Cycles....

....go 'round and 'round.

Summer may not be over, but Lou Ann's family and work were calling her back to Indiana. She starts back to school tomorrow. I drove her to Norfolk late Friday. Her flight was early on Saturday morning. She didn't want to leave....and I didn't want to see her leave either. We had such a wonderful summer. Didn't get to the beach as much as we would have liked (it is our busy season, of course), but we performed at the Opry, led ghost & history walks, enjoyed birthday parties and pot luck dinners, entered the July 4th parade, entertained family & friends, planted a garden, listened to island music, and sat on the pizer in the moonlight and enjoyed each other's company....and much more.

We're already planning times to get back together....on the island, in the Midwest, and places in between.

On Friday afternoon I went to visit Roy & Elizabeth Parsons. Lou Ann had been there just the day before. Roy is having health problems, and enjoys the visits. Elizabeth asked about Lou Ann. Told me I had a good woman. I agreed. Then she looked me in the eye and said, "She's one of us." It was about the nicest thing she could have said. I agreed again.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Black Squall, a brig loaded with circus animals that wrecked on Ocracoke in April of 1861. You can read it here.