Sunday, March 25, 2012

A Diplomatic Answer

About 40 years ago the National Park Service was having problems maintaining the fence around the pony pen. Every now and then one or more of the ponies would find a way out and wander away. It was not unusual for the renegade ponies to trot over near the surf, where it was breezier, to get away from the biting flies. Inevitably they would leave "souvenirs" on the beach.

A visitor to the island stumbled across one of the horse's droppings and picked it up. She carried it to the chief ranger and asked him to identify the unusual object she had found. Ranger David looked at what the woman held in her hand, gave her a quizzical look, thought for a moment, then, with as serious a demeanor as he could muster, replied, "Ma'am, that is quite unusual. Its identity may remain a mystery. All I can say is that in all of my years as a ranger I have never picked one of those up."

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Rondthalers of Ocracoke Island. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032112.htm.

5 comments:

  1. Great little story. It's amazing how some people can be so oblivious to the truth.

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  2. Anonymous12:47 PM

    Off topic question ... when a hurricane is coming, does anyone bring a large shipment of plywood to Ocracoke or do the residents have to order it themselves? Is the plywood ever saved from year to year or do you have to buy new each time?

    Thanks, Jackie

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  3. Jackie, most people who will be boarding up windows for a hurricane have planned ahead, and have the plywood at hand. No one brings in large shipments of plywood as a hurricane is approaching. Plywood is expensive, so I think anyone who has made temporary shutters would store it for the next storm.

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  4. Anonymous4:39 PM

    Dingbatter!

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  5. Anonymous5:47 PM

    Perhaps this person had never seen the ocean before and well thought it could have been well, who knows what. Next time someone spots the same thing on the beach-- e-mail a picture to P.H. and he can post it and we can decide if it looks any different and then determine why it was such a mystery

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