Wooden Hat

We get a lot of interesting folks passing through Ocracoke. One long-time customer went to high school with Fidel Castro. Two young women visited several years ago from the island of Mauritius. (If you have to look on a globe to know exactly where this is you're not alone.) Some years ago an older gentleman sat on the front porch and entertained us with songs he played on the saw. The former Governor of NC, Jim Hunt, stopped by two years ago.

We have a smattering of odd folks too, now and then -- the spider lady, the blanket man, the car lady (don't even ask about these folks).

And then there was the young man who lived here for a few years who could play the William Tell Overture on his teeth.

Several days ago a gentleman walked into the gallery wearing a wooden hat. That's right, a wooden hat. He carved it from a block of laminated wood. It was nicked in a couple of places. We asked him how that happened. "I was on this horse," he said, "and it bucked. I went over the horse's head and got my boots caught in the stirrups. I yelled. That's when the store manager came out and pulled the plug."

Anyway, here's a photo of Henry Barkley from New Castle, PA. Hats off to Henry!























You can read our latest newsletter here. It's the story of the Community Store and other general stores on the island..