Isopycnic Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 FRYING PAN TOWER -- More rust than rustic. That’s how Richard Neal wryly refers to his 48-year-old light tower that stands in the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles off the southeastern North Carolina coast. Rust is what visitors first see when they enter the 140-foot-high Frying Pan Tower. Plus corrosion. Peeling paint. Missing ceiling tiles. The tower has been deteriorating in the wind-and-wave-swept environment since Coast Guard crews left 33 years ago. That is, until 2010. Neal bought the tower at auction, sight unseen except for a flyover, for $85,000. Neal, 51, of Mint Hill, just east of Charlotte, isn’t a real-estate developer but a software sales engineer and self-described average Joe. He and his wife, Rhonda, are breathing new life into the abandoned structure, once doomed to become an artificial fishing reef. They’re converting it into a bed-and-breakfast for the adventurous, offering stays for up to eight on the 5,000-square-foot marine hideaway. The first paying guests, a group of four, are coming this weekend. The only neighbors are sharks, barracudas, sea turtles, sport-fishing boats and scuba divers. Cast a line and fish for black sea bass and grouper. Climb to the helicopter landing deck, sip a cool one and watch spellbinding sunrises and sunsets. Prepare to rough it. “You’re going to see rust,” Neal said. “There may be times when the generator might kick off. This is not a cruise. This is not a Marriott. This is a work in progress. This is a blend, for the next year or so, between camping out and being on a unique facility in the ocean.” The rate is $300 a person for two nights, excluding transportation to the tower. Guests bring and cook their own meals. They shower in water collected in a cistern, sleep in rooms with ocean views (one of eight bedrooms has been repainted) and shoot pool on a billiards table in the rec room. No bugs, steady breezes, plenty of sun. http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/22/2154226/mecklenburg-man-opens-frying-pan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 30% chance of rain from the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaggy Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Last years corn was horrible with plenty of entire lost crops. What a difference a year and a few more inches of rain in the spring can make. The first pic was last years disasterous corn and this years bountiful corn......i'm 6'1 and well you get the idea. Last year The corn today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowless in Carrollton Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 No rain here in 2 weeks. My lawn looks pitiful. At this rate, in about a week my yard will be all brown. What a difference a year makes. This time last year everything was lush and green and we had plenty of rain. This year the total opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Last years corn was horrible with plenty of entire lost crops. What a difference a year and a few more inches of rain in the spring can make. The first pic was last years disasterous corn and this years bountiful corn......i'm 6'1 and well you get the idea. Last year The corn today I was just thinking how about the corn farmers in this part of the county lately. Every week I drive through the southern sections to my parents house and I pass this one huge corn field across from the newly built Shelby Middle School. The last few years I wanted to stop by and ask him why he always plants corn because by mid or late June, its a total loss. Each year I've noticed this since 2003 or 2004, with only one exception. This year, I noticed he didn't plant corn. Too bad because this year it would have done well. Everyone 's corn here is doing great (so far). Usually by now, it's just brown stalks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookout Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I was just thinking how about the corn farmers in this part of the county lately. Every week I drive through the southern sections to my parents house and I pass this one huge corn field across from the newly built Shelby Middle School. The last few years I wanted to stop by and ask him why he always plants corn because by mid or late June, its a total loss. Each year I've noticed this since 2003 or 2004, with only one exception. This year, I noticed he didn't plant corn. Too bad because this year it would have done well. Everyone 's corn here is doing great (so far). Usually by now, it's just brown stalks. Man, that has to suck. It's nice though to see your area finally not shafted so much. As you referenced in your post, your area was one of the hardest hit every year in terms of screwjobs/droughts (except maybe central ga/sc). It might seem stupid but I've been rooting for you for years (even though you get more snow/ice than me in winter most of the time....especially when we had CAD..which I'm wondering if it is even possible anymore.....argggh ) So I'm happy for you that's not the case this year. About damn time isn't it? LOL. Wonder why too? Is there anything really different this year, like the overall flow pattern, that has finally allowed your area to get rain vs past years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavarreDon Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I have some sad news. My lovely and beautiful dog of 11.5 years (well closer to 12 years), is dying of very aggressive cancer and I will have to put her to sleep monday at 1pm. I knew 3 years ago it would happen because her mother died of cancer. She's been my best friend, makes me feel better when I'm down, and she is sooooo smart and sweet. She never chased after cats (I have 5), always friendly to whoever showed up (never barked), never chased squirrels (in fact my now deceased squirral would go right up to her and she could not care less....not many dogs would not chase one, much less let one be that close lol. Now one of my cats has been sleeping next to her for a few weeks on quite a few nights/days. Another interseting aspect is my brothers dog, who we had to adopt because he left her behind, had been in fights with her for years (which she always won...which I found amazing since she doesn't have a mean bone in her body)...now sleeps next to her and even licks her. I know there is a smell that they know isn't good but it makes me even more convinced animals know when another is dying and they feel "sorry" for them. So this is going to be a tough weekend/monday for me. Sometimes I think it's silly for a man in his 30s to get this emotional over a dog but I can't help it. I've always loved them since I was a child and think they are much smarter (in general) than people give them credit for. Indeed, she always knew when I was depressed and in a bad mood...laying her head in my lap or literally hugging me (she would push real hard against me while standing up). In fact, I'm a big animal person anyway. So this is going to be a tough weekend/monday for me. Not to sound like a p**** but it's hard to hold back the tears. Especially when I think she knows she is close to the end. Lookout, sorry so late to read this. Really sorry for you. My wife adopted one of a coworkers puppies in 2008 after losing her dog. I was not very happy at the time. Well to make a long story short....the dog and I are now inseparable.(laying next to me as I type) I rue the day that I have to walk in your shoes. Hope things are getting better for you. I will keep you both in my thoughts. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburns Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Lookout, sorry so late to read this. Really sorry for you. My wife adopted one of a coworkers puppies in 2008 after losing her dog. I was not very happy at the time. Well to make a long story short....the dog and I are now inseparable.(laying next to me as I type) I rue the day that I have to walk in your shoes. Hope things are getting better for you. I will keep you both in my thoughts. Don It's amazing how attached you get to pets. I have several dogs, all inside dogs, of various sizes from 95 lbs down to 4 lbs. Last year I got a puppy of a type I would never have thought I would have in a million years. I've always been a big dog guy. I wanted one I could have in my lap as I sat in my den. I got a Chihuahua puppy that could fit in my hand. He has now grown to 4 of the feistiest pounds I've ever seen. He thinks he is a Great Dane. Every day he does several things that have my wife and I in stitches. The reason I post this here is that I had a real reality moment when I got him. Dogs seem to be here for such a short time but when I got him, for the first time I now have a dog who, based on statistics, should outlive me. Damn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburns Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I know it's hot but somebody's 2 degree guarantee is in trouble. I'll be damned. He was right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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