Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Basketballs

Yesterday evening after dinner I watched Lachlan again for a couple of hours (Amy was working & David had a meeting). We sat on my pizer and looked at the sliver of moon hanging above our heads. We tarried for quite a while as one star and then another peeked through the advancing darkness. After an afternoon of running, squealing, & laughing, Lachlan had mellowed out and just sat quietly as we talked and contemplated our world.

As 9 o'clock approached we walked down Howard Street and through the school yard, toward the Back Porch restaurant where Mama was working. As we crossed the outdoor basketball court I noticed two basketballs lying on the ground. No one was around. The balls were just left there by some of the young people. It wasn't neglect. It was intentional. That way whoever showed up next would have basketballs to play with.

I was heartened to see that another island tradition survives. No one was worrying that someone would steal the balls. Community and sharing, two values that make Ocracoke special, continue to be passed on to our youth.

You can read our latest newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news041506.htm. It's the story of Old Kade.

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1 comment:

  1. Hi Philip and everyone else!
    It has been a while :)
    I had a thought about Ocracoke tonight and it encouraged me to drop by here and see how things are going. Nice to remember familiar names and places! Good to know that the atmosphere of the Island is still teh same as I remember :)
    Greetings from sunny Brussels, where I'm settled at the moment.
    Hugs to everyone!

    Vija, Lithuania/Belgium

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