Tuesday, May 20, 2008

A Modest Proposal

This afternoon we received this comment on our journal re. wireless Internet service on Ocracoke:

"My husband's Cingular/ATT blackberry didn't work last summer. He hopes it will this summer, I do not :)"

I sympathize with the writer, and suggest a modest proposal -- consider leaving your laptop, blackberry, etc. home when you come to Ocracoke. Maybe you can actually survive a week or two without a connection to the Internet. Just a thought. Here are a few suggestions for alternatives to ease the pain:

  • Take a moonlight bike ride around the village
  • Walk on the beach after dark and look for shooting stars
  • Sit on the Community Store porch and chat with natives and visitors
  • Buy a good book or two at Books to be Red
  • Go fishing or clamming
  • Explore the island cemeteries (there are more than 80 of them)
  • Enjoy our island music (at various restaurants and Deepwater Theater)
  • Go on a Ghost & History Walk
  • Try parasailing
  • Learn to surf
  • Visit the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum
  • Check out the National Park Service Visitors Center (there might be some programs scheduled that you'd enjoy)
  • Join in the square dancing at the Community Store (more information on this later)
  • Take a trip to Portsmouth
  • Learn to ride a horse
  • Attend a Porch Talk at the Museum
  • Rent a kayak
  • Check out the bulletin board at the Post Office to see what special events are going on
  • Take a nap
  • Take a cruise on the Schooner Windfall
Maybe some of our readers would like to suggest more activities. Let's hear from you.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2008 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. You can read it here.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:36 PM

    Sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in, or search for that perfect seashell.

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  2. Watch the perfect sunset.
    I've done about 90% of these, but ya know what? They feel different, say..special..when you do them on Ocracoke.

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  3. I got the last deviled egg tonight at the OPS meeting - THANKS PHILIP.

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  4. Anonymous10:29 PM

    First thing I do when the ferry pulls away from the dock, is turn off my cell phone and I leave the laptop at home. It just makes it a more relaxing visit to Ocracoke, and the blood pressure drops. Of course if it's a long visit, I have to turn the cell back on at least once to check messages and guess what the blood pressure usually goes back up during this period.

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  5. Anonymous8:26 AM

    For many of us, being able to communicate with the office is the only thing that will allow us to have an extended vacation. I normally try to work a few hours every morning and then have the rest of the day for Ocracoke. It is not so much that I could not miss a week as the ability to communicate allows me to come to the island more frequently ( 6 visits last year). The way that I figure it is that if I work 3 hours a day that still gives me the whole day to play and I get to come more than once a year

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  6. Anonymous8:50 AM

    Although as I teenager, I totally understand the need to be connected through cell phones and the internet... But it's true... Ocracoke has so much to offer and people should take advantage of it! After being gone for a year, I have a verrry long list of things that I want to do this summer. Instead of reading Philips blog everyday, I will be doing the things that he is talking about! I can't wait! :)

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  7. Philip, you and I are apparently on the same wavelength today. I just posted my annual "rant" blog, and part of it is a list of things to do on Ocracoke. Your list is more comprehensive than mine, though!

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  8. Anonymous7:10 PM

    What a lovely list!! I quite agree that the MOST reasonable thing to do about our cells & laptops is to DISCONNECT.

    However, my work is in healthcare & requires that a certain SOMEONE is always "on call." Thats me & i have AT&T w/ NO service on Ocracoke Village.

    My current thought is getting a Verizon phone w/ the same # & only using it on Ocock b/c its against FCC laws for Verizon to service where i live. Any comments on this quandary????

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  9. Anonymous8:49 PM

    It is a wonderful list. One of my favorite things unfortunately has to be left off this year. That's the family driving to South Point and watching those amazing sunsets, enjoying the evening breezes. We do enjoy a sunset cruise on Windfall every year and love to sail but, it won't quite be the same this year without the Point access.

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