True friends are one of life’s real treasures and my daughter Katy is lucky enough to have such a friend in her former colleague Courtney. Courtney herself is lucky enough to be raising her children in her hometown of New Bern, an idyllic river community in Craven County that could be straight out of a Nicholas Sparks novel. It’s a place where you can sit in your backyard taking in a view of the Trent River, a place where water play is part of kids’ daily routines, and a place where there’s no better way to get to the country club than by hopping on the back of a boat. No wonder New Bern is reminiscent of a Nicholas Sparks novel – Courtney pointed out the author’s house to us as her husband steered us down the river and we took in the sights and sounds of a lazy summer day on the Trent with friends.

July 25, 2021, County #48 – Craven