July 2021

The idea that a residential space should seamlessly blend with the natural environment is not exactly new. But what if the home site is on a peninsula that is almost completely surrounded by water? Whether approaching the residence on Sandy Point from the waters around Figure Eight Island, or relaxing in the fourth-floor observatory, a…

Potato salad, banana pudding, and the smell of fresh charcoal in a warm summer breeze after a long day on the water. These are the ingredients to the perfect summer cookout. Traditionally, meat and dairy have been staples when people gather for an outdoor barbecue. In recent years, the popularity of plant-based diets has risen…

On July 2, 1776, representatives from the 13 American colonies declared their intent to form a free and independent country. No longer would they be subject to the tyranny of King George III, the reigning monarch of Great Britain. They would form a new nation, the United States of America.  The intentions were codified in…

Always Ready Coast Guard crew hones skills: A crew from United States Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach trains in Banks Channel and Masonboro Inlet on June 11. Aboard the CG45746 are Jonathan Harkey, BM2; Lucas Ellis, ME2; Joe Protch, MK3 and coxswain Peter Kapur, BM3. The 45-foot, 1650-horsepower response boat reaches speeds up to 45…

Jon Haug’s life has been a balance of doing and not doing. There were many summers spent working with his father, a skilled plasterer, that laid the groundwork for his full-time business and understanding of a trade-based skill. His love of art, honed from a young age, took a hiatus when he became a husband…

Forty miles out and 100 feet deep off Wrightsville Beach sits a gold mine. A gold mine to scuba divers, that is. If one is advanced enough to dive the fossil ledges of offshore Wrightsville Beach and reach the bottom, there’s an under-the-sea treasure trove of prehistoric megalodon shark teeth. The teeth are relics from…

The act of surfing can be a spiritual experience, a chance to be one with the nature God created. This holds true for Mark Johnson, a surfer and former Next Gen pastor at Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church. Inspired by his draw to the ocean and his abiding love of Jesus, Johnson became convinced that his…

Live indoor and outdoor arts performances have resumed at a cautious trickle. Patrons have a handful of live opportunities this July, all centering around music, with theatrical productions resuming later this summer. Riverfront Park, the new amphitheater along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington, opens with rock group Widespread Panic in mid-July. Live music…

A year and a half ago, early one Thursday morning, I was injured when entering a local business to make a business presentation. In the ER, they said I had a badly displaced fractured humerus, the bone that runs from shoulder to elbow, a diagnosis confirmed four days later by trauma surgeon Dr. Christopher Parks.…