Emerald Isle
Homes
An Emerald Isle Experience: A Visit for Vacation
We enter over this bridge to an artificial world,
a fun world, a world of vacation, or maybe “beach week”. In the
relatively upscale (or least for me) Emerald Isle developments, the
roads, gates, and entries are inviting for vacation. Not at all like
where I live! Fancier than I am used to, but in my experience not closed
off or forbidding. Let’s see where this takes us.
These houses are huge, and luxurious beyond my
normal experience of life. The overwhelming feel of luxury or money is
apparent, yet we will live this for a week. It’s nice to experience a
little luxury for a while. Many homes show overt signs of pride and
accomplishment – ordinary people have worked hard and long to attain
their piece of “beach heaven!”
Many of these houses have a somewhat phony
architecture, unfaithfully copying traditional West Indies homes.
Genuine traditional houses would probably not have so many floors; what
happens with hurricanes? Sometimes huge crenellations, imposing
embellishments, and other non-authentic features; they seem unnecessary,
but are somehow fun. The most impressive examples definitely give off a
“McMansion” vibe, but in a non-suburban, beachy, way.
Golf carts seem to be essential in what is
basically a retirement and vacation community. Can we walk anymore?
Ranks of carts appear ready to roll, fly, and go like crazy off to the
mansions. Altogether an exercise in conspicuous consumption and
excessive spending. At least the carts give beach access to the little
ones and those who can’t make it down on foot.
