Suntans, Produce Stands, Beach & Sand
A beach-cottage surcie, an unexpected parasailer, and the summertime divide between people who love figs and people who do not.
When you’re a Southern belle and invited to dinner, good manners dictate offering a small gift of gratitude. In S.C., interestingly, they call this gift a surcie. I know this for a fact because we lived in S.C. 20 years. Otherwise, we’ve lived in N.C. all of our lives. These days, I call myself a Snorth Carolinian because I love both states.
We were recently asked to join family in N. Topsail Beach, 25 miles away, and my surcie was home-grown (by me) tomatoes and cucumbers, figs just plucked from a friend’s tree, and boiled peanuts. Sure, there are produce stands galore near the beach cottage, but I did it my way. While many guests take wine and cheese, I had my own reason to bring produce. Keep reading.
My niece, Lindsay, and her husband, Eric, own a beautiful oceanfront cottage, Moondance, at N. Topsail Beach, N.C. I go there often with my sister, Nancy, Lindsay’s mother—and it’s always a blast! But strange things can (and do) happen. For instance, one time at the cottage, we girlfriends sat at the dining room table, playing Scattergories; when out of nowhere, a man came floating by the over-sized glass windows. We all jumped up to check it out. Turns out he was parasailing, but I think he got off course. Don’t you?
More common sights include sunburned tourists, shrimp boats trawling, and military helicopters (it’s not too far from the MCAS New River Air Station). But we’ve never seen anyone else parasailing that close by.
Gratefully, I’ve found beautiful shells and recently, a gorgeous sea fan at Moondance. Being an avid shell collector, I’ve collected many shells in many places: notably, olive shells, baby’s ears, conchs and sand dollars. But my favorite discovery ever: a small driftwood cross, measuring 4” by 3”. In my family, we call that a God-wink.
But back to my surcie: local, seasonal produce is bountiful now. But also, fig trees are at their peak and only grow in the summer. Fig trees love hot, humid weather and sandy soil, which we’re known for here. Fun fact: fig trees are ancient, even older than Adam and Eve, who wore them as clothing. Figs are used in delicious recipes, too, i.e., fig jam, pickled figs, and some people (like me) eat them raw. One thing about figs: you either love them or hate them. Which one are you?