This is a photo of the old Sea Gull restaurant in the early 1960s. My mom and dad ran it for a couple of years. By the 1970s it was gone. Now that space is a parking lot.
Following is an excerpt from one of the short stories in my new book PLUM DUFF. Frequently the little Sea Gull will show up in my stories, though it may be at a different location-I just loved the place so much I have to include it in my stories. PLUM DUFF should be out in a couple of weeks.

     The menu was one sheet of laminated paper printed on both sides. Helen grasped it with her fingers, thanking the waitress, then wiped a smudge away with a napkin.
     Focusing her eyes through the no-line bifocal lenses of her glasses, she read the list of foods.     The list was short-mainly burgers, fries, sandwiches and seafood.
     The Sea Gull restaurant, situated next to the island fishing pier, despite its fantastic view, was not on the list of must go places on Topsail Island. Locals were the main clientele.
     It wasn't like Helen to come to such a greasy spoon, but she'd heard that the grouper was the best. Unlike most of the other restaurants on the beach, the Sea Gull's seafood was not overcooked nor over breaded.
     She set the menu on the table and looked about the room. It was nearly empty, but then it was late October and most of the tourists were gone for the year. Only a few fishermen hung on, endeavoring to catch fresh seafood of their own.

Now, this is power.

We've had lots of erosion this week - several feet. And lots of wood has been floating up on shore. Anybody need a set of stairs?

Who remembers the Scotch Bonnet Fishing Pier? Notice the lack of big houses in the area. Topsail was truly the Fisherman's Paradise back then.
Our first creative writing class was last night at CFCC. What a great group of people-I think this is going to be a fantastic class. We covered so much material-Continuity, genre, character development-got a lot covered and had fun doing it. Thank you for joining our group!

Every day  is a beautiful day when you get to view scenes like this. Makes me so thankful for all the blessings I get to enjoy. Hope your day is a beautiful one too.

The Surf City Market is still taking place on Tuesdays, 9 to 2. There are still lots of vendors-tomorrow should be a fantastic day for strolling along the boardwalk at Sound Side Park in Surf City. Come and join us.

This is Pop Jones in 1954 right after Hurricane Hazel destroyed much of "Pop's Pavilion." Pop had been a merchant marine in the 1940s and when he came to NC he liked it and stayed in the area. His Pavilion was a gathering spot for the local youth and every Saturday night he held a square dance with live music. During the summer months the place came alive with tourists and fisherman who came to enjoy the Atlantic. Pop sold hamburgers and hot dogs and rented rafts and umbrellas. Now days the old WWII building meets and greets tourists too, but now, it opens its doors as the Surf City Welcome Center.

Sept. 28th I will begin teaching a creative writing class at the new Cape Fear Community College on Hwy. 210. Creative Foundations should be an exciting and interesting class and I look forward to all the fun we'll have as we explore writing memoirs, short stories, essays or even the great American novel. Come try your hand at expressing and exploring. Please come join us. The phone number is 910-362-7930.