some “out there” claims about the wonders of the peel that include removing wood splinters, eliminating warts, treating acne and shining shoes. Peels have more uses than just adding them…

Eyes to Sea photography by  Adam Hawley/Unique Media & Design South Topsail fishermen on the beach cannot see this school of drum out on the sandbar. The drum (these are immature or puppy drum) emerge from the inland creeks in the early spring, into the salt marshes where they stay most of the summer. They congregate…

As the sage Ben Franklin once penned, “two things in life are certain, death and taxes.” No one likes to think about it, but we all will die one day. And one thing most of us do care about is who benefits from our hard work and will receive our worldly possessions when we pass…

2000-2002 Our first issue featured Dennis Gillings’ Wrightsville residence, the Cotton Blossom on East Oxford Street, beginning our run of Home of Distinction features. We established ourselves as leaders in local journalism with history features, stories of life on the coast, plus notable people. This included a social section with photos of locals out at…