Blip in the Radar

Sorry for my absence of late – we took a vacation and I’ve been gloriously out of both cell phone range and Internet access. While touring the east coast of North Carolina, I’ve found that there are still places on earth that don’t necessarily need cell towers, nor do the inhabitants care if they have a wi-fi connection. The most enticing place was Ocracoke Island, which has both services, but only if you have a particular cell provider (not mine) and don’t mind either A) waiting until 2 pm for the library’s public hours (it’s the school library for the first part of the day), or B) hanging out at Ocracoke Coffee Co. all day and night with your laptop (one guy was there hours after closing, sitting on the porch emitting an LCD glow…).

Sitting here in a hotel in more populated locations, I’m reminiscing a bit. One highlight has to be the Seahawk Motor Lodge in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Think kitsch at its best – a two-story motel from the 1960s, left pretty much intact, but fancied up with parrot bedspreads and glossy aquarium-fish shower curtains. The front lawn, looking out into the sea, was littered with hammocks around the dunes, the requisite pool, and a number of gas grills for your culinary pleasure. I was smitten from the first glimpse. Finally – an inn with more than just “tastefully appointed” furnishings. This place has a real personality! Oh sure, it could be newer and cleaner, but both my husband and I were happy to stay there (and to pay a mere $75 for oceanfront views).

Since I’ll be traveling tomorrow, I won’t be able to provide you with the Tuesday job listings. But I’ll be back on Wednesday, and I will continue the Neat Writers series. Talk with you then!