Fall means Football!
Fall means football, and fishing if you are at the beach.
I celebrated my birthday at the beach recently (as I often do). Though it started as a bit of
a dilemma when my brother invited me to join him for the ECU vs. UNC game in Chapel
Hill. He is a huge Tarheel fan, with primo season tickets, and I am the lone Pirate in the
family. It was tough at first, until I realized attending the game would preclude my
Thursday departure and keep me from the beach for 3 days of my long Birthday
weekend.
So I was pretty proud of myself on Saturday, sitting on the beach on a beautiful day
celebrating myself. Then some clouds rolled in and I got the itch to see the game. I got
this crazy idea that I should go to a local bar and catch the last half. I walked back to the
house, contemplated over a cold beer, until the sun came back out. After a short
brainstorming session, we realized we could watch the game from my neighbor’s
TV…she has cable!
Talk about the best of both worlds! Okay, it was the best until the fourth quarter, careless
plays, bad call and bummer…the Tarheels won the game! Not exactly what I had in
mind. I had flashbacks of going to the same game years ago, before I was even in
college, or knew anything about the Pirates, when the two tied! What an exciting game
that was, even as a Tarheel fan! Too bad we weren’t so lucky this time.
So I spent the weekend hanging out on the beach with my dog and a few fishermen.
Fall is fabulous on the island, almost like a ghost town during the week and very few
folks on the beach on the weekend as well. Shopping is awesome; everything is on sale,
and no lines, no crowds. Even the grocery store and the seafood store are ready and
eager to serve with no waiting! Casual conversation is a staple on the island, and is
abundant in the off-season.
Though the leaves are changing on the mainland, and many folks travel to the mountains
to see them, I still prefer the island. The change of seasons is more subtle, and evident in
the people and their activity than in the topography.
Football is fall fun, and fishing is too. I haven’t seen a lot of people actually catching
fish, but it doesn’t really seem to matter. After all, if you are lucky enough to be at the
beach, you are lucky enough!
Gail is a part time resident of Topsail Island and your good life guru. Contact her at
GailO@gailo.com for more ideas on Living on Island Time!
