More Questions & Answers (re. Medical Issues & Turtles)

Many thanks to all of our readers who have written wishing Lou Ann a speedy recovery. She is slowly adjusting to her limited mobility as the pain gradually decreases.

Readers have asked several questions lately that I am happy to answer:

• Are babies born on Ocracoke Island? It's been a number of years since a baby was born on the island. Women generally leave the island a week or so before their due date and stay near a hospital with family or friends. Sometimes they have to leave in a hurry (it's amazing how quickly the ferries can cross Hatteras Inlet when they're carrying a woman in labor!).
  
• Are emergency medical care needs being met on OI? Absolutely! We have a well trained and dedicated staff of EMTs. Of course, because we are not near a hospital there are certain procedures that must wait (for access to sophisticated equipment or trained medical experts).
  
• Can prescriptions be filled by mail order? Many can. Ocracoke Island has a dispensary (where they can dispense certain medicines prescribed at the clinic), but not a pharmacy. Several pharmacies on the northern Outer Banks will mail prescriptions to Ocracoke.
  
• What is meant by the term "false crawl"? A false crawl occurs when a sea turtle crawls up on the beach during the night looking for a suitable nesting site, but then turns back to the ocean without laying any eggs. She may do this more than once, especially if she is startled (by a human or other animal), or is distracted by noise or lights.
  

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

Broken Bones...and a Hacker!

What a time we've had. Tuesday was Lou Ann's "volunteer day." She went out with the Park Service before dawn to help monitor turtle crawls on the beach. There were two false crawls, but no nests or eggs. In the afternoon she opened the lighthouse so visitors could step inside and hear stories about the structure, the keepers, their families, and the island. After supper she walked to the Fire Hall to help out at Bingo.

On the way home, about 10 pm, she tripped going up the steps at the schoolhouse. Gail, our health provider at the clinic, knew right away that Lou Ann had broken one or more bones. So, after immobilizing her wrist and arm (and an injection of heavy-duty pain medication), we headed for the ferry. The ferry personnel were waiting for us, and we left on the midnight boat. It was nearly 2 a.m. when we arrived at the hospital in Nags Head. The doctor and staff there were wonderful. (Lou Ann told them we were there because we were having a baby! I guess the pain meds were giving her an extra dose of humor.)

After more drugs and x-rays Dr. Nicole (I never heard her last name) set the bones (Lou Ann had broken her radius and ulna, near the wrist), and put on a splint (it seems more like a cast to me). After this ordeal the x-rays looked great.

We left the hospital about 6:30 in the morning, and arrived back home about 10.

By evening Lou Ann was ready to sell tickets and perform at the Wednesday night Opry! (If you see her out and about, please remind her to take her pain meds!)

Late yesterday afternoon (when we were trying to get some needed rest) I learned that a hacker had replaced our Village Craftsmen home page with a Turkish political rant. I couldn't deal with it then, but I came over to the office early this morning and got our web site back up and running as it's intended. I changed passwords and added some extra security, so I'm hoping it won't happen again.

Anyway...I hope our readers will understand why I didn't post anything on our journal yesterday, or earlier today!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

Lighthouse Repairs

This summer volunteers (including Lou Ann) have been opening the base of the Ocracoke Lighthouse two hours every day (1 pm - 3 pm) to allow visitors a glimpse into the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. Although the public is not allowed to climb to the top (mainly for safety and maintenance reasons -- the structure was designed to accommodate a single lighthouse keeper, not the general public; and many structural members are rusty and deteriorating) visitors can peer up to the top, take photos, and learn some of the beacon's history from the volunteers.

Beginning sometime early next month the lighthouse will be closed for much needed interior maintenance. The metalwork on the spiral steps will be restored, the walls and cast iron supports will be painted, and new lightning protection will be installed. As part of the restoration work the light in the 4th order Fresnel lens will be extinguished sometime soon, and the lighthouse will remain dark for about two months. The light is still considered an aid to navigation, and the US Coast Guard, which maintains the beacon, has issued a notice to mariners.

So, if the light in the lighthouse is not operating when you visit the island, please understand that the situation is only temporary, and our beloved lighthouse will be fully functioning again, and in better repair, soon.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

Answers

A reader posted a comment on yesterday's journal asking two questions. The first asked about our new island radio station. Information about the station (including a link to listen on the web) is available here: http://www.wovv.org/

The second question asked about how our beach changes from day to day. The reader mentioned that some beach communities "groom" portions of shoreline to create people-friendly areas. As he or she guessed, no such intervention is done on Ocracoke. Generally speaking, however, Ocracoke beach (and not just the lifeguard area) is very people-friendly. We can have small, gently rolling waves, or more powerful (great for body-surfing) rollers, but typically the seafloor slopes gradually, making it ideal for families and very care-free swimming. Sometimes, of course, sand bars form, and there might be a deeper trough between the beach and the outer bar where the largest breakers meet their first obstacles. Once in a while a pool of water (maybe three feet deep or so) will get trapped higher up on the beach after exceptionally high tides.

There are reasons for caution however. Ocean swimming is very different from pool swimming, and everyone (parents especially) should never be complacent. Currents change frequently, and rip currents can form unexpectedly. They pose the greatest threat to beach goers. Information about rip currents (how they form, how to recognize them, and what to do if you're caught in one) is available here: http://www.eenaproject.com/. The ocean is powerful and deserves your full respect!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

Sunday

This is a good day to curl up with a good book. I think it's going to be a tad warmer than yesterday, but it's only in the upper 70s right now. And the sky is overcast. Weekends (contrary to what many people think) are the slowest days on Ocracoke. Saturdays and Sundays are change-over days for most cottages, both here and farther up the Banks. So the village is generally quieter on weekends. Sundays are good days for islanders to relax a little, maybe go to the beach, bike around the village, sit a spell on the Community Store porch, or just stay home and read. I might do it all!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

Women's Arm Wrestling

This is a belated post, but I wanted to say a few words about an island event that was the talk of the village a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I missed the Ocracoke Island Women's Arm Wrestling Competition (it was on a Friday evening, so it conflicted with our Ghost & History Walk). Jenny Scarborough organized the event as a benefit for the island's new radio station. By all accounts it was a huge success. People were talking about it everywhere I went. Apparently most of the women showed up in elaborate and creative costumes, and the crowd roared during each competition as if it were a major sporting event. Congratulations are in order to "Carm the Arm" who vanquished all foes!

I certainly hope I'm able to attend next year.

Perhaps some of our readers who witnessed the competition will share a few words about that evening.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.

More About Fireworks Disaster Fund

At this time the principle fund I am aware of to aid the families of the July 4th fireworks disaster is the one I mentioned yesterday. I am not aware of any separate Ocracoke Island fund. Since all proceeds of the following fund will go to the victims' families there is probably no reason to establish another one.

Please send any contributions to:

The Ocracoke Fireworks Disaster Fund
c/o The Lord's Table
P.O.Box 11049
Goldsboro, NC 27532

Our local eastern North Carolina news station continues to post updated information about Saturday's blast and its aftermath. You can read the latest information here:

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/49925577.html

Cool

With windows and doors flung open, and a gentle breeze traipsing through the house, we have been enjoying the near-perfect July weather. Right now it's about 72 degrees, with the forecast calling for temperatures reaching just into the upper 70s later today.

Lou Ann & I are planning on taking Lachlan to the sound for some swimming early this afternoon. I imagine the air will feel a bit cool, but the sun should be shining, and that will make our excursion more than mildly pleasant. It is so rewarding to see the broad smile on Lachlan's face when he's cavorting in the water.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.