Besides communing with the higher power, there are of course other reasons for being on a beach at 3:00 AM. A bottle of bourbon here, some beer there, perhaps a romantic interlude (not this year) and of course … night swimming. I’ve never been brave enough to follow fellow revelers as they rush into the darkness of the beating ocean. I much prefer the safety and dryness of the sand.
Over the course of the trip, I’ve discovered just how much of a waterbug Meredith is as she was always one of the first into the hotel pool after the shows. Tonight was no different as she ran headlong straight into the waves. Later, bodies would pile into a rental car back to the hotel. I would joke about ending up with a wet lap for all the wrong reasons.
Day 5
Hotdogs for Breakfast
Unlike my need for alone time yesterday, today was simply a relaxing day that found me by myself. Most everyone went off for a day at the beach. Since I really do only love the beach at night, I opted to trek down to the river and the historic district to see what was going on. It was Memorial Day after all and I figured maybe something would catch my eye. But first on my list was food. All of the favorite breakfast stops were packed. I began to get frustrated at not being able to find a place to eat. So I simply went downtown and figure I’d wing it.
After popping my head into a couple of places, I remembered the hotdogs at the Trolley Stop. In years past I would be more adventurous with say onions or chili, and although it was afternoon, this would still technically be breakfast. So I went for two basic trolley dogs—a normal mystery beef/pork parts concoction—with mustard. That and a tall soda and I was set to hit the hot banks of Cape Fear for what was sure to be an exhilarating day of tourism. And there, off in the near distance was what was sure to be a spectacle chock full of excitement.
Hundreds of people of all shapes, sizes and ages were standing at the edge of the banks with cameras ready, sweltered in anticipation. I stepped to the edge and peaked up the river and there it was. A ship. A big, old tall ship firing off cannons. Impressive. But it was moving at a snails pace and it was the only one, not a parade as I had hoped when I first took a peak. I stood there for ten minutes and I thought to myself, “Man these people are patient! They’re actually gonna wait all day in this heat to see one boat?” So I left. Opting to sit outside my hotel room and write some more until that night’s musical festivities began.
The Shows:
Organic Showcase
Tonight the Lounge level of the Soapbox belonged to Organic Entertainment. They loaded the joint with a bevy of wonderful talent from (where else) NYC. The sets got shifted around a bit thanks to an addition to the bill. More on that later. First up was Carmen Sclafani of the band Wiser Time. Carmen was staying in my hotel, so we had bonded over late night beers by the pool and talks of music. His style is pure rock. This guy is the real thing.
Lara Ewen was up next. She too was a hotel mate of mine but we hadn’t had a chance to really talk until tonight. She has a wonderful mind for music and the guitar and I could talk to her for hours about technique, style and substance. As of yet, I had not heard her play, but when I did I was floored. One of her songs called ‘Our Song’ literally broke my heart. The premise was so close to a situation with an ex of mine from many years ago who married someone else. Ya know that one I mean. The one you never really get over.
