Sunday, September 21, 2008

Bill's Bike

The sign in my driveway said "Free Stuff, Take Anything You Want." Bill Jones came by to chat. We were sitting on the back porch when we heard a pickup truck stop, and then heard a tailgate open and close. The vehicle hadn't been gone more than a minute when we walked out front to discover that Bill's bike had disappeared.

Bill admits that he shouldn't have parked his bike next to the Give-Away sign. But he would like his bicycle back. He has searched the village, and hasn't been able to locate the bike. If any of our readers knows where his bike is please let me know (252-928-5541). It has the letters HINC and duct tape with "Lida Jones" on the bar.

I told Bill that the whole thing was worth it just for the story that we can tell for years. He reluctantly agreed, but he isn't as amused as the rest of us!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the wreck of the Victoria S, and Ocracoke's first automobile accident. You can read it here.

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:55 PM

    Surely the bike will be found!!!

    Maybe someone took it as a joke. It is not like your house is on the beaten path.

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  2. Anonymous5:58 PM

    Phillip, that is too funny! One of those 1 in a million things...hope Bill has his bike returned, however. Thanks for sharing. It made me smile today.

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  3. Actually it is not one in a million. I live in a very small northern town in Indiana. In the spring we have trash clean up week and everything we put out at the curb is fair game, with or without a sign.

    When my little grandsons visit, I put my Jeep at the end of the driveway as a barrier for their bikes. It was, however, an evening I was giving a dinner party, and put my great bike out instead. I parked it at the end of the driveway and felt safe as they biked around!

    It wasn't until a few hours later when I realized guests had parked in my driveway that I realized my bike was gone. At first I was sure someone had stolen it...but this is a small, safe town so I just couldn't imagine. Then it dawned on me that on trash clean up week, everything at the end of the driveway is up for grabs.

    Someone in northern Indiana got a great bike...and I got a story to tell!!

    Lou Ann

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  4. Anonymous10:08 AM

    Philip - thanks for sharing the saga of Bill's bike. please let us know if he gets it back. Sherrill

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  5. This reminds me of a time several years ago when we first started having the "Highway 46 Yard Sale". Basically, there is a yard sale at almost every house, church, or business along Highway 46 from the Georgia state line about 20 miles to Heflin, Alabama. My mother was so excited about this and started out on her bargain finding journey. She stopped at one house and went into their packed garage and started looking around. Soon the door opened and a lady asked if she could help mother. Mom just said "No, I'm just browsing." The the nice lady politely told my mother that she wasn't actually participating in the yard sale event. She had just been outside to feed her cats and forgot to close her garage door when she came back into the house. My mother was so embarassed for "invading" this lady's garage. Since then, I always think of this story when I see a Garage Sale sign!

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  6. Anonymous3:02 PM

    Philip Went to your free table and got pieces of Berlin Wall (real neat) and also the Tomi Tomi lever. What is it? I tried to Google it but no results. Also my jeep was gone through Friday night. Maybe we had some crooks on the Island?

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  7. The lever (if I remember correctly, it's called a Lomi, Lomi Lever) is great for massaging your own back. Try it!

    By the way, I chipped those pieces of the Berlin Wall myself in 1989.

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  8. Anonymous7:28 PM

    “Can I have your autograph”

    Sorry to hear about Bill’s bike, but this doesn’t pertain to that.
    Looks like the above quote, might be something you start hearing.

    Received the latest issue of Our State magazine today and was excited to see the article about the Ocrafolk school and a photo of some friends around the campfire. Guess I’ll have to bring the issue to Ocracoke in a few months to get autographs!!!!

    Nollie
    Mtns. of NC

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  9. Anonymous8:24 PM

    Too funny about Bill's Bike (sorry to say, Bill). Just the heading of your entry alone has the ring of one of your annual postings regarding this-or-that historical Ocracoke event. All that's missing is a preface: The Legend of. I can already envision this tale intertwining with other local lore: "Blackbeard's headless body was thrown overboard and is said to have ridden Bill's Bike seven times around his ship before sinking to Davy Jones' Locker." In return for inadvertently donating his bike to Ocracoke posterity, perhaps proceeds from a 50-50 raffle at the next community event might be donated toward the cost of a new bike for Bill. What a gem of a tale. Thanks for the chuckle.

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  10. Anonymous1:34 PM

    Bill Jones is that his real name? I want to know is this fellow retired does he misplace his car keys frequently Is he a city employee? Did he report the missing bike to the insurance company. Can I buy the television rights to your blog because it sounds like one heck of a situation comedy. This is what this country needs a tv show that will make us laugh till we cry to take our minds off of the plumeting stock values and the 488 billion dollar pentagon budget bill slowly working its way through congress and growing will earmarks hourly

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