Margaret Rudd Bishop, CRB, CRS, GRI

The Cape Fear Ski & Outing Club is a snow skiing and outdoor activity club that began many years ago in the Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach area. The Club is an affilliate of the Crescent Ski Council. This enables the club members to get great group discounts on ski packages. This past year Steamboat Springs Ski Resort welcomed the Crescent Ski Council for the 25th year to their early December ski & race camp. The clubs members are primarily in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender County, but we also have members from Florida that enjoy skiing with our group. One of the obstacles to building membership is that many retirees to our area have seen all the snow that they want to.

We have organized many other activities for the enjoyment of our members. We go out to eat together at a different restaurant each month, and call it the "Taste of Wilmington".

Our group went to Bald Head Island and part of us played golf and the others bicycled. A nice way to spend a day either way.

A trip to Masonboro Island was enjoyed by about 40 members, with departure around 6pm from SeaPath Marina at Wrightsville Beach and a moonlit return later than evening after a cook-out and scavenger hunt on this popular but uninhabited island just above Wrightsville Beach.

This Saturday we are kayaking from one of our members home on the Intracoastal Waterway and Futch Creek and we expect about 45 members to participate in this, including a fresh shrimp dinner.

Membership in this club costs $35 annually for a family or $25 per single. If you put in ski club and Wilmington, NC in a google search you will find the website easily. Want to join us?

Wonderland Farm has been operating in their NE Brunswick County location since 1999. They have many horses and ponies of all sizes and temperments. I delivered 4 of my Grandchildren there this morning, one in the Tiny Riders section for 5 and under and three in the next age group up. Mike, one of the owners, explained that horses don't like to eat fingers, but they don't exactly know what is a finger and what is a carrot, that they do like. He also told the kids that none of the horses he uses in camp would kick them intentionally, but if they walked behind the horse and a fly landed on the horses leg the horse might kick at the fly and land one on the camper. So, he instructed them that they were never to approach a horse from behind, always from the front. The Tiny Riders have their camp session from 8:30 am until noon, and the older kids stay from 8:30 am until 3pm. They all had a great time today on their first day. I have always been pleased with the programs I've had kids in there.

Just walked on the beach from McGlamery Street to the Pier and back. There was a spirited game of beach volleyball going on at the pier, and there was also great music for the enjoyment of those on the beach. There were only three or four people fishing, but the acquisition of this pier for the town was a great accomplishment for the Town of Oak Island.

Preservation North Carolina worked with me in selling the "Charles Holt" home in Alamance County. This Queen Anne Victorian designed by architect Charles Barbour was one or the more ornate textile mansions built in Alamance County. Thankfully it was purchased by a Building Contractor who specialized in Historic Restorations, for her home! I am a seasoned real estate broker, but it took the Preservation North Carolina agent to suggest to me that we remove all the window coverings which we did immediately. The additional light and visibility of some of the original glass really increased the appeal of the 5800 square foot home. On 25 acres it was a great place to grow up. At the time of its sale it had been in my family for over 100 years. My arrangement with Preservation NC allowed building restrictions to be placed on the property preserving not only the house, but the corn crib, barn, servant's quarters, gas house, well house and also restricted the acreage from subdivision and development. I did this as a tribute to my Mother, Evelyn Carper Long Teague, who went to live in the house as a bride in 1939. The home was purchased by my Grandfather, J A Long, in 1907.

Construction on the Oak Island Bridge resumed. This new entrance to Oak Island off of Highway 211 has created a scramble of annexation. Looks like the Town of Oak Island is going to prevail.