Wilmington, Hampstead, Holly Ridge, Topsail, Sneads Ferry, Jacksonville

We've been to the office and Kathy put everything back to normal. (Well, what constitutes normal for our group), All the computers are back online, although Kathy's having a small glitch with one of our older desktops. Judy was in the office this morning and Bob was taking over this afternoon for floor duty.

We drove the island and checked on our client's houses and everyone seems to have come out of the storm relatively unscathed. We do have some shingle issues to take care of, but again, whew!!!

We drove over to Sunrise Watch (where Barnacle Bill's used to be - boy, can you spot a long time Topsail Island fan when they mention Barnacle Bill's), took a few photos and will post them here. Really, the beach is fine and taking into account that the photos were taken midway between high and low tide with high surf, it looks pretty good.

If anyone reading would like to see our newsletter, Living on Topsail Time, the current online issue for September is available at http://www.box.net/shared/yy78ettcqf.

All over and done with, for the most part. wind gusts of maybe 65 - 70. No high sustained. The power was on the entire time, we didn't lose cable and Kathy stayed nice and cool 'cause the AC stayed up. YAY! The dogs were a little jumpy most of the night, especially the younger of the two Bichons, Pearl. Evidently it became her assignment to make certain her family was aware of all those leaves blowing by the windows. Still a bit blustery on the island but the sun is coming out and folks are out on the beach. We will take a drive up and down the 27 miles of the island at some point today and check all of our current listings and those homes of our past clients who do not live here. As the storm affected the south facing beaches, we do not expect that there will have been much in the way of erosion. That's another part of living on the island that you have to be aware of during a storm... the ocean giveth and the ocean taketh away. Safe for another day!

"Nights in Rodanthe", filmed in North Topsail Beach, Wilmington, and the Outer Banks community of Rodanthe is scheduled to open nationwide in September. An invitation only screening will be held on September 24th at a movie theatre in Kill Devil Hills and a second screening will be held the following evening in Wilmington. The movie will open internationally in October.

Nicholas Sparks, the author of this and several other novels, lives in New Bern, N.C. "Nights in Rodanthe" follows the relationship of a doctor, played by actor Richard Gere, meeting a middle aged woman (Diane Lane) who is taking care of an inn on the North Carolina coast.

Locals and visitors alike will recognize many of the film's locations, from the windswept beauty of the Outer Banks, to the wide, sandy beaches of Topsail Island.

Nights in Rodanthe is just one of many films that have been filmed in North Carolina in recent years. "Leatherheads", starring George Clooney and Rene Zellweger opened earlier in 2008, filmed in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Charlotte.

It is the final HUGE week end for the summer visitors on Topsail Island. Both Kathy and I noted yesterday that the ICWW was sidewallk to sidewalk with boaters. The weather is hot, humid and perfectly suited to a day on the water, lazily making your way to the marina in Surf City, or down to Bluewater for a leisurely lunch. The "ditch" is coastal North Carolina's liquid interstate highway, providing ingress and egress to the myriad water based communities along its length. One of the super parts of living where we do is that we can watch the tugboats manuevering their barges, and the occasional cruise ship navigating the sometimes tricky waters. Many a livelihood is made on bays, sounds, channels, inlets and and the ICWW, furnishing some of the best seafood ever tasted. The Stump Sound oyster for example, is quite possibly one of the sweetest I have ever tasted. I've mentioned several times over the past few posts that Topsail Island is at her best in the fall. Come go coastal in North Carolina!

Wow. From the title, this had better be a great post. Today on Topsail Island, our neighborhood of Sunset Harbor had a community work day. I will be completely candid and tell you that my wife, Kathy did not participate in this project. Bugs, perspiration, hauling tree limbs and pulling stumps out of the ground just isn't her idea of fun. We had a great turn out otherwise, most of the homeowners and some of the temporary residents pitched in as well. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect and talk. This is a small neighborhood of only 12 homes. We look out after one another. No land available for sale and no view that we currently have can be compromised. We have serene views of the sound and Intracoastal, although we would have to build an 100 foot pier across the marsh if we wanted to access the water. Sunset Harbor is full of the beautiful old live oaks that make this little part of Surf City dramatically different. All in all, a great place to call home.