Frank

Yesterday we had a quiet, and very satisfying, birthday celebration. My brother came down to the island and the whole family went to the Flying Melon for lunch. At 4 in the afternoon we shared cake and creme puffs (thanks to David and Amy), then Lou Ann, Bud, and I headed to the Back Porch for dinner (I highly recommend the Bourbon Pecan Chicken).

After dinner we walked to Deepwater Theater to catch a Molasses Creek performance. We arrived very early (it was barely 7 o'clock). One young man was already there, sitting on the deck reading the latest Harry Potter novel. He explained that last year he came too late, the performance was sold out, and he missed the show. He was taking no chances.

We were wanting to go back home for a while, so I explained that we didn't want to miss the show either, and asked the young man if he would purchase three tickets for us. He agreed, and I handed him $45.00. As I walked away I thought, "Where else but Ocracoke would I talk with a total stranger for five minutes and then hand him $45.00, and fully expect to get my tickets when I came back?"

Sure enough, when we returned he handed me the three tickets......and $30.00. "What is this about?" I asked. "You gave me $75.00," he said. "This is your change." It turns out that I had handed him a five, a twenty, and a fifty; not a five and two twenties. I thanked him and we took our seats.

After the show I stopped him and his family to tell them how fun it was to watch them enjoying the music and stories (the show was fabulous, and these folks were so animated....laughing and smiling and singing along). And then I told his parents about his honesty and that they had obviously "taught him right." "Look for the story on my journal," I told them.

So today's post is a tribute to Frank and his family, wonderful island visitors -- the kind of folks who make you feel good just to be around them. Come back and visit often!

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.