My Father and Great Grandfather went to the Parade

New Bern was a quiet place 93 years ago. It was the kind of place where you sat on the porch and talked with your neighbors. Kind of like Facebook without electricity. Well any kind of "goings on" provided a diversion. When my dad was a child (early twenties) there was a parade scheduled downtown. His grandfather agreed to walk the five blocks to where they could view the marching. Turns out it was a Klan Parade. Don't misunderstand they did not attend to support or endorse the organization. It was out of curiosity and seeking entertainment they viewed the processation.

As they watched my father asked his grandfather who the people with the hoods were? Granddaddy Bud started naming names. Puzzled my Dad asked him how he knew.  He responded, "son everyone is so poor they only have one pair of shoes".

Fall Full of Southern Traditions

It is a special time of year. High school ball on Friday nights. See my my Blog Post about Friday Nights with Burke Taylor. Then tail gating on Saturday and watching college football. Many spend hours getting ready for hunting season. Blinds and stands to be built or repaired. Scouting for game trails and looking for birds. Fall fishing provides many hours of fun and excitement for its disciples. 


Of course some take an annual pilgrimage to the NC mountains to witness God's handiwork as the colors of fall reach their peak. It is a time to be thankful to our maker as we move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fall Festivals and Bon Fires bring folks together. Who doesn't enjoy a good pig pickin'?


One of my personal favorites are partaken in months with the letter "R" in them. I am talking about an old fashion Oyster Roast. Johnathan Swift is quoted as having said, "He was a bold man that first ate an oyster". The brave among us slip over to the side and open them raw. We let it slide off the half shell right into a waiting orifice. Sounds of appreciation and exclamations of saltiness follow. I always wondered why folks just don't add salt if the oysters are not salty enough. The oyster opening table is a great area for fellowship. The congregation stands patiently waiting for the roaster to dump a basket of steaming hot bivalves. Hands work with skill and speed. It is amazing to see how quickly a half bushel can disappear.  Conversation resumes and the waiting for the next batch begins. Soon the usual sophomoric jokes about the  aphrodisiac qualities begin. There is always an individual who is especially skilled with an oyster knife who will open oysters for those disciples who gather around his station. It is considered bad form not to shuck a few for your spouse. Your dipping sauce recipe is always a topic of conversation. Some opt for melted butter, some cocktail sauce and blends of both with dashes of Texas Pete and Horse Radish. When you hold your roast this year please use the contact info on this page to invite me. I will shuck a few for you.


Those of us who were born Southern by the Grace of God and those who have become Southern by the purchase of Real Estate are truly blessed. Fall is a wonderful time of year and I encourage you to enjoy the culture of a southern fall. 


If you need lessons on southern speech, culture or need to become southern by purchasing real estate I am available.


Please consider leaving a comment of about your favorite Fall tradition.


Visit my Website
Follow us on Facebook

11 22 and 9 11 Numbers Not to be Forgotten

Dates I will always remember. On November 22, 1963 I was returning from recess at Fort Totten to our classroom at Eleanor Marshall School when a distraught lady pulled her car to the curb. Our teacher went to her car to check on her. When she returned she explained that the President had been shot. We were living in a fearful time. We had drills to practice diving under our desk in case of nuclear attacks. The news was full of riots and demonstrations about issues that we were perhaps too young to understand. Multiple leaders were assassinated. Our society went through very dynamic changes. Eventually as time progressed things seem to improve.

Fast forward to September 11, 2001. While having my morning coffee a report came across the screen that one of the Towers at the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. I left home to go to the Tent River Coffee Company to join the discussion at the table where all of the worlds woes were solved. Soon after my arrival the second Tower was struck. We watched and listened as it became apparent that our country was under attack. Rage, fear and confusion were experienced that day. The country's psyche would never be quite the same. I had not been born when Pearl Harbor was attacked but I imagine the feelings were much the same.

America will not forget the heroes of that day. People who ran toward the flames and destruction to protect others. Since that time two million young Americans have seen combat to make us safer and to improve the lives of those living under oppressive regimes. The America in which I live is still a wonderful place to live and I will always be grateful to those who have made it possible.

Gary Barker
Visit my Website
Visit my Facebook Page

An Old Friend - The Jet

For 37 years we had a view of the F -11 Tiger Jet as we traveled Dr. M L King Jr. Blvd. It was painted as a Marine Aircraft in those years. If you traveled from the mall area to downtown it was there to remind you of the close ties between New Bern and the Marines stationed at Cherry Point.

Photo by Nan Griffin Barker

Recently Swiss Bear and the community had the jet restored and painted in Blue Angels colors. The jet served as the Solo plane on that team's 1966-67 season. Now when I travel from my home in Bridgeton to New Bern, I will see the Tiger fully restored on a pedestal at Lawson Creek Park. It will be a constant reminder of the affection and appreciation New Bernians have for members of our Armed Services.

Visit my Website

Follow us on Facebook

Thanks to All - Tryon Palace Survives

Democracy can work. When the NC budget crisis threatened to close Tryon Palace and the NC History Center  the citizens of the area and state went into action.

The Palace Restoration has been an engine for tourism that has created a demand for retirement properties in our area. The efforts of the community leaders for the last 40 years created a town superior to other small towns in the region. All of that progress would have been jeopardized if the proposed budget had passed unchanged.

The community went to work to influence the General Assembly. Mr. Bob Mattocks, members of the Tryon Palace Commission, Commissioner Tyson, Rep. Sanderson, and Sen. Preston all worked tirelessly. Swiss Bear, the Chamber and the Downtown Merchants collected petitions. Tom Ballance and others made trips to Raleigh to continue the lobbying efforts.

We extend our thanks to all of the above. Their efforts led to hundreds of our citizens responding with letters, emails, phone calls and posting on various social network sites. The Legislators responded to an outpouring of public support.

The Tryon Palace Commission will have a tough task to realign their efforts within the budget provided. Some of it will be painful but I am confident they can continue to provide the educational experience to our citizens and visitors. I am sure that we will be less likely to take for granted this tremendous cultural resource in the future.

Thanks to all who participated in this cause.

Visit the Fund the NC History Center Facebook Page
Visit my Website

Swimming with the Mullets

You hear of people swimming with the dolphins. You have to travel to exotic places and pay the porpoise's trainers big bucks to commune with the aquatic mammals. I found an economic substitute right here in Craven County.

We live in a townhouse on the Neuse and our POA pool has not been opened yet. We are still waiting for the Health Department to inspect and let us open. I really wanted to swim and didn't feel like driving to the Y. So I decided to hit the river. At the Y you have to  swim a lot of laps to swim any distance. In the river I swam one lap. A quarter of mile out and a quarter of a mile back. On the return trip I swam through a school of mullets. I actually hit one with my right hand. As I was swimming they were jumping around me. So if you feel the need to swim with water bound animals just go jump in the river.

My lap pool

Visit my Website
Follow us on Facebook

Don't fly a dead bear!

I hang out with a bunch of guys who know how to properly display a flag. We have a Master Gunnery Sergeant, Master Chief Petty Officer, a couple of Sergent Majors, and a Chief Master Sergeant. If you display "Old Glory" improperly you will definitely hear about it. Any one of those guys are likely to pull out a "Flag Manual" out of his back pocket. Some of these guys have flown on Marine One or served as crew chief on Fat Albert with the Blue Angels.  You can't find a more patriotic group.

I am not sure that anyone has taken that zeal and applied to our City flags. I am not sure there is a manual for the red, yellow and black. My wife dislikes the display when the Bear is lying on his back. I think it shows the Bear in distress. I told her that I would blog about it if she would take some photos. I hope others will join our crusade to keep our Bear climbing upward and onward. Please forward this blog to folks that have pride in our City.

Proper Display

Dead Bear Display

Proper Bear on a Banner

Fly the Bear. Keep him travelling upward and onward. Please no dead Bears.