Posted on by Robert N. Nielsen, Jr.

WIGS!

One thing I enjoy about living in North Carolina is that “Wine In Grocery Stores” (WIGS) is legal.

While I frequently get boxes of wine at Publix or Food Lion, I recently fell in love with the boxes that are available at the new Aldi on MLK Boulevard. The Winking Owl Red Blend from California is very drinkable. And it costs less than $11 per box!

Aldi also offers a Wine Advent Calendar filled with 24 187.5ml bottles. I picked up my Calendar yesterday. I’ll post an update on how I liked it after Christmas.

Update: The Calendar was fun! It contained some lesser-known wines (like Carignan or Colombard) along with more-common wines from countries like Chile, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The 2 sparkling and 22 still wines all tasted good to very good.

Posted on by Robert N. Nielsen, Jr.

SkySail Rocks

Why would you want to live at SkySail like I do?

Location. Location. Location.

Our 121-unit condominium is located in the heart of downtown New Bern at 101 Middle Street.

Our neighbors include the North Carolina History Center, the Farmer’s Market, Blackbeard’s Triple Play Restaurant (live rock most weekends), the DoubleTree (temporarily closed), the River Walk, and the New Bern Grand Marina on the Trent River.

Within easy walking distance are many other historic sites, parks, shops and restaurants. You can learn lots more here.

Along with our premier location, SkySail offers carefree living compared to owning a traditional home. There are no lawns to mow, no leaves to blow, and no trash/recycling cans to put out. We are very ably managed by Bobby Ipock who works for CAMS out of Morehead City.

SkySail is also quite affordable. Our monthly maintenance fees range from about $174 to $405 depending on your unit’s size. I pay $204. My property taxes, broadband and electric utility fees are also very reasonable compared to what I paid up North.

Questions about SkySail? Please contact me.

Posted on by Robert N. Nielsen, Jr.

What’s New Bern Like?

New Bern is a tough, fun and historic place.

It’s tough because it has bounced back nicely after it took quite a hit from Hurricane Florence in September 2018.

It’s fun because it has a vibrant arts and dining scene.

And it’s historic because it was the Colonial Capital of North Carolina.

New Bern is located at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers not far from the Atlantic Ocean in Eastern North Carolina.

It’s the largest city in Craven County with about 30,000 residents.

Major nearby employers include a Marine Corps Air Station, Bosch and Moen plants, International Paper mill, Carolina East Medical System, Craven Community College, Craven County Schools and local governments.

And it’s very friendly to retirees like me.