Visitors to Ocracoke often ask about the quality of education on the island. Ocracoke School is the smallest K-12 public school in North Carolina. Nevertheless, island students frequently garner significant academic awards and recognition.
Among this year's graduating class of seven, valedictorian Molly Lovejoy will be attending Emerson College in the fall. She has given me permission to publish her valedictory address as our June Ocracoke Newsletter. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062112.htm.
As you will read, Molly's speech celebrates many of the qualities that make Ocracoke special, and that keep our school and our community vibrant and creative.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
JoKo
A reader of yesterday's blog asked about the artist Jo Ko. This is what she wrote: "I have been looking around this delightful page because it came up in the search I am doing. I recently purchased a pencil sketch of a goat herder which is signed "JoKo". So far I haven't found anything on this artist except a rather disjointed connection to Ocarcoke Island. Could you shed some light on this artist? Was he/she from your area? Thank you for your time."
Joseph and Esther Koch lived in Ohio (Akron if I am not mistaken). They discovered Ocracoke many years ago, sometime after World War II. Joe was an artist, and he made many pencil sketches of Ocracoke village, the beach, and colorful island characters. He signed his drawings "Jo Ko."
Here is one of his drawings of Blackbeard the pirate (available as a postcard from Teach's Hole Pirate Shop):
In the 1960s Joe and Esther purchased property on School Road (where Deepwater Theater and Books to be Red is located today) and on the corner of School Road and Highway 12 (where Spencer's Market is today). Health concerns kept the Kochs away from Ocracoke for the last 25 years or so. Over the years they sold all of their island property. Esther died a number of years ago. Joe died in March of this year, just short of his 105th birthday.
You can read a little more about Jo Ko here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/27093.
By the way, I don't remember ever seeing one of Joe's drawings with a goat in it, but maybe it is not an Ocracoke scene. Or perhaps it is. There were still semi-wild goats roaming on Ocracoke "down below" (on what is now National Park Service property) when Joe first discovered the island.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Joseph and Esther Koch lived in Ohio (Akron if I am not mistaken). They discovered Ocracoke many years ago, sometime after World War II. Joe was an artist, and he made many pencil sketches of Ocracoke village, the beach, and colorful island characters. He signed his drawings "Jo Ko."
Here is one of his drawings of Blackbeard the pirate (available as a postcard from Teach's Hole Pirate Shop):
In the 1960s Joe and Esther purchased property on School Road (where Deepwater Theater and Books to be Red is located today) and on the corner of School Road and Highway 12 (where Spencer's Market is today). Health concerns kept the Kochs away from Ocracoke for the last 25 years or so. Over the years they sold all of their island property. Esther died a number of years ago. Joe died in March of this year, just short of his 105th birthday.
You can read a little more about Jo Ko here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/27093.
By the way, I don't remember ever seeing one of Joe's drawings with a goat in it, but maybe it is not an Ocracoke scene. Or perhaps it is. There were still semi-wild goats roaming on Ocracoke "down below" (on what is now National Park Service property) when Joe first discovered the island.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Coquina Chowder
Yesterday a reader inquired about a recipe for coquina chowder. The following one comes from the "Yellow Cookbook" and was submitted by Ren Dunlap:
"Wash 2 quarts of coquinas, then add 2 c. water and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and save only the liquid. Dice and cook: 1 fair sized potato, 2 carrots, and 1 rib of celery. Fry: 2 strips of bacon (crisp) and 1 sliced onion (medium-sized). Combine everything with a dash of salt and pepper."
If you do an Internet search you will find a number of similar recipes. Most suggest that you discard the meat of the coquina. If I remember correctly, when we made coquina chowder many years ago we extracted the meat and used it in the chowder, but it was a long, arduous task. It was tasty though!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
"Wash 2 quarts of coquinas, then add 2 c. water and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and save only the liquid. Dice and cook: 1 fair sized potato, 2 carrots, and 1 rib of celery. Fry: 2 strips of bacon (crisp) and 1 sliced onion (medium-sized). Combine everything with a dash of salt and pepper."
If you do an Internet search you will find a number of similar recipes. Most suggest that you discard the meat of the coquina. If I remember correctly, when we made coquina chowder many years ago we extracted the meat and used it in the chowder, but it was a long, arduous task. It was tasty though!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Donax Variabilis
The tide washes up onto the beach, then recedes. As I walk along the tide line I see the shore come alive with hundreds of sparkles as tiny clams emerge from the wet sand. Another wave washes across the mollusks and they disappear, only to reappear moments later.
I can't remember when I've noticed so many coquinas, these small colorful bivalves that flourish at the edge of the beach. As I walk a mile along the ocean I must pass many thousands of them, most in clusters, others spread out in a wide pattern.
These clams, coquinas we call them, go by the scientific name Donax Variabilis. Some are yellow, some pink, others blue. Some have concentric designs, others show a sunburst pattern. They are tiny, but tasty. It's been years since I've had the patience to make coquina chowder, but it is just as delicious as traditional clam chowder.
In some parts of the country folks admonish us to stop and smell the roses. If you are on Ocracoke I suggest you stop and admire the coquinas. They are quite a marvel.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
I can't remember when I've noticed so many coquinas, these small colorful bivalves that flourish at the edge of the beach. As I walk a mile along the ocean I must pass many thousands of them, most in clusters, others spread out in a wide pattern.
These clams, coquinas we call them, go by the scientific name Donax Variabilis. Some are yellow, some pink, others blue. Some have concentric designs, others show a sunburst pattern. They are tiny, but tasty. It's been years since I've had the patience to make coquina chowder, but it is just as delicious as traditional clam chowder.
In some parts of the country folks admonish us to stop and smell the roses. If you are on Ocracoke I suggest you stop and admire the coquinas. They are quite a marvel.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Women's Arm Wrestling
On Friday night the Community Square was transformed into a wrestling rink with ample room in the parking lot for fans and spectators as the 4th annual Ocracoke Women's Arm Wrestling Tournament kicked off. If I heard correctly, this is the biggest Women's Arm Wrestling Event in the U.S., maybe in the world! The two referees were absolutely serious about the rules.
Twenty-seven ladies participated, many decked out in elaborate costumes that sent fans whooping and hollering as the evening progressed. Ethlyn Bird made the following photos of several of the contestants:
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This year's winner was Eliza, one of our outstanding summer lifeguards. She's petite...but she put the competition away in a jiffy. I am sorry that I don't have her photo to share. However, you can see her this season on the lifeguard stand.We hope none of our readers will need Eliza's services at the beach, but if you do, you can be assured that she is definitely in shape!
What a fun evening...one more unique event that sets Ocracoke Island apart from the rest of the world!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Twenty-seven ladies participated, many decked out in elaborate costumes that sent fans whooping and hollering as the evening progressed. Ethlyn Bird made the following photos of several of the contestants:
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| Heather as Miss Scarlet O'Terror |
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| Brooke, Winner of Best Costume |
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| Sister with a Bad Habit Chats with another Contestant |
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| Kim wa on "Cloud Nine" |
This year's winner was Eliza, one of our outstanding summer lifeguards. She's petite...but she put the competition away in a jiffy. I am sorry that I don't have her photo to share. However, you can see her this season on the lifeguard stand.We hope none of our readers will need Eliza's services at the beach, but if you do, you can be assured that she is definitely in shape!
What a fun evening...one more unique event that sets Ocracoke Island apart from the rest of the world!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
A Flaw of Wind
It has been windy...yesterday and today. It has been blowing 20 - 30 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph. Of course, strong wind is not uncommon on Ocracoke. In fact, I've written about wind dozens of times on this blog. My post for August 3, 2006 was even titled "A Flaw of Wind."
In case you haven't read that post (or may have forgotten it), a flaw of wind is a sudden gust. The expression, though archaic, is still used on Ocracoke.
Note the following:
"But anon after there arose (against their purpose) a flaw of wind out of the northeast." Acts 27: 14 from the first New Testament published in English, 1525-1526, translated by William Tyndale.
Both the King James Bible and the Revised Standard Version of the Bible replace "flaw of wind" with "a tempestuous wind."
I discovered several other references to this expression, including this quotation from an 1837 publication, Naval History Of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV - Vol I, by William James, page 195:
"Before the Juno's people were all off the yards, a sudden flaw of wind drove the ship astern."
Don't be surprised if you hear an O'cocker talking about a flaw of wind! They're common out here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
In case you haven't read that post (or may have forgotten it), a flaw of wind is a sudden gust. The expression, though archaic, is still used on Ocracoke.
Note the following:
"But anon after there arose (against their purpose) a flaw of wind out of the northeast." Acts 27: 14 from the first New Testament published in English, 1525-1526, translated by William Tyndale.
Both the King James Bible and the Revised Standard Version of the Bible replace "flaw of wind" with "a tempestuous wind."
I discovered several other references to this expression, including this quotation from an 1837 publication, Naval History Of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV - Vol I, by William James, page 195:
"Before the Juno's people were all off the yards, a sudden flaw of wind drove the ship astern."
Don't be surprised if you hear an O'cocker talking about a flaw of wind! They're common out here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Lighthouse Property
This past Sunday I posted a few paragraphs about our lighthouse and the hours it will be open this summer for viewing the interior. Below are a few more interesting facts about the lighthouse.
On April 2, 1930 the lighthouse property on Ocracoke Island consisted of:
This information was quoted by Ellen Fulcher Cloud in her book, Ocracoke Lighthouse, from records in the custody of the Commissioner of the Revenue, in the Department of the Treasury.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
On April 2, 1930 the lighthouse property on Ocracoke Island consisted of:
- 1 Lighthouse.............................$16,050
- 1 Oilhouse.......................................500
- 1 Dwelling....................................5,670
- 1 Dwelling....................................7,000
- 1 Coal Shed.....................................400
- Total...................................$29,620
This information was quoted by Ellen Fulcher Cloud in her book, Ocracoke Lighthouse, from records in the custody of the Commissioner of the Revenue, in the Department of the Treasury.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Fences
One day I may write a Monthly Ocracoke Newsletter article about village fences. But today I will simply quote Barbara Gainey Spencer's paragraph from her 1995 book How Do You Get to the Lighthouse:
"Fences were important when the ponies dashed wild and free up the sandy lanes. They helped themselves to any food they could find. From a garden or through the kitchen window, the aroma of dinner drew a hungry horse's nose to attention. The people fenced themselves in."
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
"Fences were important when the ponies dashed wild and free up the sandy lanes. They helped themselves to any food they could find. From a garden or through the kitchen window, the aroma of dinner drew a hungry horse's nose to attention. The people fenced themselves in."
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Porch Talks
For all of our readers who live on the island, or who are visiting this week:
Ocracoke Preservation Society's summer Porch Talks continue to inform and delight.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 12 at 11:00 am Gene Ballance will share information and stories about OYSTERS ON OCRACOKE.
On Thursday, June 14 Elizabeth Hanrahan will give a presentation on WHITE BIRDS OF OCRACOKE. This is also at 11 am.
Porch Talks are in the back yard of the OPS Museum.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Ocracoke Preservation Society's summer Porch Talks continue to inform and delight.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 12 at 11:00 am Gene Ballance will share information and stories about OYSTERS ON OCRACOKE.
On Thursday, June 14 Elizabeth Hanrahan will give a presentation on WHITE BIRDS OF OCRACOKE. This is also at 11 am.
Porch Talks are in the back yard of the OPS Museum.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Graduation
Congratulations to Ocracoke High School's senior class of 2012! The commencement ceremony was, as you might expect, exceptionally personal since there were only seven graduates. I turned to my neighbor as they were handing out diplomas (each graduate received personal congratulations and/or hugs from the local ministers, the chairman of the school board, the county school superintendent, and the principal) and said, "I'm glad there aren't 400 graduates!"
"They'd be doing this differently if there were 400 graduates," he responded.
All the best to Echo Bennink, Virginia Downes, Leslie Espinoza, Cassandra Hagins, Molly Frum Lovejoy, William O'Neal, and Ashley Salinas-Lopez!
Look for Molly's Valedictory Address in our upcoming Ocracoke Newsletter. It captured all that is wonderful and special about this island community.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
"They'd be doing this differently if there were 400 graduates," he responded.
All the best to Echo Bennink, Virginia Downes, Leslie Espinoza, Cassandra Hagins, Molly Frum Lovejoy, William O'Neal, and Ashley Salinas-Lopez!
Look for Molly's Valedictory Address in our upcoming Ocracoke Newsletter. It captured all that is wonderful and special about this island community.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Lighthouse
Just yesterday I spoke with Ed Johnson, one of the volunteers in the Park this year. We were talking about the Ocracoke Lighthouse, and he told me that the base of the lighthouse is open Thursday - Monday, 1 pm to 4 pm. If you have never had a chance to see the inside of this historic structure, please keep this schedule in mind. Their plan is to maintain an "open house" all summer.
Please keep in mind that the age of the stairs, the configuration of the lantern room, and other architectural features of the lighthouse do not permit allowing visitors to climb the spiral stairs. It is still fun, interesting, and historically educational to step inside and chat with a volunteer.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Please keep in mind that the age of the stairs, the configuration of the lantern room, and other architectural features of the lighthouse do not permit allowing visitors to climb the spiral stairs. It is still fun, interesting, and historically educational to step inside and chat with a volunteer.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Market
Just a quick note this morning. The Community Square is hosting a second Homegrown, Handmade, Fresh-Caught Market this morning from 8 to 11. If you are on the island be sure to stop by to see what islanders are offering for sale. Last month there were bird houses, paintings, drawings, plants, weavings, and handmade T-shirts among other items. No yard sale goods will be included.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Friday, June 08, 2012
Door
Visitors to Ocracoke have many choices when it comes to lodging -- motels, cottages, B & Bs, and campsites.
We don't have any chain motels, but we do have accommodations to suit almost any taste.
Cottages range from the elaborate (with Jacuzzis, theater rooms, and pools) to the simple (without air conditioning, Internet, or telephone). If you are looking to get away from it all, consider the Hurricane House. This is a traditional, no-frills island home with a screened porch (for enjoying some of the most spectacular sunsets anywhere) and a delightful outdoor shower. It sits at the end of a dead end road right on the edge of the Pamlico Sound shore.
You can get a sense of the house from this photo of the front door:
The Hurricane House is not for everyone, but for the right folks it can be the perfect house. For more information click here http://www.ocracokevillage.com/cottages.htm and scroll down to #9, "Old Island Home."
Also look for more information about how this house got its name in our upcoming June Newsletter.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Cottages range from the elaborate (with Jacuzzis, theater rooms, and pools) to the simple (without air conditioning, Internet, or telephone). If you are looking to get away from it all, consider the Hurricane House. This is a traditional, no-frills island home with a screened porch (for enjoying some of the most spectacular sunsets anywhere) and a delightful outdoor shower. It sits at the end of a dead end road right on the edge of the Pamlico Sound shore.
You can get a sense of the house from this photo of the front door:
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| Cottage Door |
The Hurricane House is not for everyone, but for the right folks it can be the perfect house. For more information click here http://www.ocracokevillage.com/cottages.htm and scroll down to #9, "Old Island Home."
Also look for more information about how this house got its name in our upcoming June Newsletter.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Whose Child is This?
I don't get many mass forwarded emails, and of those I do get there are very few that I don't immediately delete. But a week or so ago I received this forwarded message from a schooner captain whose name I will not share:
Lobster Puzzle:
This is much more fun than that old picture where you tried to find the man's face in coffee beans.
Every so often a clever picture comes along that camouflages something for us to find. This is one such picture.
Hidden within this picture, I am told, are two lobsters. Go ahead and try to find them.
If you find the lobsters in 5 minutes, the left side of your brain is normal.
I looked for 15 minutes and couldn't find them. I guess my brain is "abnormal."
I am told women find the lobsters much quicker.
It probably has something to do with the wiring in the brain.
Good luck ----Check below:
[Here was inserted a full color photo of a gorgeous young woman in a bikini holding two huge lobsters.]
The other day Lachlan asked me if he could play a computer game. I forgot that the above-mentioned email was open on my laptop. I walked into the room just as he was finishing reading and looking at the email.
"I don't see any lobsters," he said without a hint of irony!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Lobster Puzzle:
This is much more fun than that old picture where you tried to find the man's face in coffee beans.
Every so often a clever picture comes along that camouflages something for us to find. This is one such picture.
Hidden within this picture, I am told, are two lobsters. Go ahead and try to find them.
If you find the lobsters in 5 minutes, the left side of your brain is normal.
I looked for 15 minutes and couldn't find them. I guess my brain is "abnormal."
I am told women find the lobsters much quicker.
It probably has something to do with the wiring in the brain.
Good luck ----Check below:
[Here was inserted a full color photo of a gorgeous young woman in a bikini holding two huge lobsters.]
The other day Lachlan asked me if he could play a computer game. I forgot that the above-mentioned email was open on my laptop. I walked into the room just as he was finishing reading and looking at the email.
"I don't see any lobsters," he said without a hint of irony!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Storytelling
Donald Davis' Storytelling Workshop group is back on the island...and you are in for a treat. This week (today, June 6, and tomorrow, June 7 at 10:30 a.m.) participants in the workshop will be sharing stories at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum (across the parking lot from the NPS Visitors Center).
These programs are free, and everyone is invited. Hope to see you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
These programs are free, and everyone is invited. Hope to see you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Nookd Again
On Thursday, May 22 I posted something I discovered with my new e-reader and "War and Peace." You can read it here: http://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2012/05/nookd.html. Since then the story has been picked up by a number of "tech blogs" and other Internet sites.
Prior to my "Nookd" story the most page views I have ever had for one post was 567 (January 2011 snow storm photos). As I write, I have now had more than 57,000 page views of the "Nookd" post! I think my story is going viral!
To see what I mean, simply do an Internet search for "Nookd."
[Update at 12:45 pm, Tuesday: Sundae Horn just posted a story about this in the Ocracoke Current (http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/34726). My blog may not actually qualify as "going viral" but just since this morning I have picked up another 800 page views.]
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Prior to my "Nookd" story the most page views I have ever had for one post was 567 (January 2011 snow storm photos). As I write, I have now had more than 57,000 page views of the "Nookd" post! I think my story is going viral!
To see what I mean, simply do an Internet search for "Nookd."
[Update at 12:45 pm, Tuesday: Sundae Horn just posted a story about this in the Ocracoke Current (http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/34726). My blog may not actually qualify as "going viral" but just since this morning I have picked up another 800 page views.]
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Transit of Venus
Tomorrow evening we in North America have the opportunity to watch the last Transit of Venus that will occur in our lifetime. Transit of Venus is the name given to the rare celestial event when the planet Venus passes directly between the earth and the sun. I understand that Venus will appear as a small dark sphere in front of the orb of the sun about two hours before sunset and lasting until the sun disappears.
Anywhere on the sound shore of Ocracoke should be ideal for viewing this event.
Please remember not to look directly at the sun with your naked eye. You can learn more about the Transit of Venus, and how to view it safely here: http://www.transitofvenus.org/
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Anywhere on the sound shore of Ocracoke should be ideal for viewing this event.
Please remember not to look directly at the sun with your naked eye. You can learn more about the Transit of Venus, and how to view it safely here: http://www.transitofvenus.org/
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Shower Window
Frequent readers of this blog may remember that I have an outdoor shower that I use regularly. It is particulaly pleasant in the early morning and late at night. Bird songs add to the experience in the morning, and stars twinkling above the trees make evening showers all the more enjoyable.
Early on I installed a stained glass window in the shower to give it an elegant touch. For a while I clipped I light to the outside of the frame to highlight the colors at night, and to provide a bit of illumination inside the shower, but I never felt comfortable with a 110 volt socket so close to my shower, so I removed it.
[Added at 7:40 a.m.: I forgot to say that I replaced the 110 v. light with a solar powered spotlight. The photos below are with the new light.]
Below are a couple of photos of the stained glass window after dark, one taken with a flash, the other without.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Early on I installed a stained glass window in the shower to give it an elegant touch. For a while I clipped I light to the outside of the frame to highlight the colors at night, and to provide a bit of illumination inside the shower, but I never felt comfortable with a 110 volt socket so close to my shower, so I removed it.
[Added at 7:40 a.m.: I forgot to say that I replaced the 110 v. light with a solar powered spotlight. The photos below are with the new light.]
Below are a couple of photos of the stained glass window after dark, one taken with a flash, the other without.
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| Photo of Window with Flash |
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| Photo of Window without Flash |
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Ferry Tolls? Ferry Tax?
As many of our readers know, NC lawmakers have passed legislation to increase fees for riding ferries in the state. The counties most effected have organized opposition to the new laws. More than 50 people recently attended the summer session of the NC General Assembly to lobby for no increase in ferry tolls. It looks now like the legislature will postpone any toll increases until at least 2014.
You can read more here, in an article by island resident Connie Leinbach:
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2012Archives/05.18.2012-LobbyingInRaleighAgainstIncreasedFerryTolls.html
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
You can read more here, in an article by island resident Connie Leinbach:
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2012Archives/05.18.2012-LobbyingInRaleighAgainstIncreasedFerryTolls.html
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Pelicans
A week or so ago Lida & Bill Jones treated their visiting family to a boat trip with Captain Donald Austin to Portsmouth Island. On the way back they stopped at Beacon Island to see the nesting pelicans. Lida says the baby pelicans were so cute, toddling around with their parents, but she didn't catch that on film. But she did make this photo of a pelican on its nest that she shared with me:
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
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| Pelicans & Nest on Beacon Island |
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Beryl & OVFD
It rained almost all day yesterday, sometimes a heavy downpour, sometimes just a drizzle or a light mist. It was windy at times, but never severe...probably 30-35 mph at the most. We were treated to this beautiful rainbow about 7:30 last night:
Now we are hoping the ground will dry out (and that we don't get more rain) so that everyone can enjoy the Festival this weekend.
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| Photo by David Davenport |
Now we are hoping the ground will dry out (and that we don't get more rain) so that everyone can enjoy the Festival this weekend.
In other news, I received this email from the Ocracoke Fire Protection Association:
"The auctions brought in a total of $20,636 (the silent auction brought in $1981 and the live auction brought in $18,655.)
After paying the bills, we have
made $48,494.06 so far. We have a small amount of
donations to be turned in. We are awaiting payment from 10 sponsors. We
anticipate finishing with approximately $57,000 this year. We are thrilled to
have had such a good event. So many people made this a very successful
fundraiser and it takes us a step closer to constructing the new building.
People from Ocracoke and off the island worked together to make all this
happen. Thanks to everyone who became a 2012 sponsor, volunteered their help,
donated items to the auctions, bought a meal or an item in the auctions, or came
and enjoyed some great music. All of you did a great job! It takes a
community to protect a community."
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Pot Holders
Back
in the early 1970s I taught school on the island. It was fun, but often a challenge, especially because Kathy and Rena Dell were in my class. Many mornings they would walk into the classroom, plop down in a chair and sigh.
"Philip Howard, we're wore out," they would announce. I never wanted to know why!
Of course, daily interactions with Kathy, Rena Dell, and the rest of the students was a great experience. Over the years we've joked and carried on about one thing or another. Kathy continues to tease me that I once promised to invite her and Rena Dell to my house for a dinner of barbecued chicken necks.
Kathy is now married to Tommy Hutcherson who owns and operates the Variety Store. A few days ago Kathy grabbed my arm and led me over to a display of pot holders she recently had printed. "If you buy one of my pot holders for Lou Ann," she announced, trying to bribe me, "you won't have to make me those chicken necks."
Well, I did buy a pot holder. And you can, too. They come in blue and green, and have a recipe for delicious Ocracoke Island fish cakes printed on them. They are only $5.99, a great buy!
"Philip Howard, we're wore out," they would announce. I never wanted to know why!
Of course, daily interactions with Kathy, Rena Dell, and the rest of the students was a great experience. Over the years we've joked and carried on about one thing or another. Kathy continues to tease me that I once promised to invite her and Rena Dell to my house for a dinner of barbecued chicken necks.
Kathy is now married to Tommy Hutcherson who owns and operates the Variety Store. A few days ago Kathy grabbed my arm and led me over to a display of pot holders she recently had printed. "If you buy one of my pot holders for Lou Ann," she announced, trying to bribe me, "you won't have to make me those chicken necks."
Well, I did buy a pot holder. And you can, too. They come in blue and green, and have a recipe for delicious Ocracoke Island fish cakes printed on them. They are only $5.99, a great buy!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Mishap
Some people will do anything to get in the news.
All I did was drive into the ditch. Yes, that is my pickup truck...and I was the driver. It may look like a case of reckless drunken driving, but I was just turning around to park alongside the road Saturday when my right front tire dropped into the ditch. I think the state troopers were reluctant to believe me at first, but they didn't even give me a breathalyser test. Darn, I wanted to be in the Police Blotter (innocent, of course) in the Ocracoke Current.
You can read the whole story here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/33563
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
You can read the whole story here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/33563
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| Photo by Jenny Scarborough |
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Memorial Day
In honor of all who have served our country, especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Out of the Box
This year the OcraFolk Music & Storytelling Festival has embarked on a creative new fundraising project. About three dozen islanders and friends of Ocracoke picked up five pieces of wood from committee members several months ago. Any conventional person could make a simple box with the pieces. However, everyone was encouraged to think "outside of the box" to create a distinctive work of art. Some of these "boxes" will be auctioned off at the festival; others will be sold on Ebay. Below are photos of some of the early submissions (any idea which one is mine? -- no fair peeking at the file names!).
For more information about the boxes and their creators, and to see more boxes as they come in, click on this Festival Facebook page:
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Capsized Boat
I received the following email message last night at 9 pm. We are glad there were no deaths. And hoping for a full recovery for the one person in serious condition. Many thanks to our local and national rescue personnel.
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Friday, May 25, 2012
Horses
Here is a saying that was once very common on Ocracoke. I still hear it now and then, but not very often.
"They don't set horses."
I wonder if any of our readers know what it means. Leave a comment if you do.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
"They don't set horses."
I wonder if any of our readers know what it means. Leave a comment if you do.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Firemen's Ball
Coming right up -- this Saturday, May 26 -- is the 7th Annual Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department's Firemen's Ball. Held at the Community Center beginning at 5 o'clock, the Ball is a fun-filled event featuring a Pig Pickin', Live and Silent Auctions (starting at 7 pm), and a Dance at 8:30.
The Ocracoke Rockers, The Aaron Caswell Band, and the Dune Dogs will be providing the music.
All funds raised help support the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. You can visit their website at http://www.ocracokevfd.org/ for more information or to make a donation.
Hope to see you Saturday!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
The Ocracoke Rockers, The Aaron Caswell Band, and the Dune Dogs will be providing the music.
All funds raised help support the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. You can visit their website at http://www.ocracokevfd.org/ for more information or to make a donation.
Hope to see you Saturday!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Ocracoke Brogue Segment
For those of our readers who missed Monday's CBS segment with Mo Rocca about accents and the Ocracoke brogue, here is a link to that episode:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7409252n
Many thanks to "Debbie S" who alerted me to the video.
One other thing -- if you see Amy Howard today wish her a Happy Birthday! I won't tell you how old she is but there is a 4 and a 0 involved. I don't know how this happened.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7409252n
Many thanks to "Debbie S" who alerted me to the video.
One other thing -- if you see Amy Howard today wish her a Happy Birthday! I won't tell you how old she is but there is a 4 and a 0 involved. I don't know how this happened.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Nookd
Today's post departs from my stated mission to provide a glimpse into daily island life...except so far as it reflects my reaction to something I stumbled across in my reading.
Some weeks ago I decided that I wanted to read Tolstoy's War and Peace. Lou Ann loaned me her copy. At more than 1100 pages, reading it in bed required as much strength as balancing a box of bricks in my hands. In my senior years I have developed arthritis in my thumbs, which made the effort not only difficult, but painful.
I had read about half of the novel when I was given the gift of a Nook, the e-reader from Barnes and Noble. Although I am committed to supporting my neighborhood independent book store (Books to be Red), and enjoying honest-to-goodness books, the .99 Nook edition was so lightweight that it has made reading War and Peace a genuine pleasure. For those of you who have not tackled this tome as yet, it is a page-turner.
As I was reading, I came across this sentence: "It was as if a light had been Nookd in a carved and painted lantern...." Thinking this was simply a glitch in the software, I ignored the intrusive word and continued reading. Some pages later I encountered the rogue word again. With my third encounter I decided to retrieve my hard cover book and find the original (well, the translated) text.
For the sentence above I discovered this genuine translation: "It was as if a light had been kindled in a carved and painted lantern...."
Someone at Barnes and Noble (a twenty year old employee? or maybe the CEO?) had substituted every incidence of "kindled" with "Nookd!"
I was shocked. Almost immediately I found it hilarious...then outrageous...then both. It is definitely clever. But it raises many questions. E-books can be manipulated at will by the purveyors of the downloadable software. Here is a classic work of fiction (some claim it is the greatest novel every written) used for a sophomoric and/or commercial prank. What else might be changed in an e-book? Fears of manipulation for economic, political, religious, or other ideological ends come to mind. It makes one wary of the integrity of any digital version of not only War and Peace...but any e-book.
I searched the Internet for others who have found the same "revision" but was unsuccessful. Could it be that no one else has ever read this e-book version of War and Peace? Or has no one else brought the substitution to anyone's attention? Could some software programmer have altered just my copy?
I may never have answers to my questions, but I would like to hear our readers' reactions. Please leave a comment with your thoughts.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Some weeks ago I decided that I wanted to read Tolstoy's War and Peace. Lou Ann loaned me her copy. At more than 1100 pages, reading it in bed required as much strength as balancing a box of bricks in my hands. In my senior years I have developed arthritis in my thumbs, which made the effort not only difficult, but painful.
I had read about half of the novel when I was given the gift of a Nook, the e-reader from Barnes and Noble. Although I am committed to supporting my neighborhood independent book store (Books to be Red), and enjoying honest-to-goodness books, the .99 Nook edition was so lightweight that it has made reading War and Peace a genuine pleasure. For those of you who have not tackled this tome as yet, it is a page-turner.
As I was reading, I came across this sentence: "It was as if a light had been Nookd in a carved and painted lantern...." Thinking this was simply a glitch in the software, I ignored the intrusive word and continued reading. Some pages later I encountered the rogue word again. With my third encounter I decided to retrieve my hard cover book and find the original (well, the translated) text.
For the sentence above I discovered this genuine translation: "It was as if a light had been kindled in a carved and painted lantern...."
Someone at Barnes and Noble (a twenty year old employee? or maybe the CEO?) had substituted every incidence of "kindled" with "Nookd!"
I was shocked. Almost immediately I found it hilarious...then outrageous...then both. It is definitely clever. But it raises many questions. E-books can be manipulated at will by the purveyors of the downloadable software. Here is a classic work of fiction (some claim it is the greatest novel every written) used for a sophomoric and/or commercial prank. What else might be changed in an e-book? Fears of manipulation for economic, political, religious, or other ideological ends come to mind. It makes one wary of the integrity of any digital version of not only War and Peace...but any e-book.
I searched the Internet for others who have found the same "revision" but was unsuccessful. Could it be that no one else has ever read this e-book version of War and Peace? Or has no one else brought the substitution to anyone's attention? Could some software programmer have altered just my copy?
I may never have answers to my questions, but I would like to hear our readers' reactions. Please leave a comment with your thoughts.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of a few traditional Ocracoke Island recipes. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Recipes
We just published our latest Ocracoke Newsletter. I have shared a few island recipes on this blog in the past. This month I decided to reprint nine traditional Ocracoke recipes from three local cookbooks -- the "Green" cookbook published by the Methodist Church (available at the OPS museum), the "Yellow" cookbook also published by the Methodist Church (available from Village Craftsmen), and the "Hoi Toide" cookbook published by the volunteer fire department (unfortunately out of print).
Click on this link (www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm) to see the recipes, and to start putting a little bit of Ocracoke on your dining room table.
Click on this link (www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052112.htm) to see the recipes, and to start putting a little bit of Ocracoke on your dining room table.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
CBS
I just heard that CBS might be airing their Ocracoke segment with Mo Rocca tomorrow, Monday, May 21 on CBS This Morning. But then again, who knows?
Grace
As I was growing up my father always said a short prayer before our evening meal. It went like this:
"God bless us for what's for us, pardon our sins, and save us for Jesus' sake. Amen." It never varied, and was delivered rather flatly. My father had probably learned the prayer from his father, who may have learned it from his father....
It wasn't until I reached adulthood that it occurred to me that the prayer didn't really make sense. What did it mean to ask God's blessing for "what's for us?" After just a little bit of thought I realized that the original prayer was almost certainly, "God bless us and what is before us, pardon our sins, and save us, for Jesus' sake. Amen."
I guess it was the tradition and the feeling behind the words, not the meaning, that was most important to my father.
My mother's father, a Hungarian immigrant, was more pragmatic. At nearly every meal he would simply say, "We eat good in America!"
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
"God bless us for what's for us, pardon our sins, and save us for Jesus' sake. Amen." It never varied, and was delivered rather flatly. My father had probably learned the prayer from his father, who may have learned it from his father....
It wasn't until I reached adulthood that it occurred to me that the prayer didn't really make sense. What did it mean to ask God's blessing for "what's for us?" After just a little bit of thought I realized that the original prayer was almost certainly, "God bless us and what is before us, pardon our sins, and save us, for Jesus' sake. Amen."
I guess it was the tradition and the feeling behind the words, not the meaning, that was most important to my father.
My mother's father, a Hungarian immigrant, was more pragmatic. At nearly every meal he would simply say, "We eat good in America!"
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
OcraFolk Festival
We have some recent news about the upcoming 13th
annual OcraFolk Festival.
This year's Festival on June 1-3 will showcase some new and returning artists.
This is a free weekend presented by Ocracoke Alive. The Festival celebrates music, storytelling, and artisans from the NC coastal region and beyond. An increasing buzz about this popular event has drawn even greater visitors over the past several years. In fact, in the February 2012 issue of the nationally distributed magazine Coastal Living, the Ocrafolk Festival was rated as one of the top fifteen island festivals in the world.
The Hyde County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melissa Joyner has noted that the festival attracts more than 2,000 people to the island.
“Everywhere we go, people know about the festival,” Joyner said.
The 2012 Ocrafolk Festival is also seeking private and business sponsorships of stages and performers, and is accepting applications for limited program advertisement. The festival is financed solely upon donations, grants, merchandise sales and fundraising events to pay for the artists and production for the weekend.
Interested contributors should visit the website at www.ocrafolkfestival.org and click on “Financial Sponsors” for more information, or contact the festival at info@ocrafolkfestival.org. For an online information form visit www.ocrafolkfestival.org/files/OcrafolkFestival_Donors_E.pdf. Although the press deadline for contributors for inclusion in the program was April 30 (I neglected to post this earlier) I am sure the Festival committee still welcomes your contribution, and would make every effort to recognize you appropriately during the event.
New performers in 2012 include Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Jacob Johnson, Lizzy Ross, Shana Tucker, The Bernie Pettaway Trio, Carolina Lightnin’, & Banjo Island. The festival will also feature returning favorites Storyteller Donald Davis, Molasses Creek, Beleza, The Steel Wheels, L Shape Lot, The Green Grass Cloggers, Martin Garrish and the Ocracoke Rockers, Bob Zentz, Philip Howard, Lou Ann Homan, Capt. Rob Temple, The Ocrafolk Opry, Chainsaw Artist Clyde Jones, Jef the Mime, The Ocracoke Jazz Society, Rodney Kemp, Craicdown, John Golden, Aaron Caswell Band, The Ocrachicks, and the NC Marionette Theater.
Artisans in and around the festival grounds will showcase fine arts and crafts in painting, sculpture, wood carving, jewelry, textiles and more.
For more details visit the festival website at www.ocrafolkfestival.org.
Ocracoke Alive, Inc., is a private non-profit committed to enrichment of the Ocracoke Island community through the encouraging and sponsoring cultural, artistic, educational, and environmental activities including the production of plays, musicals, musical events, exhibits, schools, workshops, and festivals. For more information, visit the website at www.ocracokealive.org.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
This year's Festival on June 1-3 will showcase some new and returning artists.
This is a free weekend presented by Ocracoke Alive. The Festival celebrates music, storytelling, and artisans from the NC coastal region and beyond. An increasing buzz about this popular event has drawn even greater visitors over the past several years. In fact, in the February 2012 issue of the nationally distributed magazine Coastal Living, the Ocrafolk Festival was rated as one of the top fifteen island festivals in the world.
The Hyde County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melissa Joyner has noted that the festival attracts more than 2,000 people to the island.
“Everywhere we go, people know about the festival,” Joyner said.
The 2012 Ocrafolk Festival is also seeking private and business sponsorships of stages and performers, and is accepting applications for limited program advertisement. The festival is financed solely upon donations, grants, merchandise sales and fundraising events to pay for the artists and production for the weekend.
Interested contributors should visit the website at www.ocrafolkfestival.org and click on “Financial Sponsors” for more information, or contact the festival at info@ocrafolkfestival.org. For an online information form visit www.ocrafolkfestival.org/files/OcrafolkFestival_Donors_E.pdf. Although the press deadline for contributors for inclusion in the program was April 30 (I neglected to post this earlier) I am sure the Festival committee still welcomes your contribution, and would make every effort to recognize you appropriately during the event.
New performers in 2012 include Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Jacob Johnson, Lizzy Ross, Shana Tucker, The Bernie Pettaway Trio, Carolina Lightnin’, & Banjo Island. The festival will also feature returning favorites Storyteller Donald Davis, Molasses Creek, Beleza, The Steel Wheels, L Shape Lot, The Green Grass Cloggers, Martin Garrish and the Ocracoke Rockers, Bob Zentz, Philip Howard, Lou Ann Homan, Capt. Rob Temple, The Ocrafolk Opry, Chainsaw Artist Clyde Jones, Jef the Mime, The Ocracoke Jazz Society, Rodney Kemp, Craicdown, John Golden, Aaron Caswell Band, The Ocrachicks, and the NC Marionette Theater.
Artisans in and around the festival grounds will showcase fine arts and crafts in painting, sculpture, wood carving, jewelry, textiles and more.
For more details visit the festival website at www.ocrafolkfestival.org.
Ocracoke Alive, Inc., is a private non-profit committed to enrichment of the Ocracoke Island community through the encouraging and sponsoring cultural, artistic, educational, and environmental activities including the production of plays, musicals, musical events, exhibits, schools, workshops, and festivals. For more information, visit the website at www.ocracokealive.org.
Friday, May 18, 2012
??
Well, that was disappointing. I guess CBS This Morning ran out of time, and they cut the Ocracoke segment. I will let you know if I hear that the story will be aired later.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
CBS & Ocracoke
I just learned that on Friday (that's May 18, 2012) Ocracoke will be featured on CBS This Morning sometime between 7 am and 9 am. Mo Rocca, who was on Ocracoke several months ago with Walt Wolfram, interviewed a number of islanders and school students about the Ocracoke brogue.
If I had known about this earlier I would have posted this notice several days ago. I hope at least a few of our readers get to see the program.
If I had known about this earlier I would have posted this notice several days ago. I hope at least a few of our readers get to see the program.
Skiff
Last weekend I launched my wooden skiff. It was built by my father, Lawton Howard, about 1976, and is one of the oldest traditional island boats in Ocracoke harbor. As you might imagine, preparing a wooden boat every spring to put back in the water requires quite a bit of work -- filling it with water to swell up the planking, sanding, painting, and routine repairs.
Captain Rob took this photo of my boat tied up to the Community Store dock.
I have been having some problems with the outboard motor (it is almost 20 years old) so yesterday I pulled the boat out of the water to work on the motor. If you are on the island in the next few days you will likely see my boat on the lot next to Spencer's Market. But as soon as I get the motor working right I will be taking her out clamming.
Once she's back in the water, if you happen to walk down the Community Store dock stop briefly to admire my father's craftsmanship.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Captain Rob took this photo of my boat tied up to the Community Store dock.
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| Ocracoke Skiff |
I have been having some problems with the outboard motor (it is almost 20 years old) so yesterday I pulled the boat out of the water to work on the motor. If you are on the island in the next few days you will likely see my boat on the lot next to Spencer's Market. But as soon as I get the motor working right I will be taking her out clamming.
Once she's back in the water, if you happen to walk down the Community Store dock stop briefly to admire my father's craftsmanship.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Market
Saturday's Market at the Community Square was an all-around success. Even with limited ferry service because of shoaling at Hatteras Inlet, the market was well attended by residents and visitors alike.
Islanders brought weavings, children's clothing, paintings, drawings, baked goods, fig trees, and other garden plants to sell.
Ed Norvell made this photo of me offering pen & ink/watercolor sketches.
The market was great fun, and a wonderful way to keep the Community Square vibrant while new tenants are being sought for the Community Store. Many thanks to Merle Davis for coordinating the event.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Islanders brought weavings, children's clothing, paintings, drawings, baked goods, fig trees, and other garden plants to sell.
Ed Norvell made this photo of me offering pen & ink/watercolor sketches.
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| Philip & his Drawings |
The market was great fun, and a wonderful way to keep the Community Square vibrant while new tenants are being sought for the Community Store. Many thanks to Merle Davis for coordinating the event.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Berkley
When I mentioned the "newly renovated Berkley Manor" in Saturday's post I received several questions about this project. The renovation surprised islanders as much as readers of this blog. Because I missed the open house on Friday I couldn't reliably answer many of the questions people had.
On Monday the Ocracoke Current, our new on-line island "newspaper" reported that "between 20 - 38 men worked 7 days a week for 5 weeks to renovate the Berkley." Even though we had noticed the workmen, most of us had no idea of the extent and quality of the repairs.
The Current has the full story with photos showing the exterior and several of the rooms. You can read Jenny's well-written article here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/31742.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
On Monday the Ocracoke Current, our new on-line island "newspaper" reported that "between 20 - 38 men worked 7 days a week for 5 weeks to renovate the Berkley." Even though we had noticed the workmen, most of us had no idea of the extent and quality of the repairs.
The Current has the full story with photos showing the exterior and several of the rooms. You can read Jenny's well-written article here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/31742.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Market Hunting & Plumes
With the development of the shotgun came an increase in waterfowl hunting. By the 19th century market hunting with shotguns allowed the taking of dozens of geese and ducks, sometimes by mounting several guns on a boat or sinkbox. In one day hundreds of birds could be killed, then shipped to northern markets. Because of such indiscriminate hunting practices the early 20th century saw a steep decline in migratory waterfowl and the beginning of a robust conservation movement. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Federal Duck Stamp Act of 1934 put an end to market hunting and the wholesale slaughter of waterfowl.
A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a visitor to Ocracoke. Although market hunting was practiced on the Outer Banks, including Ocracoke, it was less economically feasible in isolated areas such as Ocracoke. Because of the greater distance to markets, it was more difficult to preserve the birds and more costly to ship them.
Some remote areas, I was told, resorted to plume hunting. In the early nineteenth century egret, heron, and other such fancy feathers were in demand by the military and makers of ladies' hats. Unlike whole birds, feathers could be stockpiled without preservatives, and shipped to markets at the convenience of the hunter. The bird carcasses were simply tossed aside once the feathers were harvested.
I was curious to know if any Ocracokers had ever been engaged as plume hunters. There has been little written about this almost forgotten enterprise, and I had never heard of any islanders who killed birds just for their feathers. I even asked Blanche about this. Blanche was born immediately after the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed, so the practice had been stopped for several years when she was growing up. Blanche told me she had never heard of anyone on Ocracoke engaged in market hunting for plumes. As one who loves wildlife and appreciates the natural world I am sure she is happy to know (or at least to believe) that plume hunting was never resorted to on the island.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a visitor to Ocracoke. Although market hunting was practiced on the Outer Banks, including Ocracoke, it was less economically feasible in isolated areas such as Ocracoke. Because of the greater distance to markets, it was more difficult to preserve the birds and more costly to ship them.
Some remote areas, I was told, resorted to plume hunting. In the early nineteenth century egret, heron, and other such fancy feathers were in demand by the military and makers of ladies' hats. Unlike whole birds, feathers could be stockpiled without preservatives, and shipped to markets at the convenience of the hunter. The bird carcasses were simply tossed aside once the feathers were harvested.
I was curious to know if any Ocracokers had ever been engaged as plume hunters. There has been little written about this almost forgotten enterprise, and I had never heard of any islanders who killed birds just for their feathers. I even asked Blanche about this. Blanche was born immediately after the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed, so the practice had been stopped for several years when she was growing up. Blanche told me she had never heard of anyone on Ocracoke engaged in market hunting for plumes. As one who loves wildlife and appreciates the natural world I am sure she is happy to know (or at least to believe) that plume hunting was never resorted to on the island.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Hatteras Ferry Update
Last night I heard that a dredge began working at Hatteras Inlet yesterday.
According to the official NCDOT website (Saturday, Mary 12, 2012): "Hatteras ferry operations have resumed as of 3:15 pm. Taking light loads. [Call] 252.986.2353 for more [information]."
The extra runs from Swan Quarter will continue through Monday.
The weather has been superb, bright skies and mild temperatures. I went for a walk on the beach last night right at dusk. I wondered why I don't make that a regular part of my day. It was so quiet and peaceful.
This morning three blue jays have been flitting about in my yard. Life is good!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
According to the official NCDOT website (Saturday, Mary 12, 2012): "Hatteras ferry operations have resumed as of 3:15 pm. Taking light loads. [Call] 252.986.2353 for more [information]."
The extra runs from Swan Quarter will continue through Monday.
The weather has been superb, bright skies and mild temperatures. I went for a walk on the beach last night right at dusk. I wondered why I don't make that a regular part of my day. It was so quiet and peaceful.
This morning three blue jays have been flitting about in my yard. Life is good!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Macbeth
Ocracoke Island might be isolated, laid-back, relaxed, and a bit quirky, but it is no cultural backwater. Ocracoke has a vibrant music and art scene...and a long history of theater and musicals. Just two years ago our high school, under the direction of Charles Temple, produced "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
This year Charles has put together a cast of outstanding local actors to bring us another Shakespeare production, "Macbeth."
As in the past, the play will be performed "en plein air," this time at the newly renovated Berkley Manor near the Ocracoke Preservation Museum. Opening night is Wednesday, May 16. Other performances will be on the 17th, 18th and 20th. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children, and can be purchased in advance at the school office or at the door.
You can read more about this production here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/31489
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
This year Charles has put together a cast of outstanding local actors to bring us another Shakespeare production, "Macbeth."
As in the past, the play will be performed "en plein air," this time at the newly renovated Berkley Manor near the Ocracoke Preservation Museum. Opening night is Wednesday, May 16. Other performances will be on the 17th, 18th and 20th. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children, and can be purchased in advance at the school office or at the door.
You can read more about this production here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/31489
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Passion
Not many days ago I noticed a number of buds on the passion flower vine growing on my porch railing. Then earlier this week Amy pointed out several flowers that had burst into bloom. As spectacular as this flower is, it is sometimes difficult to notice. And each flower lasts only one day.
Even though my vine is not huge (the soil in my yard is poor, having been deposited here in 1942 when the Navy dredged Silver Lake) it is full of buds, so I should have these beautiful flowers for quite a while.
The Passion flower takes its name from Christian symbolism relating to the Passion of Jesus (his trial, suffering, and crucifixion).
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Even though my vine is not huge (the soil in my yard is poor, having been deposited here in 1942 when the Navy dredged Silver Lake) it is full of buds, so I should have these beautiful flowers for quite a while.
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| Passion Flower |
The Passion flower takes its name from Christian symbolism relating to the Passion of Jesus (his trial, suffering, and crucifixion).
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Recent Ferry Information
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Ferries & British Cemetery Ceremony
Many of our readers may have already learned that ferry service across Hatteras Inlet has been hampered for several days because of shoaling in the inlet. It is often impossible to operate the ferries at times of low tide. If you will be traveling to or from Ocracoke we recommend that you contact the NCDOT Ferry Division for the latest information. You might also consider using the Swan Quarter ferry (but be sure to secure a reservation).
We understand that a dredge will be stationed at Hatteras Inlet soon. Once the channel is deepened normal ferry service will resume. We will let you know when that happens.
Rumors had been circulating that tomorrow's British Cemetery Ceremony will be cancelled because of the problems at Hatteras Inlet. This is NOT the case. The Coast Guard may not be in attendance, but as one of my neighbors put it, Ocracokers have been organizing and leading the ceremony since 1942. There is no reason to cancel it. With or without the participation of the Coast Guard or any other agency, the Ocracoke community will see that the ceremony takes place. We haven't lived on this island for so many generations without learning how to take care of ourselves.
We hope to see you there.
We understand that a dredge will be stationed at Hatteras Inlet soon. Once the channel is deepened normal ferry service will resume. We will let you know when that happens.
Rumors had been circulating that tomorrow's British Cemetery Ceremony will be cancelled because of the problems at Hatteras Inlet. This is NOT the case. The Coast Guard may not be in attendance, but as one of my neighbors put it, Ocracokers have been organizing and leading the ceremony since 1942. There is no reason to cancel it. With or without the participation of the Coast Guard or any other agency, the Ocracoke community will see that the ceremony takes place. We haven't lived on this island for so many generations without learning how to take care of ourselves.
We hope to see you there.
Homegrown, Handmade, Fresh-Caught Market
Some of our readers may know that the Community Store has been closed for a few months. For several years Susan & James did a wonderful job keeping the store open and preserving many of the best aspects of this traditional country store. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, they will no longer be leasing the property. The entire Community Square is in the process of being transferred to the Ocracoke Foundation, a local non-profit organization. Their plan is to revive the Community Store, provide public access to Silver Lake, encourage business opportunities for islanders, and make the Square a hub of activity for residents and visitors.
With that in mind, an open-air market is scheduled in the parking lot this coming Saturday, May 12, from 8 am to 11 am. (In the event of rain, the market will be held inside the Community Store.)
Local gardeners, fishermen, craftspeople, cooks, and artists have been invited to display and sell their wares.
If you are on the island, come on out to the Community Square and peruse the many items being offered for sale by creative residents of our community. We hope to see you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
With that in mind, an open-air market is scheduled in the parking lot this coming Saturday, May 12, from 8 am to 11 am. (In the event of rain, the market will be held inside the Community Store.)
Local gardeners, fishermen, craftspeople, cooks, and artists have been invited to display and sell their wares.
If you are on the island, come on out to the Community Square and peruse the many items being offered for sale by creative residents of our community. We hope to see you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Elizabeth Parsons
Elizabeth Williams Parsons was born and raised on Ocracoke Island. Some of our readers will remember her late husband, Roy Parsons, who played regularly in the Wednesday evening Opry shows at Deepwater Theater. Many years ago Elizabeth started a small business "down point" near the lighthouse. She calls her gift shop "Pamlico Gifts" and stocks it with a variety of items, including her own hand assembled shell wreaths and her original oil paintings.
Elizabeth is a self-taught folk artist who specializes in scenes of the Ocracoke she remembers from growing up on the island. She often includes depictions of the early post office, old general stores, the mailboat Aleta, and island churches. Be sure to visit Elizabeth when you are on the island. And tell her Philip sent you! While you are at it, stop across the street and purchase some of Della Williams Gaskill's jams and preserves (Della is Elizabeth's sister). You will be glad you did. Elizabeth and Della will give you a genuine Ocracoke Island experience.
You can also click on the photo above (or here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/parsons.htm) to purchase Elizabeth Parsons' paintings from Village Craftsmen. 100% of the purchase price goes to Elizabeth.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
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| Elizabeth Parsons Village Painting |
Elizabeth is a self-taught folk artist who specializes in scenes of the Ocracoke she remembers from growing up on the island. She often includes depictions of the early post office, old general stores, the mailboat Aleta, and island churches. Be sure to visit Elizabeth when you are on the island. And tell her Philip sent you! While you are at it, stop across the street and purchase some of Della Williams Gaskill's jams and preserves (Della is Elizabeth's sister). You will be glad you did. Elizabeth and Della will give you a genuine Ocracoke Island experience.
You can also click on the photo above (or here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/parsons.htm) to purchase Elizabeth Parsons' paintings from Village Craftsmen. 100% of the purchase price goes to Elizabeth.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
British Cemetery
If you will be on the island this Friday, May 11, be sure to attend the 11 a.m. annual ceremony remembering the crew of Her Majesty's Armed Trawler, the Bedfordshire, which was torpedoed by a German submarine seventy years ago off the Outer Banks. All thirty-seven crew members died in the attack. Four bodies were recovered and buried on Ocracoke Island near the Williams family graveyard. The Union Jack flies over this small plot, the British Cemetery, which is considered "a corner of a foreign field that is forever England" (Rupert Brooke). Among the four bodies buried there are Sub-Lt. Thomas Cunningham, telegrapher Stanley Craig, and two unidentified seamen.
This year Cunningham's son, who was born after his father died, will be on the island to attend the ceremony which recognizes, not only the crew of the Bedfordshire, but all allied sailors who gave their lives in defense of our borders.
The ceremony is always a moving experience, a tribute to the servicemen who defended our shores, and to the islanders, Coast Guardsmen, and members of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum who have maintained the cemetery for seventy years and who keep alive the memories of these brave men.
You can read more here:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/07/3223462/seventy-years-later-ships-crew.html
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
This year Cunningham's son, who was born after his father died, will be on the island to attend the ceremony which recognizes, not only the crew of the Bedfordshire, but all allied sailors who gave their lives in defense of our borders.
The ceremony is always a moving experience, a tribute to the servicemen who defended our shores, and to the islanders, Coast Guardsmen, and members of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum who have maintained the cemetery for seventy years and who keep alive the memories of these brave men.
You can read more here:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/07/3223462/seventy-years-later-ships-crew.html
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Monday, May 07, 2012
Windy
My, it was windy yesterday. It blew 15-20 mph all afternoon. Trees were dancing, flags were fluttering, and Pamlico Sound was sprinkled with white caps. The afternoon Hatteras ferries didn't even run until late in the day. Low tides, combined with the wind, kept the boats tied to the docks.
I pulled my boat to the NPS ramp, but decided it was too windy to launch her there. I chose the ramp at the Anchorage Hotel instead. It is not as convenienct because backing down the ramp blocks traffic, but at least I didn't have to contend with the wind and waves. I will post a photo or two of my newly painted skiff in the next day or so.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
I pulled my boat to the NPS ramp, but decided it was too windy to launch her there. I chose the ramp at the Anchorage Hotel instead. It is not as convenienct because backing down the ramp blocks traffic, but at least I didn't have to contend with the wind and waves. I will post a photo or two of my newly painted skiff in the next day or so.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Sunday, May 06, 2012
First Clamming of the Season
I have been putting a lot of time & energy into getting my boat ready to launch - scraping, sanding, painting, etc. So I was ready for a change of pace when I was asked to join friends out in the sound yesterday raking for clams. We left the docks at 11 am, and returned about 1:30. Bringing home a bucket of clams was a nice treat, but the real appeal was the opportunity to wade in the water (it wasn't even cold), watch the birds dive for fish, and savor another gorgeous spring day.
I am hoping to launch my boat this afternoon (the new paint job gleams in the bright sunshine)...and then I can go clamming anytime I want!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
I am hoping to launch my boat this afternoon (the new paint job gleams in the bright sunshine)...and then I can go clamming anytime I want!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Bicycles
From The Story of Ocracoke Island, compiled by Calvin J. O'Neal, Alice K. Rondthaler, and Anita Fletcher, 1976:
"When they built the first road at Ocracoke [during World War II], someone on the mainland joked it would be 'mostly a sidewalk for pedestrians!' He was right about the pedestrians, but he failed to see how quickly the pedestrians would become bicyclers.
"The road was finished in August, 1950. School opened next month and the yard filled up with bicycles. Pupils who didn't have a bicycle for opening day waited eagerly for Santa Claus, and Santa Claus delivered generously. It was a grand new feeling, riding on the smooth hard cement, but of course, the bicycles were also ridden in the sand and salt, and in a year the great bicycle age lay mostly in the back yards, rusted."
Of course, as the years passed Ocracoke has embraced the bicycle even more enthusiastically. The bicycle has become the vehicle of choice for many islanders and visitors alike. Enjoy your ride!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
"When they built the first road at Ocracoke [during World War II], someone on the mainland joked it would be 'mostly a sidewalk for pedestrians!' He was right about the pedestrians, but he failed to see how quickly the pedestrians would become bicyclers.
"The road was finished in August, 1950. School opened next month and the yard filled up with bicycles. Pupils who didn't have a bicycle for opening day waited eagerly for Santa Claus, and Santa Claus delivered generously. It was a grand new feeling, riding on the smooth hard cement, but of course, the bicycles were also ridden in the sand and salt, and in a year the great bicycle age lay mostly in the back yards, rusted."
Of course, as the years passed Ocracoke has embraced the bicycle even more enthusiastically. The bicycle has become the vehicle of choice for many islanders and visitors alike. Enjoy your ride!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Friday, May 04, 2012
OISFT
For 29 years anglers have been descending on Ocracoke in May for the annual Ocracoke Island Surf Fishing Tournament. The two-day competition began yesterday for the 2012 catch and release event. This year 70 teams with more than 400 fishermen & fisherwomen will be on the beach from 8 - 11 a.m. and 1:30 - 4 p.m.
The event concludes this evening with a barbecue dinner under the tent at the Community Center, starting at 5:30. The community is invited to attend.
For more information click here: http://www.outerbankschamber.com/events/2012/05/02/community-event/ocracoke-surf-fishing-invitational/.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
The event concludes this evening with a barbecue dinner under the tent at the Community Center, starting at 5:30. The community is invited to attend.
For more information click here: http://www.outerbankschamber.com/events/2012/05/02/community-event/ocracoke-surf-fishing-invitational/.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Banker Ponies
For many years there has been speculation about the provenance of the Outer Banks ponies. Certainly the earliest colonists introduced horses to coastal North Carolina. And, of course, shipwrecks contributed their share of horses and ponies to Ocracoke, Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Nags Head.
Although the Ocracoke ponies have been crossed with other breeds, Spanish mustangs provided much of the original breeding stock. No one knows how long these horses have been on the island -- maybe for as long as 350 years.
According to Earl O'Neal in his book, Wild Ponies of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, "Part of the [Spanish] royal credula [of 1493 -- I am not sure what a "credula" is although it is a Latin term from which we derive the English words "credulous" and "creed."]...reads: '...We command that certain vessels be prepared to send to the Islands and to the mainland which has been newly discovered in the Ocean sea in that part of the Indies, and to prepare these vessels for the Admiral Don Christopher Columbus...and among the other people we are commanding to go in these vessels there will be sent twenty lancers with horses...and five of them shall take two horses each, and these two horses which they take shall be mares.'"
So horses have been making the trans-Atlantic crossing for many years. The next time you visit the Ocracoke Pony Pasture keep in mind that those horses are likely descendants of some of the earliest colonial inhabitants.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Although the Ocracoke ponies have been crossed with other breeds, Spanish mustangs provided much of the original breeding stock. No one knows how long these horses have been on the island -- maybe for as long as 350 years.
According to Earl O'Neal in his book, Wild Ponies of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, "Part of the [Spanish] royal credula [of 1493 -- I am not sure what a "credula" is although it is a Latin term from which we derive the English words "credulous" and "creed."]...reads: '...We command that certain vessels be prepared to send to the Islands and to the mainland which has been newly discovered in the Ocean sea in that part of the Indies, and to prepare these vessels for the Admiral Don Christopher Columbus...and among the other people we are commanding to go in these vessels there will be sent twenty lancers with horses...and five of them shall take two horses each, and these two horses which they take shall be mares.'"
So horses have been making the trans-Atlantic crossing for many years. The next time you visit the Ocracoke Pony Pasture keep in mind that those horses are likely descendants of some of the earliest colonial inhabitants.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Ocracoke Night Life
Yesterday I wrote about all of the activities that are available to us on Ocracoke. Please don't get me wrong -- that is only when we want to be engaged with activity. Take last night for another example. I walked through the village with a half dozen folks, sharing ghost and history stories. What a beautiful and quiet night it was. The half moon hung in the sky, casting soft shadows on sandy lanes. Every now and then a bicyclist passed by. A couple of dogs barked as we strolled down a footpath. Silhouettes of massive live oaks framed our walk down Howard Street. Several participants commented on how serene and calm island life can be.
Many of our readers know what I am talking about. Few other places provide a similar feeling.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Many of our readers know what I am talking about. Few other places provide a similar feeling.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Springtime Activities
Sometimes people think there is little or nothing to do on Ocracoke. How mistaken that can be!
Just this past Saturday there was the Portsmouth Homecoming (boats ran back and forth between Ocracoke & Portsmouth from 8:30 am until late in the afternoon). Earlier in the morning Ocracoke hosted a 5K race and a Fun Run to benefit the school athletic program and our local radio station. In the evening students, teachers, parents, and community members attended the Ocracoke School prom.
Sunday afternoon found a large number of friends at a going away party for Susie, our island hair cutter. Later this week anglers from all over North Carolina and surrounding states will converge on Ocracoke for the annual Surf Fishing Tournament. All of these activities are in addition to ball games, family gatherings, church activities, and other community functions.
There is seldom a dull moment on Ocracoke.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
Just this past Saturday there was the Portsmouth Homecoming (boats ran back and forth between Ocracoke & Portsmouth from 8:30 am until late in the afternoon). Earlier in the morning Ocracoke hosted a 5K race and a Fun Run to benefit the school athletic program and our local radio station. In the evening students, teachers, parents, and community members attended the Ocracoke School prom.
Sunday afternoon found a large number of friends at a going away party for Susie, our island hair cutter. Later this week anglers from all over North Carolina and surrounding states will converge on Ocracoke for the annual Surf Fishing Tournament. All of these activities are in addition to ball games, family gatherings, church activities, and other community functions.
There is seldom a dull moment on Ocracoke.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.
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