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Stonecreek:
Your comments of the coastal area are much appreciated. Was glad to hear you and the misses arrived home safely. Your concise account has helped to heighten my thought process about traveling from the Durham area to view the condos at the harbor of St. James. I'm trying to take up the game of golf and the courses there appear stunning. Maybe I can get my new son-in-law to take a cotton to sharing a condo on the water with wife and I. Purchased a four wheel drive SUV yesterday, having gun racks and trailer hitch installed today. Back seats lay down for the beer coolers and hunting dogs, so I should fit in with Le roi and his friends. O, I forgot, dog not a hunter, just one of them there dogs that loves everyone. From your description of the people of St. James it sounds like our dog and family would fit right in. (I'll check the guns at the gate) Again thanks so much for your observations of the area.
ps for Le roi--hope you understand this is all in jest!
OpAck, the four model homes that we went into are in Woodlands Park and it is just gorgeous ther, the model by Kent builders actually is our favorite of the four and very nicely built and finished too.
Regarding the koolaid.... we tried very hard not to drink too much of the stuff and to keep our heads in the "somewhat realistic" zone. But we couldn't find too many things that we didn't like. The speed limit inside the plantation varies from 20 mph to 30 mph ( that's all we saw posted anyway ) but I would think that's about standard for inside these places, for safety reasons... they do have roving security vehicles that we saw everywhere and they DO give out tickets to speeders, but I think that has to be a good thing overall, for everyones' safety, after all there are mucho people walking, riding bikes and golf cart crossings here and there, just like all the gated communities.
Regarding "locals" attitude towards the "St Jamse-ers".... two quick stories, both absolutely 100% true..... after all, you cannot make this excrement up !
#1..... On our way to Wilmington we stopped at a small, very old gas / convenience station / shack on Rt 211 & Midway Road. The lady ( about 50+- yrs old, I think ) came out to talk as we pumped the gas as we were the only people there.... she of course asked where we were from, etc and what we were doing down there.... we said we were from NJ and looking for a place to retire to in the area... we said we heard that St james was nice. Now I must preface this with the thought once again that it is absolutely factual.... she stood there and said that them people in St james are, uh, whadyacall, uh,,, persnikety, yeh that's it, persnikety types that think that the world owes them somethin'. I asked what she meant by persnikety types and she just said... you know what I mean, persnikety, she said them people at St james tried to do "something" to our taxes, I asked her what that was and she could not recall ! I said I understood and could she recommend someplace nicer. She said Arbor Creek next door to St james is supposed to be nicer, but she actually has never been to "either" place so we would have to look for ourselves. We thanked her and went on our way, absolutely true, still she was nice to us.. Now I must report to you that she had a two days growth of shaved beard and 8-10 teeth total in her mouth... absolutely true.... so take it from there.
We went to a little place for breakfast on Monday at 7 AM down towards the ocean on Howe Street ( the main drag ) called Port City Java. There was a table of 6 men, all about 70 + yrs of age, discussing the world situation, looked like a regular thing by these gentlemen. I did not detect any southern accents from several of them, so I leaned over and asked if anyone was from NJ. He looked at the rest of his buddies and then looked at me and said..... if you want NJ people you should go over and look in St James, there ALL down here from NJ in that place. Now he said this with what I will call a "slightly negative" attitude. After a chuckle by everyone, I said that of course we were from NJ and looking around at the area.... I then asked the same gentleman where HE was from as I did not detect an acent from him.... he looked at me straight in the face and said "Chatham, New Jersey, 20 years ago "!!!!, which is about 10 minutes from where we live. So I thanked them for their time and finished our breakfast...... you take it from there ! True story.
The above stories harken back to my comment.... you can't make this excrement up !
Hard to think of any real negatives, ask specific questions, be happy to answer them as honestly as I can.
PS: For some reason I was unable to log on to this forum from the computer down in Southport, so i must say a hearty thank you to my main man biscy who was nice enough to forward my live from reports as promised.
As far as Ocean Ridge is concerned, as I said earlier, it is a very nice, upscale place with beautiful homes.... which in my humble opinion, does not hold a candle to St James..... not for us. As we spoke with so many of the residents at St James, we heard the same story over and over again, they all went to look at Ocean Ridge too, then came back and settled on St James. Several people related the same story, they travelled around to the exact same places we went to first, The Landings at Skidaway Island, Georgia, the Plantations off Hilton Head Island, Callawassie Island, Dataw Island, Pawleys Island, in their search.... when they got to St james, they found home.
Not trying to pick but there aren't many local "rednecks" on the beach in Oak Island in December. That 250 foot of beach frontage you referred to isn't owned by St James. It's all public beach and open to anyone that wants to park a chair out there. Drive one block from the "beach club" in the opposite direction and you'll spot those elusive doublewides everybody has been talking about. And I gotta ask, did your realtor point out the nuclear plant cooling lagoon when you drove over that bridge on your way into Southport and what did you think of that nice brown river, er (I mean) ocean water at the beach club?
dont worry, bo , a little tritium never hurt nobody.
I must also mention that it is very difficult to determine someone's "tone" online, whether they are angry, yelling, etc.... as in ALL of my posts, I am responding in a very calm, low dulcid tone, not excited or angry, just responding calmly, trying to make some sense of some of the non-sensical statements that are presented to us. Having cleared THAT up, I must once again remark about the people that are spewing negativity at every turn, desperately attempting ( in vain I might add ) to convince myself and others NOT to migrate to this area.... the very same area that "they" live in.
They seem to warn us about "brown water" that we didn't see... terrible "rednecks" that we didn't see..... the "terrible beach" that we didn't see.... extreme "hatred" from the locals that we didn't experience... etc.... in an attempt to somehow disuade us ( and everyone else aparantly ) from moving there. Let me explain that just like everyone else that is looking around for a place to retire to, "WE ALONE" are in charge of our destiny, not ANYONE else. WE explore and research an area for ourselves and we listen NOT to the bigoted naysayers that "warn" us about all of the doom and gloom that may befall us down there. We also make a clear effort to speak to and mingle with "actual residents" everywhere we go to see FOR OURSELVES what each place is like.... and I must say that we are not just looking for a pile of two by fours erected on a lot somewhere.... one can fund structures on land anywhere you go..... we are looking for ( and found ) a sense of community, with caring, like minded people that not only give in their particular community but also give and contribute to the community outside their gates.... and once again, I believe we have found that place. We had a great visit, met a "bunch" of nice folk inside AND outside of St James, and yes we met a few disgruntled, bigoted hypocrites ( described in my earlier post ) that "may" just live next door to Leroy..... which are to be found in anytown, USA. But the nice folks out numberd the bad ones by "approximately" a million to one.
The shopkeepers, restauranteurs and other business people that we interacted with seemed fine with us looking at St james and happily took our money and patronage.... for two reasons I believe, 1st they like the business and 2nd, they are not all like Leroy, bitter about their lot in life, resentful and perhaps a bit envious that "others" may just find that happy situation that they are looking for in the Southport area.... and in St James in particular. Whew......
Stoney!,
Very well stated and appreciate the spirit of looking and focusing on the positive than dwelling on any perceived negativity. We are glad you got to experience for yourself the beauty of coastal North Carolina.
I personally could never and still can't understand why people like (LeRoi) focus on negative comments and tries to get others to get caught up in his negative mindset.
My advice to LeRoi is to leave this forum if it upsets him so much as i am sure the discussion about St James is not the only topic that his negatism clearly comes out.
As my grandmother, who grew up in Jersey City (thats in jersey LeRoi) used to say there are people who always sees the cup half empty and there are people who see the cup half "FULL". My outlook in life is to try to be a bit more positive and not harp on trying to convince people the cup isn't leaking!!!
We get the picture LeRoi, you don't like St James nor do you like any gated communities from Hilton Head up through Wilmington.
You have nothing more to add to the discussion so we beg you to "Buzz off" !!
Sorry guys, the Jersey City in me occasionally comes out!!!!
As my grandmother, who grew up in Jersey City (thats in jersey LeRoi) used to say there are people who always sees the cup half empty and there are people who see the cup half "FULL". My outlook in life is to try to be a bit more positive and not harp on trying to convince people the cup isn't leaking!!!
My grandmother used to say: You can put cats in the oven but that doesn't make them biscuits.
Dear biscy..... I understand full well and appreciate what your sage grandmother meant ..... and what a wise woman she was.
However, as my head is now spinning, I believe that I am forced to go downstairs and get a couple or three shots of Macallan 12 year old scotch ( on the rocks please ) to help me ruminate on what the heck cats and biscuits in the oven have to do with ANYTHING.... but it just may be a rebel trick to cornfuse us yankees and leave us a thinkin' whilst the boys from the 59th all volunteer regiment sneak up on our left flank to surprise us !
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Cup is always half full vs. half empty!
Who is "BO"??
