Springtime At The Retreat

Cherry Blossom Time

When the Yoshino Cherry trees bloom in April at John & Lucille's Country Retreat, it is the most stunning site to behold. The awesome mass of blossoms emerge just before the new spring leaves appear. Each year I take many photos hoping to capture the immense beauty during the 10 days or so these trees are in full bloom. What looks like millions of buds open into 3/4 inch white to pink flowers.

Origin
The Yoshino Cherry (prunus xyedoensis) is a native of Japan, Korea, and China but perform well in the US from Washington, DC to as far south as Mississippi (zones 5-8). Some rank the Yoshino Cherry tree, introduced to America in 1902, as one of the best spring flowering trees. It likes moist, well drained soil in full sun. Its life expectancy is about 15-20 years and has mature height of 40-50 feet. My experience is it is fast growing as a young tree and in 3-4 years the trunk can be 4-5 inches in diameter.

History
The Yoshino Cherry tree is a symbol of friendship between the US and Japan. In 1912, First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador planted the first two Yoshino Cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, Washington, DC. In 1915 we responded with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. The first Cherry Blossom Festival was in 1935 but because of WWII the festival was not held again until 1947. In 1965 three thousand eight hundred more trees were accepted by First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Then in 1981, Japanese Horticulturalist come to the US to take cuttings to replace the Yoshino Cherry Trees that had been destroyed by a flood in Japan.

Festivals
The International Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Macon, Georgia each spring. Macon is known as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World". Over 300,000 Yoshino trees bloom around the
downtown, college campuses and the neighborhoods of Macon in March each year.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, DC. Today over 700,000 people visit our Nation's Capital during the two week National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Photos: These photographs were taken at the

John & Lucille Country Retreat.

Sources:

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael A. Dirr, Stipes Publishing, Inc. Illinois, page 693.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Yoshino Cherry Trees

Mississippi State University Extension Service

Greenwood Nursery

The National Arbor Day Foundation

Oysters - A Nutritionally Balanced Food

To me, oysters are one of the delicacies of the coast of North Carolina. I have fond memories of my Dad and I going to Matthews Landing to get oysters. He would buy a bushel and before leaving he would shuck two or three raw ones for each of us. During the winter months, there was no finer meal than steamed oysters with cornbread cooked in a cast iron pan.

It appears people either hate them or absolutely love them. There is no middle ground. I suppose its' their appearance that turns people off but these salty mollusk have a taste all their own and when eaten with drawn butter and cocktail sauce....well, it's a symphony of sheer joy.

Also for those who love them, going to an oyster roast is as much a social event as a meal. Everyone gathers around a table with the steamed oysters poured down the center. While shucking, friends and family share stories and visit with one another. There is chatter about how good they are, who just opened the largest oyster, how long before some hot ones will be brought out, and how many can you eat or did eat last time. Even veteran shuckers giggle with delight when they open a big one.

Oysters are good for you too. They are one of the most nutritionally balanced foods, containing protein, carbohydrates, and lipids. The National Heart and Lung Institute suggest oysters as an ideal food for low-cholesterol diets. Oysters are an excellent source of Vitamin A, B1(Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), C (Ascorbic acid) and D (Calciferol). Four or five medium size oyster supply the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and manganese and phosphorus.


Oysters are bivalve mollusks that can live up to 40 years and grow up to eight inches. In North Carolina the oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) are harvested at three years of age and about 3 inches. The population of oysters has declined over the past century due to habitat loss, pollution, diseases, and over harvesting. According to the North Carolina Federation, oysters are very important to our estuaries. These keystone species are a reflection of the health of the ecosystem. Restoring and keeping our native oysters healthy will help to keep our coastal waters and other aquatic species healthy.


Oysters are harvested from October to March with tongs, rakes, and by hand here on the coast. They dredge for them in the Pamlico Sound. Even though locals say oysters should be eaten only in months with r's, oysters really can be eaten 12 months a year. This started in the days when oysters where shipped with inadequate refrigeration and spoiling was problematic. Today all seafood is shipped refrigerated. However, some local restaurants still only serve steamed oysters during those months because they buy them from the Chesapeake Bay area.

Local Restaurants
T&W Oyster Bar and Restaurant - Highway 58, only 5 minutes from the John & Lucille Country Retreat.

Jordan's Restaurant - Emerald Isle, across from Bogue Inlet Drive, only 10 minutes from John & Lucille's


If you have had a good dining experience at an oyster bar, please add your comments to this blog.


Sources:
http://www.ncfisheries.net/
http://www.nccoast.org/
http://www.globalgourmet.com/
http://www.bartleby.com/

Croatan National Forest - Only Minutes Away

The John & Lucille Country Retreat , located off Highway 58 in Stella, North Carolina, is surrounded by a vast area of the Croatan National Forest making it perfect lodging for hunters coming to the coastal region. The Retreat is 4 Bedrooms, 3 baths with an outside shower. There is a large carport for grilling as well as room to wash and park boats on the property. It's just a wonderful place to relax after a day of hunting or fishing and close to everything the Crystal Coast has to offer.

Croatan National Forest has some of the best hunting in North Carolina. All the surrounding water and lush forest provides exceptional habitat for deer, black bears, turkeys, waterfowl, osprey, and 'gators. There is great kayaking and canoeing on the rivers and lakes along with hiking trails for bird watching and just enjoying the beautiful forest. Mike Marsh in his article about Black Bears on the North Carolina Game and Fish Website states that, "the vast Croatan National Forest in Jones, Craven, and Beaufort Counties is one of the top produces for bear hunters in the coastal region." Of course, Croatan is a deer and duck hunters haven also.

According to the USDA Forest Service, Croatan National Forest is 160,000 acres of pine forest, saltwater estuaries, bogs and pocosins in Jones, Craven, Beaufort and Carteret Counties. It is bordered on three sides by the White Oak River, Trent River, Neuse River and mumerous creeks as well as Bogue Sound. It encompasses the towns and villages of Stella, Cedar Point, Cape Carteret, Maysville, Pollocksville, Havelock, and Newport with New Bern being nearby. It has three major lakes: Catfish Lake, Great Lake, and Long Lake. Major highways are NC 58, 17, 70, and 24 making driving to the forest easy.

Boat ramps in Croatan are at Catfish Lake, Great Lake, Cedar Point, and Haywood Landing. There is also a boat ramp at Stella on the White Oak River and Cedar Point at the Inland WaterWay.

For a brochure on Croatan call: 252-638-5628 or visit http://www.ncwildlife.org/
For additional information click on this link: Croatan and then click on Carolina Connections, for Cradle of Forestry page 16.

Visit John & Lucille's Country Retreat website for full list of ammenities and rates.

White Oak Duck Impoundment

Recently, a group of hunters coming to the area to duck hunt at the White Oak Duck Impoundment contacted me about staying at the John & Lucille Country Retreat. I was amazed that even after growing up in Stella, I wasn't aware of the impoundment. I have a keen interest and love for waterfowl, so I am excited to learn more about the duck impoundment. If anyone has information to share about the duck impoundment, please add your comments to this posting.

An impoundment is a civil engineering term used to describe an area where water is collected in a dam or reservoir. The White Oak duck impoundment is a flooded area constructed for the protection of waterfowl. It borders the White Oak River* on the Onslow County side, approximately 1/2 mile up the river from the Stella Bridge. The land (100 acres) was donated by Percy and Rachael Morton of Stella and the contruction was completed in 1995.

Water is pumped in and out of the White Oak River into the impoundment so as to maintain the brackish marsh and submerged vegetation as well as to keep the water somewhat level in the impoundment. A wide variety of duck species including mallards, gadwall, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, and shovelers benefit by this protected impoundment.

The John & Lucille Country Retreat is a perfect place to stay while hunting or fishing in the area. There is a boat ramp** at the Stella Bridge only 1/2 mile from the impoundment. The Retreat has plenty of parking spaces and room to park and wash a boat.

Picture: The pipe going from the river to the impoundment.

For more information,
visit http://www.stellacountryretreat.com/
or call 800-892-6775.


*The White Oak River flows from Hoffman Forest in Jones County into Carteret and Onslow Counties reaching Swansboro and Bogue Inlet. This blackwater river changes from fresh to brackish and then to salt water as it nears Swansboro and the Inland Waterway.


** There is a $5 charge to launch a boat at the Stella Bridge boat landing.

Military Discount

To show appreciation for the sacrifice of our troops and their families, I offer a 10% Military Discount to those on active duty and their families. Just tell me when you call to book your reservation.

My son, Jack, is a member of the 101st Airborne, US Army, Ft Campbell, Kentucky. November, 2005 he deployed to Baghdad. I drove to Hopkinsville, Kentucky to be with him for Thanksgiving and to help him pack before he deployed. I checked into a nearby motel and shortly realized a typical hotel room with minimal furniture, a television and a cramped bathroom is not an ideal place to spend a week with someone being deployed. There wasn't any place to spread out any of the additional gear he was packing. The room seemed confined with only the bed comfortable for relaxing.

During the week, we shopped for items he didn’t think would be available in Iraq. He especially wanted a set of Egyptian cotton bed sheets. I wanted to wash the sheets to soften them but going to the local Laundromat wasn’t possible. I washed them later at home and sent them in the first box I mailed to Camp Falcon.

On Thanksgiving Day most restaurants were closed so we ate our holiday meal at a local pancake house. I longed to cook him his holiday meal with our traditional family favorites. Also an intimate conversation in a restaurant is awkward because of the noise and people being able to overhear. I don’t remember much about that meal, except that I longed for a homey place where we could spend those precious hours together.

Jack was anxious, as any one would be, because this was his first deployment. Despite his extensive training, he was still apprehensive about what he would experience on the streets of Baghdad. I was anxious too because I realized this wasn’t a training exercise, it was real combat. So every moment and every conversation was valuable. My mind rehearsed our chats so as not to forget a single thing.

When I returned to Stella, I knew what he needed most was a place that was as comfortable and familiar as home …a house where there wasn’t’ constant reminders of the military presence or the responsibility of the job he was trained and asked to do while in Iraq. So a goal for the John & Lucille Country Retreat was to provide a quiet, peaceful, and restful place for those being deployed and their families. A retreat to spend time together away from the hustle and bustle of Jacksonville, "A getaway for a few days..a special place like home."

The retreat is 2000 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths with an outside shower. Both master suites have full baths with a king size bed in the John & Lucille room and a queen size bed in the Carolina room. The Mami Young room is elegant with a full size bed and large closet. The William Kuhn Room has two full length twin beds. Each bedroom has a comfortable chair, Pima cotton sheets, Egyptian cotton towels, extra pillows and blankets. The large kitchen and dining area seats 12 people, perfect for family get-togethers. The kitchen is fully stocked with baking dishes, pots and pans, small appliances, china and dinnerware.

The retreat is about 25 minutes from Camp Lejeune. Visit http://www.stellacountryretreat.com/ for a full list of amenties. Questions and Reservations: Call 800-892-6775 or e-mail dee@stellacountryretreat.com
1st Lt. Jack B Irby, III will deploy again with the 101st Airborne in the spring 2008.

Two Golf Courses Near the Retreat!

The mild climate on the crystal coast makes it possible to play golf almost everyday of the year. The evergreen Pine trees line the fairways and make the courses picturesque even in Winter. Silver Creek and Star Hill Golf Clubs are less than 10 minutes from John & Lucille’s.

Since both courses are only 5 minutes a part you can play both courses while vacationing.

(Photo: Hole 6 Pines -Star Hill)

Star Hill Golf Club
Sands/Pines/Lakes 27-hole layout
Rated with 3-1/2 stars in Golf Digest's "Places to Play"

Opened in 1967
Semi-Private Course

Public Pool

Comments on Golf Digest says Star Hill is one of the “best in the area” and a good mix of challenging holes."

Fully stocked golf shop; Grill (Breakfast, lunch & dinner); and Champions Room lounge with all ABC permits. Lighted, public airstrip on site. Pool and bath complex open to the public.

Star Hill is located on NC 58, approximately 3 miles north of the intersection of NC 24 and NC 58 in Cape Carteret, NC.

Silver Creek Golf Club
Rated 3 stars by Golf Digest’s “Places to Play”
Opened in 1986
Public course with 18 holes
Comments listed with Golf Digest says that Silver Creek has "breathtaking views and golf at a bargain." Silver Creek is located off NC 58, on Pelletier Loop Road and near Star Hill Golf Club.

Visit http://www.golfdigest.com/ for information and ranking of golf courses