Osyters & Stars

If you don't live along the coast you may never have experienced the delights of an oyster roast. I understand that the Ocracoke Working Watermen are planning a community oyster roast on Tuesday December 29. If possible, be sure to be there!

Last night I was invited to join a few friends for an oyster dinner. This is how it works. The table is covered with newspapers. There are no plates, just bowls of homemade sauce...and the only utensils are oyster knives. Packages of saltine crackers are placed on the table; plastic buckets rest on the floor. Then the oysters are brought from the oven in metal trays. They are just barely open, "grinning" as they say. All you need to do then is shuck the oysters, dip them in sauce, place them on your crackers, and savor! Oh yes, just drop the empty shells in the bucket.

When you've had you fill, clean up is easy. Roll up the newspapers, dump the shells in the sandy driveway, and wash the bowls and knives. Of course, you might just want to slide under the table first!

Back home, I crawled into bed about 10:30. Just before midnight I was awakened by a phone call. "I'm so sorry if I woke you up," Lida said. "But you need to go outside and look at the sky. The shooting stars are beautiful."

So I got out of bed and walked out into my front yard. It was so dark, and the sky was so clear. The Milky Way stretched across the heavens, surrounded by a myriad of stars. In just a few seconds I saw my first shooting star. Lida was right. Every minute, on average, a bright light streaked across the sky. What a great way to end the day!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter discusses place names on Ocracoke. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news113009.htm.

Martha Hayes has been displaying her pottery at Village Craftsmen for many years. Click on the image below to see an assortment of her wares.