Colourful Property Owner Profiles from Hawaii
Why Bernice Abraham and Ralph Dobson chose New Bern?
We have two sons and triplet grand children living in New Bern. We visited for their graduation two years ago. It was the first time Ralph had been to NC; Bernice had lived in NC several times during her late husband’s career in the Marines. The history and the small coastal town atmosphere are very attractive.
Ralph’s sister-in-law had a Magazine featuring the 10 Best Places to Retire. New Bern was included. We had been living in Hawaii for over 30 years and even Paradise can become stale, The same old boring weather, 85 and sunny with 10 mph trade winds with beautiful sandy beaches. After the death of my husband in 1993, and parents in 2007, I felt the need to relocate back to my family. We wanted to go through the four seasons again but winter was not on our favorites list. After living in Chicago for 13 years, Ralph had enough of snow and below zero temperatures. New Bern’s temperate winter was appealing.
Why Bernice and Ralph chose Carolina Colours?
While here for the graduation, our son drove us through Carolina Colours. We both thought it was a great location. Ralph was born in Liverpool, England and loved the Carolina Colours countryside, as it reminded him of old Blighty. When #1 son decided to also move to New Bern from Hawaii. It made sense for us to move closer to family and say “Aloha” to Hawaii.
We remembered Carolina Colours and googled to find more information. The website was very helpful and we were very interested to learn more. Hawaii traffic has gotten really bad with commutes that can last 2 hours if there is an accident. The number of homeless is growing and in some locations they have taken over the beaches with huge tent cities. The changes in the last 30 years are not all welcomed.
A phone call to Carolina Colours put us in touch with Joyce Costello. Joyce was very helpful with deciding where in Carolina Colours our needs would best be met. Our home in Hawaii has a magnificent view of the Koolau Mountains and Kaneohe Bay. We wanted a location in Carolina Colours with a water view. In November 2007, we made a trip to New Bern and chose a home site with a great view of Indigo Lake. In February 2009, Scheper & Associates began construction on our home. By July it was ready for us. We are very happy here, love the community and our new home. The tranquil setting, our home’s outstanding craftsmanship and perfect floor plan, all make our home, as Bernice’s son said, “Beyond fantastic!”
Additional Interesting Info About Bernice and Ralph
Bernice is an artist, working in oils and watercolors. She retired from the Honolulu Academy of Arts as assistant curator. Her late husband retired as a Colonel from the USMC. Sadly he passed away in 1993 as a result of the effects of Agent Orange during his five tours to Vietnam. She moved 27 times in 26 years with the Corps, has always loved North Carolina and is happy to reset roots in New Bern. She graduated from ECU and obtained a Masters from the University of Hawaii. Bernice has completed 8 Honolulu Marathons and many other shorter races. Both Bernice and Ralph love to travel. “Living in NC puts us a day closer to Europe and easy access to the many points of interest on the mainland.”
Ralph retired from Hawaiian Electric Company as an Energy Efficiency expert. He was born in Liverpool and immigrated to Chicago in 1957. After a Christmas trip to Hawaii, he was greeted in Chicago by 13” of snow and a 30 below chill factor. Later that year, he moved to Hawaii. He took up the sports of Triathlon following a couple of Honolulu Marathons. Last year he completed the Ironman World Championships at Kona, Hawaii on October 13th. He enjoys swimming, running and cycling. Ralph appreciates the lighter traffic around New Bern. Ralph became a licensed Massage Therapist in Hawaii in 1992 and will obtain a NC massage license after passing the NC State exam. He looks forward to serving the Carolina Colours Community in that capacity.