Back Home Again

Hi. This is Philip again, back on the island later than I'd originally planned. I spent nearly two weeks in Indiana visiting my friend Lou Ann. You may have met her this past summer, helping out at the Village Craftsmen counter. I met her several years ago when she came to the island to participate in one of Donald Davis' summer storytelling workshops (Lou Ann is a delightful teller of tales). She's looking forward to being back on Ocracoke this summer, and in time for the Ocrafolk Music & Storytelling Festival. We had a wonderful (though cold and snowy) visit. Lou Ann was one of the star performers in Fort Wayne's version of "The Vagina Monologues," a theater production designed to raise awareness and funds to help combat abuse of women.

On the way home I stopped in the mountains to visit with my son, Stefen, and his family. It's always a treat to see Stefen and his wife, Snee, and my three off-island grandchildren (Zoe, Eakin, & Eliza). At their request I spent much of one evening sharing many traditional Ocracoke Island ghost stories. The children especially liked the one about the disembodied "ghostly heads" that float down the hallway of the old James Henry Garrish house. The creepy story of Alice O'Neal, who was buried alive and turned over in her grave, was a hit also. I think they slept OK that night. At least I did.

Then I went to Cary, NC to catch one of Molasses Creek's off-island shows. The Sixth String Cafe & Music Hall was packed with enthusiastic listeners as the band gave a stellar performance. It was good to see family & friends, but especially wonderful to see my other grandchild, Lachlan. He's an accomplished crawler now, and seems just about ready to walk! His smile is simply infectious.

Many thanks to Jude who posted several journal entries while I was gone. There were numerous computer and internet access problems in the last two weeks, so some of her messages, unfortunately, were lost. Maybe she'll write again now and then. We hope the computer issues have now been corrected.

Well, I'm going to sort through my mail, check my emails, listen to my answering machine messages, and settle down with my latest book, Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." I'll keep you posted of any island news tomorrow (if there's anything to report).