Three Potlucks in Four Days

That's right. Three potluck dinners in four days. It must be Ocracoke!

Tonight at 5 pm a bunch of folks will gather at the Community Center to bid farewell to Russ. Russ has worked here on the island for several years (and I still don't know his last name...but no matter, everyone knows who I mean when I say Russ). He sometimes can be found bartending at the Back Porch Restaurant, but mostly he works at the Youth Center with the young folks. I know he will be missed. I heard he is headed to Arizona. See ya soon, Russ.

Tomorrow night there is NO potluck (that I know of), but Tuesday evening is the annual Ocracoke Preservation Society Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner. The speaker will be Kevin Dufuss, who will be sharing information from his latest book The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate. Can't wait! I'll share more about that in a few days.

Then on Wednesday I have been invited to a pot luck dinner at a friend's house. Just think, three of four days, and I don't have to even think about cooking supper (except I will make my signature deviled eggs).

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

Saturday, Early Afternoon

It has been so difficult to get any inside work done lately. It must be close to 70 degrees, with bright, sunny skies right now. Neighbors are strolling down the lane with their dogs, or stopping to sit on the steps and chat. Lachlan is running around tossing water balloons. Molly is taking a fiddle lesson from David, and the music is wafting across the yard.

It is just too nice to sit here at the computer and type a blog, so I'll bid you adieu, and go back outside to enjoy the day.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

Who'da Guessed?

Jude here. Last evening when Frank and I were getting in the truck in front of the Hemp Shop which is next door to Village Craftsmen, Woody Billings and his friend Terry ( hope that's the correct spelling) and her beautiful dog with a french name I can't remember stopped us. Woody said , "Jude how come there wasn't a blog today?" Well you could have knocked me over. As I sputtered an excuse I realized that quite a few folks must read our blog, even here on the island. That is neater than you know what... It feels so great having a connection with people who love the island. I'm a very down to earth person, much more so than Philip I believe. I have animals, I garden, I have a scotch every evening when I get home and I weep at sad things. Philip is much more sophisticated but we both have stories to tell. Right now I'd like to tell you that Jaren has been working sooooo hard on our website and is doing a great job. We have a lot of wonderful new things that I have found for the shop and she is getting them on the website as fast as she can. So have a look at the site and be sure and come in when you're here. Life is good, life is exciting. Have a great weekend!

Anniversary and other things......

Today, May 14th marks the umpteenth anniversary of my moving to Ocracoke many years ago. I came on my own but soon our sons Matty and Travis and finally Frank, my husband, followed. I told them, guys, I have found HOME! And indeed it has been a good one with great neighbors , save one or two. Living on Ocracoke is not easy and not for everyone but for the few of us it's close to heaven. It's hard to believe the years have gone so quickly...whew what a reality check. Later today our first summer employee arrives from Vermont. Her name is Ally or Allie ( not sure ) and her Mom and I have been friends for years. She'll live in the famous Gypsy Wagon out back of the shop and so her "Ocracoke Odyssey" will begin. Philip and Jaren and I spent some time yesterday making the wagon "homey" and welcoming. Today I'll pick a bouquet of roses and jasmine to put on her table and maybe take her out to dinner after her long journey. It'll be good to have her here.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

Fall in May

The temperature has dropped twenty degrees...and it's windy. It sure feels like fall. But we all know it's just temporary. Unfortunately, one of my jobs for today is to power wash the outside shower behind the Village Craftsmen. I'm not looking forward to it, but we have a new summer employee coming tomorrow, and I want to clean things up around here.

We apologize for not posting these last several days. As Jude mentioned last week, we've been very busy. Among the many things going on was the annual Memorial in honor of all of the men and women who were killed protecting our shores in WWII, and especially the crew of the HMT Bedfordshire that was sunk offshore on May 11, 1942. As many of our readers know, four of these sailors are buried on Ocracoke in the British Cemetery. The Memorial is always a moving experience.


Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

A Quick Thank You

Philip and I have been very busy today with projects we just can't put off any longer. I'm sure you all have some of those too. They're the kind that , when finally done, make you feel so darn good. We'd like to thank those who take the time to comment on our blog. We don't always have time to answer but we do read them. As far as the election results, we respect everyone's opinion and therefore will express none of our own. As far as ANY of the candidates
being Ocracoke kind of people? Not so much. Storm comin', gotta run.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

Election Results

Just thought many of our readers would be interested in knowing how the Ocracoke Democratic Primary turned out:

Hillary Clinton won with 143 votes. Barack Obama had 133.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.