42. Elizabeth City

We left early and crossed the Albemarle Sound using the Dismal Swamp compass headings. We took pictures of each other's boat.

Then we went up the Pasquotank River which means “where the current divide”. This took us to Elizabeth City which is a main street waterfront community very welcoming to boaters and providing free docks. It was once a major seaport where four-masted schooners carried goods along the eastern seaboard. The only drawback was that we had to go over the bow sprint to get off the boat. There is a free pick-up and delivery service by Farm Fresh, a wonderful large supermarket which sparkles with cleanliness and we refilled our refrigerator and wine cellar.
Elizabeth City has been named one of the “hundred most liveable small towns in America” It will not remain a small town for long. There is a big building boom and it is growing and expanding rapidly. The waitress at Groupers where we went out for seafood told us that when she first came twenty years ago, it was indeed a small town but now it really is a city. We tried to get tickets to the local theatre but it had been sold out for three weeks and it holds 1200.Roman and I celebrated Easter Sunday by going to the local church. The sermon dealt with welcoming and being friendly with those that you meet. "Love one another." This church has formed a welcoming committee that looks for new people in the church. When the service finished, several parishioners came up to us and thanked us for coming to their church. We explained that we came only for that day but that did not seem to make a difference. We were definitely impressed by the amiability exhibited. It was a lovely experience and we wish that our churches were as welcoming. We shared breakfast with our friends on the boat Blessed Spirit.

We Skyped home from our friends’ boat to Roman’s sister’s house where everyone was gathered for the communal Easter Sunday breakfast after church. It was wonderful to hear everyone’s voices. Tyler's speech and reasoning are remarkable for a child his age. Of course, it is the prerogative of grandparents to brag about their grandchildren. Here are my grandsons, Tyler and Connor. Who do you think they look like?

The only drawback to a wonderful Easter Sunday was that Corning hit his elbow pulling the cord to start his generator. We thought it might be fractured so he spent some time at the local hospital. Fortunately the swelling was only a haematoma and he was told that it would get better on its own. At dinner that night, we made plans to leave for the Dismal Swamp the next morning.

The water was like glass.