Etymology

This name of this blog is taken from the song “Floridays” by Jimmy Buffett.  The first two stanzas are:

I come from where the rivers meet the sea
That’s part of why I’m so wild and fancy free
I was early in the crazy ways
My folks said, “It’s just a phase”
They were hoping for better days.

Now in my line of work I seem to see a lot more than most
Write ‘em down, pass ‘em around
It’s the gospel from the coast
Reflections, not just replays
Takin’ time to escape the maze
Lookin’ for better days.

Buffett released this song on the Floridays album in 1986.  I got a copy not long thereafter.  Along with many of his songs from the late eighties, this one is a bit subdued if not wistful.  Still it speaks to me.

As the name suggests, this blog will focus on the physical space where the river meets the sea.  Since I live in Wilmington, NC, my blog will particularly emphasize the place where the Cape Fear River empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

My secondary emphasis will be on Mobile Bay, the place about which the song “Floridays” is written.  Notice the subtle grammatical distinction: in Mobile Bay (and therefore in the song), the rivers (plural) meet the sea whereas in Wilmington (and thus in the title of this blog) the river (singular) meets the sea.  In Mobile, five rivers empty into the top of Mobile Bay.  The Bay is around 40 miles from north to south, and the mouth of the bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s the largest bay on the Gulf Coast and second only to the Chesapeake in the U.S.  Mobile Bay is a lot like Pamlico Sound in N.C. because several different rivers empty into Pamlico Sound some thirty or forty miles from where the Sound opens into the Atlantic Ocean.  By contrast, the Cape Fear River empties directly into the Atlantic Ocean through a very pronounced mouth about a mile from Southport, N.C.

This blog will explore these two estuarine regions where the river meets the sea, however gradually.  In addition to the Cape Fear region and Mobile Bay, I will share interesting stories and facts about other coastal areas, especially in the Carolinas and near Mobile.  My posts will chronicle the physical characteristics of the land and the water as well as the abundant plant and animal life.  I’ll also document the human culture of this region, from the amazing cuisine to the colorful history to the superb cultural arts—writing, music, visual arts, and more.  I sometimes may meander from these themes like the lazy river doth roam, but just as the moon and the tides, I shall return to where I began.