Ocracoke & the Internet

As regular readers know, I prefer to shop locally. I buy almost all of my books from Leslie at Books to be Red on School Road. I almost never go off the island to do grocery shopping, preferring to trade here at home. I purchase Frank's "Andromeda Soaps" right here at Village Craftsmen. And I make lists (like nearly everyone else on the island), so that when I do go away I can stop "up the beach" as we say, and stock up on things that I can't get on the island.

But every now and then I need something that I can't get locally. That's when the internet sure comes in handy. I just received a used book (published in 1957) in the mail yesterday. It cost all of 21 cents (a bit more for postage!), but it had one section entitled The Greatest Tobacco Chewer on Ocracoke Island. I couldn't resist. And today I ordered a small tankless water heater to replace our leaking heater at Village Craftsmen. And I'm looking on line for a ceiling fan for my back porch -- one designed for damp or wet conditions.

Sometimes the modern world impinges on island life, and it's not always such a bad thing. Nevertheless, we're still skeptical of many things "of the mainland." It's all a matter of balance, I guess.

This month's newsletter discusses the planned replacement of the seven bridges on Ocracoke Island in early 2008, and explains some of the issues we will face. You can read it here.