Some of my friends tell me that I "have too much time on my hands." They may be right. For the last several days I have been working on the creation of an Ocracoke Island crossword puzzle. And now it's finished. It was a lot of work!
I uploaded it last night as our latest Ocracoke Newsletter. You can see it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news021508.htm. I hope many of our readers will enjoy working on it. As an added incentive, send me your completed puzzle (full instructions are on the puzzle page) and we will choose, at random, from among the correct replies one winner who will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to the Village Craftsmen.
Have fun!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!
It's sunny and cheery today, though on the cool side, and windy. But looking out my window, the sunlight highlighting the white picket fences, the tree limbs dappled with dancing shadows, and bright pink flowers announcing the lengthening of days, I am reminded of the power of love and kindness and caring. It just looks like Valentine's Day here on the island. If it's gloomy where you live, think of Ocracoke and let that lift your spirits. It won't be gloomy forever. I wish all of our readers a loving day connected with lovers, family, friends, and/or neighbors.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Rain, Wind, Potlucks, & Parties
Well, I did get to the beach yesterday after all. And it's a good thing because forecasters are calling for rain on and off all day today. This morning it was windy and rainy. In my outdoor shower it felt like a minor hurricane. I even glanced up above me once or twice to make sure no tree limbs were about to break and come crashing down on me. I could just imagine someone finding me on the floor of the outdoor shower, water cascading over my naked body, clobbered to death by a cedar branch.
Last night several islanders gathered at the home of Lida & Bill Jones to recognize Darwin Day (he was born February 12, 1809), share a potluck dinner (they're always delicious), and watch the documentary, Flock of Dodos.
And I received more news of island happenings from "The Captain." Here it is:
"Hey Philip, Your blog visitors might be interested in knowing that the Ocracoke Jazz Society is having a party/performance in the Deep Water Theater this Friday (the 15th) from 8pm until. Admission is dessert to share and a supportive attitude. And they said Ocracoke was "dead" in
February...!"
Sounds like a fun evening. Hope to see many of you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Last night several islanders gathered at the home of Lida & Bill Jones to recognize Darwin Day (he was born February 12, 1809), share a potluck dinner (they're always delicious), and watch the documentary, Flock of Dodos.
And I received more news of island happenings from "The Captain." Here it is:
"Hey Philip, Your blog visitors might be interested in knowing that the Ocracoke Jazz Society is having a party/performance in the Deep Water Theater this Friday (the 15th) from 8pm until. Admission is dessert to share and a supportive attitude. And they said Ocracoke was "dead" in
February...!"
Sounds like a fun evening. Hope to see many of you there!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Visiting
I didn't get to the beach yesterday....and I may not make it today. I've been trying to catch up on Village Craftsmen details during the day, and then I've been paying visits to a few folks whom I haven't seen in a while.
Last week Lou Ann and I stopped in to see Blanche Styron (for our regular readers, this is another Blanche, not my Howard Street cousin). She kept us entertained for about an hour and a half with stories (humorous, historical, and earthy) about her childhood on the island. Then we stopped by to see Fowler and Chloe (Fowler has plenty of classic nautical tattoos and colorful stories to go with them). They're always a delight to spend time with.
Yesterday I walked to Iona Teeter's to chat with her and her son, Wayne. Wayne and I were good buddies when I was a pre-teen. We laughed and carried on until Iona was ready to turn in for the night (it wasn't all that late!). Today I carried some old photos to cousin Blanche so she could identify some of the people for me. I was just in time to prevent her from climbing up onto two cinder blocks (on top of a platform) to check the level in her oil tank. She admitted that she was hard-headed, but agreed to "maybe" call me the next time she's tempted to check her oil.
I'm going to a pot luck dinner tonight, so I'll be lucky to get to the beach this afternoon. But I can't stay away too long.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Last week Lou Ann and I stopped in to see Blanche Styron (for our regular readers, this is another Blanche, not my Howard Street cousin). She kept us entertained for about an hour and a half with stories (humorous, historical, and earthy) about her childhood on the island. Then we stopped by to see Fowler and Chloe (Fowler has plenty of classic nautical tattoos and colorful stories to go with them). They're always a delight to spend time with.
Yesterday I walked to Iona Teeter's to chat with her and her son, Wayne. Wayne and I were good buddies when I was a pre-teen. We laughed and carried on until Iona was ready to turn in for the night (it wasn't all that late!). Today I carried some old photos to cousin Blanche so she could identify some of the people for me. I was just in time to prevent her from climbing up onto two cinder blocks (on top of a platform) to check the level in her oil tank. She admitted that she was hard-headed, but agreed to "maybe" call me the next time she's tempted to check her oil.
I'm going to a pot luck dinner tonight, so I'll be lucky to get to the beach this afternoon. But I can't stay away too long.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Trypanophobia
I went to the clinic for some routine blood work this morning. I am trypanophobic (I have a fear of needles). The nurse told me I was a #10. (It even gives me the creeps to write about needles!)
Anyway, we got to talking about a whole generation of Ocracokers who are afraid of needles, thanks to island nurse of the 1950s & 1960s, Kathleen Bragg. Here's how Alton Ballance tells it in his book, Ocracokers:
"We came to fear Wednesdays, the day that she spent at school. Wednesdays also became known as 'shot days.' High school boys would circulate rumors Wednesday morning, and sometimes the evening before, that a 'new batch of shots' was in. The younger ones were continuously reminded about the time she supposedly broke off a needle in a student's arm. High absenteeism was not uncommon on Wednesdays."
I heard that one student, on being sent to Kathleen, ran out of school. Her parents never caught up with her until they got to the campground!
OK, enough. Now I'll go home and try to forget everything I just wrote.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Anyway, we got to talking about a whole generation of Ocracokers who are afraid of needles, thanks to island nurse of the 1950s & 1960s, Kathleen Bragg. Here's how Alton Ballance tells it in his book, Ocracokers:
"We came to fear Wednesdays, the day that she spent at school. Wednesdays also became known as 'shot days.' High school boys would circulate rumors Wednesday morning, and sometimes the evening before, that a 'new batch of shots' was in. The younger ones were continuously reminded about the time she supposedly broke off a needle in a student's arm. High absenteeism was not uncommon on Wednesdays."
I heard that one student, on being sent to Kathleen, ran out of school. Her parents never caught up with her until they got to the campground!
OK, enough. Now I'll go home and try to forget everything I just wrote.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Books & Puzzles
I don't think I'll be lying in the dunes reading a book this afternoon, like I was yesterday. It's cooler today, and breezy. So I guess I'll just take my usual walk (with hooded sweatshirt).
I certainly have been getting a lot of reading done this past week. I haven't finished Warped Passages yet, about particle physics and string theory (it's not a book to race through), but I did read The Devil in Massachusetts, written about fifty years ago about the Salem witch trials. I was reminded how vigilant we need to be to keep from being caught up in irrational thinking.
I've read several other books, including Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. It's probably the most entertaining book on Philosophy I've ever read! This morning I started Water for Elephants.
Oh yeah, I've also been doing crossword puzzles. It's quiet on the island in February!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
I certainly have been getting a lot of reading done this past week. I haven't finished Warped Passages yet, about particle physics and string theory (it's not a book to race through), but I did read The Devil in Massachusetts, written about fifty years ago about the Salem witch trials. I was reminded how vigilant we need to be to keep from being caught up in irrational thinking.
I've read several other books, including Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. It's probably the most entertaining book on Philosophy I've ever read! This morning I started Water for Elephants.
Oh yeah, I've also been doing crossword puzzles. It's quiet on the island in February!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Bridge Replacement Project
Many people have been asking about the eight million dollar Ocracoke bridge project, and wondering what sort of progress is being made. You can go right "to the horse's mouth" as they say, and get the latest official information here: http://www.ocracokebridges.com/. On that page is a link to the latest Progress Report. I have copied the link here: Detailed Construction Progress Report.
As of February 01, 70% of the project was complete, including 100% of the substructure on all but one of the bridges. The decks on the completed sections were 90%-95% completed. I assume they are just waiting to lay the asphalt.
It looks like it won't be long before Highway 12 is again open to traffic. We'll let you know as soon as it is.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
As of February 01, 70% of the project was complete, including 100% of the substructure on all but one of the bridges. The decks on the completed sections were 90%-95% completed. I assume they are just waiting to lay the asphalt.
It looks like it won't be long before Highway 12 is again open to traffic. We'll let you know as soon as it is.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Ruts in the Ramps
This afternoon I decided to take my walk on the beach down by the NPS campground. I was interested in seeing how "tore up" the beach was because of the bridge construction detour. I'd heard that there were deep ruts made by large delivery trucks.
I didn't try to drive my AWD Subaru across the beach (it doesn't have much clearance), but the ramp didn't look too bad to me. Of course, there are ruts, and they're fairly deep, but several pickup trucks and SUVs managed without any problems. A utility truck pulling a worker's trailer did get stuck, but the towing service was there within minutes and pulled him out with little trouble.
I don't know what the other ramp (by the Pony Pen) is like. I've heard it's worse, but I don't really know.
The long necks of four cranes were visible from the campground, but I could see only minor activity -- just one front end loader and a couple of dump trucks there.
I turned and walked south, away from the construction zone. The sun was bright and cheery today, and the temperature (60 degrees) perfect for a shirt-sleeve stroll on the hard-packed sand near the water.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
I didn't try to drive my AWD Subaru across the beach (it doesn't have much clearance), but the ramp didn't look too bad to me. Of course, there are ruts, and they're fairly deep, but several pickup trucks and SUVs managed without any problems. A utility truck pulling a worker's trailer did get stuck, but the towing service was there within minutes and pulled him out with little trouble.
I don't know what the other ramp (by the Pony Pen) is like. I've heard it's worse, but I don't really know.
The long necks of four cranes were visible from the campground, but I could see only minor activity -- just one front end loader and a couple of dump trucks there.
I turned and walked south, away from the construction zone. The sun was bright and cheery today, and the temperature (60 degrees) perfect for a shirt-sleeve stroll on the hard-packed sand near the water.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Museum
This past Saturday Lou Ann and I drove to the Raleigh/Durham airport. Along the way we stopped in Belhaven to get a bite to eat and to take a look at the River Forest Manor, an historic inn near the water. We're thinking about taking a short trip over there sometime in the spring, and I was telling Lou Ann how nice it would be to stay at the RFM for a night or two. It's just our style.
While walking down the street I remembered the museum in Belhaven, and decided to take Lou Ann there for a short visit. It was easy to locate. On the second floor, above the police station, it sports a bright blue door at street level. Hours: 1-5 every day but Wednesday. It was 4 o'clock.
Just inside the door was an antique, rusted piece of equipment. I can't remember exactly what it was. We turned and walked up the wide wooden staircase. In a windowed office at the top of the stairs, a couple of steps higher than the main floor, a man (the curator? a volunteer? the phantom of the museum?) watched our ascent. When we reached the top and turned to step into the museum he was standing on the step that leads up to his perch, staring at us.
Glancing around at the tables and shelves, it looked as if no one had ventured into this dreary, dusty cavern for ages, but the guest book actually showed that three others had visited earlier that very day.
"So do you work here every day?" Lou Ann inquired of our host in her cheery voice.
"No."
"Oh, you share your job with other folks then?
"No."
After an uncomfortable pause, "Oh, that's right, you're closed on Wednesdays."
In a slow, almost macabre, drawl came the reply, "That's the other possibility."
There wasn't much chance of further conversation so we signed the guest book and began our self guided tour. Mrs. Way had collected things all of her life, and as the word spread friends, relatives, and neighbors gifted her with more and more unusual items. When she died in the early 1960s most of the paraphernalia she had gathered was taken here. The Belhaven Museum was established. There is no theme. It's very eclectic. Whatever Mrs. Way saved, you can view here. It appears that everything is exactly as it was when the museum first opened. Except for the dust and the ravages of age. Yellowed and brittle handmade signs are pinned to dolls, or taped to glass cases, or propped up in front of ninety year old helmets, or tied to ancient cast iron implements.
One of the first exhibits is a huge dress, somber and fragile, attacked by moths, or disintegrating simply because of old age. It was worn by a 700 pound woman, we are informed.
Nearby are buttons. Buttons on cards affixed to the wall, buttons that create a map of the US, every state a different color. Buttons that create a map of NC, every county a different color. Buttons in jars. Buttons, buttons, buttons.
There are old typewriters, vintage cameras, WWI uniforms, a section of a satellite retrieved after it crashed to earth, rattlesnake skins and rattles, and top hats & baby prams. There are jars of specimens in formaldehyde. An eight-legged fetal pig, sharks, fish, a lamb, and even human fetuses. Behind them hangs an amber-hued hundred year old skeleton, with jaw agape, staring into the dingy aisle.
One wall is covered with old-time kitchen utensils. Only one item is labeled. "Meat Cleaver." Why only this one item? I'm reminded of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. On the adjacent wall are shelves full of canning jars filled with vegetables (green beans were popular with Mrs. Way), fish (hard to imagine this was appetizing even back in 1960), and other slowly disintegrating foodstuffs.
Old magazines and books are in a small room a few steps up; a dusty pile lies forlornly on what appears to be a psychiatrist's couch. Not a comforting sign. There are copies of a button collecting journal. Who would have guessed?
We wander about intrigued by the arrowheads, carvings, baby clothes, farm implements, and dressed-up fleas (thoughtfully there's a magnifying glass laid nearby).
We don't have time to take it all in. We'll be back.
If you happen to be traveling by Belhaven take the business route into town and ask about the museum. Anyone there can direct you. Every day but Wednesday, 1-5. And don't even ask if he works there every day. Just smile and keep your eye on the exit.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
While walking down the street I remembered the museum in Belhaven, and decided to take Lou Ann there for a short visit. It was easy to locate. On the second floor, above the police station, it sports a bright blue door at street level. Hours: 1-5 every day but Wednesday. It was 4 o'clock.
Just inside the door was an antique, rusted piece of equipment. I can't remember exactly what it was. We turned and walked up the wide wooden staircase. In a windowed office at the top of the stairs, a couple of steps higher than the main floor, a man (the curator? a volunteer? the phantom of the museum?) watched our ascent. When we reached the top and turned to step into the museum he was standing on the step that leads up to his perch, staring at us.
Glancing around at the tables and shelves, it looked as if no one had ventured into this dreary, dusty cavern for ages, but the guest book actually showed that three others had visited earlier that very day.
"So do you work here every day?" Lou Ann inquired of our host in her cheery voice.
"No."
"Oh, you share your job with other folks then?
"No."
After an uncomfortable pause, "Oh, that's right, you're closed on Wednesdays."
In a slow, almost macabre, drawl came the reply, "That's the other possibility."
There wasn't much chance of further conversation so we signed the guest book and began our self guided tour. Mrs. Way had collected things all of her life, and as the word spread friends, relatives, and neighbors gifted her with more and more unusual items. When she died in the early 1960s most of the paraphernalia she had gathered was taken here. The Belhaven Museum was established. There is no theme. It's very eclectic. Whatever Mrs. Way saved, you can view here. It appears that everything is exactly as it was when the museum first opened. Except for the dust and the ravages of age. Yellowed and brittle handmade signs are pinned to dolls, or taped to glass cases, or propped up in front of ninety year old helmets, or tied to ancient cast iron implements.
One of the first exhibits is a huge dress, somber and fragile, attacked by moths, or disintegrating simply because of old age. It was worn by a 700 pound woman, we are informed.
Nearby are buttons. Buttons on cards affixed to the wall, buttons that create a map of the US, every state a different color. Buttons that create a map of NC, every county a different color. Buttons in jars. Buttons, buttons, buttons.
There are old typewriters, vintage cameras, WWI uniforms, a section of a satellite retrieved after it crashed to earth, rattlesnake skins and rattles, and top hats & baby prams. There are jars of specimens in formaldehyde. An eight-legged fetal pig, sharks, fish, a lamb, and even human fetuses. Behind them hangs an amber-hued hundred year old skeleton, with jaw agape, staring into the dingy aisle.
One wall is covered with old-time kitchen utensils. Only one item is labeled. "Meat Cleaver." Why only this one item? I'm reminded of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. On the adjacent wall are shelves full of canning jars filled with vegetables (green beans were popular with Mrs. Way), fish (hard to imagine this was appetizing even back in 1960), and other slowly disintegrating foodstuffs.
Old magazines and books are in a small room a few steps up; a dusty pile lies forlornly on what appears to be a psychiatrist's couch. Not a comforting sign. There are copies of a button collecting journal. Who would have guessed?
We wander about intrigued by the arrowheads, carvings, baby clothes, farm implements, and dressed-up fleas (thoughtfully there's a magnifying glass laid nearby).
We don't have time to take it all in. We'll be back.
If you happen to be traveling by Belhaven take the business route into town and ask about the museum. Anyone there can direct you. Every day but Wednesday, 1-5. And don't even ask if he works there every day. Just smile and keep your eye on the exit.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Jokes
Ocracoke is a wonderful place to come home to. I enjoy traveling to other places (though mostly my destination has been Indiana lately), and, of course, I have enjoyed spending time with Lou Ann. But I never dread coming back to the island. Merle was in the post office this morning (the P.O. is often the gathering place for island information). She commented that some off-island friends had asked if she didn't feel "isolated" with Highway 12 virtually closed. Her answer: "Yes, and it feels wonderful!"
Yesterday, coming out of the Variety Store, David Tolson (a former student of mine) pulled me over to the side. He had a joke to tell me. He'd heard it from Grant, the UPS guy. We laughed and chatted, and laughed some more. Sitting there on the bench on the porch (sharing stories and humor) reminded me once again why I like living here so much. (By the way, I can't repeat the joke here, but I can tell it at poker on Friday night.) Last week Lou Ann commented on the special closeness and sense of community and shared history she always feels when on the island. I suppose it really is different here, in many ways.
In other news, as they say, yesterday's post garnered two comments.
The first: "Island eccentrics, eh? You'll have to share with the rest of us." Well, it's a tad impolitic to share too much in a public forum when you live in such a small village. I suggest you just hang out around the locals to get to know some of these folks yourselves. From this reader's comment, he or she is well on the way to having plenty of colorful stories.
The second: "How is the bridge replacement project going?" I have no official word, but rumor has it that all is proceeding more quickly than expected. One unofficial source mentioned the end of this month, another claimed the middle of this month, as the time when the road might be reopened. I'm told they are working on the last two bridges (over Old Hammock Creek, and Island Creek, near the campground). I understand that final paving will have to wait (for warmer weather, I presume), but that the road will be reopened as soon as possible. In the meanwhile there appear to be very few glitches. Mail, UPS, groceries, gasoline, lumber, and other deliveries keep coming.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Yesterday, coming out of the Variety Store, David Tolson (a former student of mine) pulled me over to the side. He had a joke to tell me. He'd heard it from Grant, the UPS guy. We laughed and chatted, and laughed some more. Sitting there on the bench on the porch (sharing stories and humor) reminded me once again why I like living here so much. (By the way, I can't repeat the joke here, but I can tell it at poker on Friday night.) Last week Lou Ann commented on the special closeness and sense of community and shared history she always feels when on the island. I suppose it really is different here, in many ways.
In other news, as they say, yesterday's post garnered two comments.
The first: "Island eccentrics, eh? You'll have to share with the rest of us." Well, it's a tad impolitic to share too much in a public forum when you live in such a small village. I suggest you just hang out around the locals to get to know some of these folks yourselves. From this reader's comment, he or she is well on the way to having plenty of colorful stories.
The second: "How is the bridge replacement project going?" I have no official word, but rumor has it that all is proceeding more quickly than expected. One unofficial source mentioned the end of this month, another claimed the middle of this month, as the time when the road might be reopened. I'm told they are working on the last two bridges (over Old Hammock Creek, and Island Creek, near the campground). I understand that final paving will have to wait (for warmer weather, I presume), but that the road will be reopened as soon as possible. In the meanwhile there appear to be very few glitches. Mail, UPS, groceries, gasoline, lumber, and other deliveries keep coming.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
An Interesting Day
I really don't know how I can find so much to keep me busy on the island in February when the road is practically closed and the village is so quiet! Well, actually, I've been off the island for a few days. Went to Raleigh to see Lou Ann off at the airport on Sunday. But we left on Saturday in order to get there on time (her flight was Sunday morning). We stopped in Belhaven on the way and toured the museum there. That is a very peculiar attraction, and I'll tell you more about that on another day, I promise.
I stayed an extra day in Carboro, NC to visit a close island friend (who is having some medical treatments at Duke) and her husband. I was reminded of how important our community is to all of us, and how supportive islanders are when friends and neighbors need each other.
Back home today I made a point of going to the beach. A thick wet fog had enveloped the island most of the day and kept ferries tied up at the docks periodically. Visibility on the beach was about the length of a football field. The gun metal gray sky and the slightly darker ocean, punctuated by churning whitecaps, blended seamlessly into each other to create a surreal seascape.
This afternoon I cooked up a delicious pot of broccoli soup, so I invited three friends over. We filled our bellies, then repaired into the parlor to chat about politics and island eccentrics who have passed through our tiny village.
It's been a good day.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
I stayed an extra day in Carboro, NC to visit a close island friend (who is having some medical treatments at Duke) and her husband. I was reminded of how important our community is to all of us, and how supportive islanders are when friends and neighbors need each other.
Back home today I made a point of going to the beach. A thick wet fog had enveloped the island most of the day and kept ferries tied up at the docks periodically. Visibility on the beach was about the length of a football field. The gun metal gray sky and the slightly darker ocean, punctuated by churning whitecaps, blended seamlessly into each other to create a surreal seascape.
This afternoon I cooked up a delicious pot of broccoli soup, so I invited three friends over. We filled our bellies, then repaired into the parlor to chat about politics and island eccentrics who have passed through our tiny village.
It's been a good day.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Friday, February 01, 2008
NCCAT
Yesterday Lou Ann and I hosted a Murder Mystery for the two dozen teachers who were on the island this week for a "Mystery" seminar. We met at 3 o'clock at Deepwater Theater where Lou Ann explained the afternoon's activities. Scripts were handed out and everyone received a part -- actors, sound effects person, distributors of clues, etc. The actors got costumes (a hat, a pipe, suspenders, an apron, or some other indicator of their role). And the show was on!
After every vignette the teachers gathered in small groups to examine clues. Eventually there was a trial. But no verdict was offered. It was time to head back to the NCCAT center for a delicious dinner (Lou Ann & I had the flounder). After dinner we gathered in the seminar room to complete the trial....and then to examine the last clue, an encoded confession. Finally one group cracked the code. The murderer was exposed!
What a good time we all had. If you are a teacher in a NC public school consider applying for a week seminar at the Ocracoke campus of NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching). You won't be disappointed!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
After every vignette the teachers gathered in small groups to examine clues. Eventually there was a trial. But no verdict was offered. It was time to head back to the NCCAT center for a delicious dinner (Lou Ann & I had the flounder). After dinner we gathered in the seminar room to complete the trial....and then to examine the last clue, an encoded confession. Finally one group cracked the code. The murderer was exposed!
What a good time we all had. If you are a teacher in a NC public school consider applying for a week seminar at the Ocracoke campus of NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching). You won't be disappointed!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A Quiet Day in January
Hi! This is Philip again. I gave my house to a friend for a couple of weeks. Some of our readers may know Michael. He is a musician and sometimes participates in the Ocrafolk Festival. Among other instruments, he plays the didgeridoo (from Wikipedia -- "The didgeridoo [or didjeridu] is a wind instrument of the Indigenous Australians of northern Australia. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or 'drone pipe.' Musicologists classify it as an aerophone."). Anyway, he and Fiddler Dave spent many hours in my house creating music together and practicing (for an upcoming album?? I'm not really sure.).
While Michael was here I went to visit Lou Ann. Even though we were in the cold and snowy mid-west, we got out quite a lot and had a wonderful time (both Lou Ann and I enjoy walking so we joined an early morning hike with a naturalist in a nearby state park, and bundled up many an evening to walk through the quiet streets of her little town). We also filled our days and evenings with pot luck dinners, swimming (Lou Ann gifted me with a YMCA membership so I'd swim for a half hour most days while she was at work), visits with family & friends, an evening at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, line dancing (we did pretty well, thank you), a day at the circus ( wish Lachlan could have joined us!), and other activities (reading & writing were high on the list).
I arrived home Monday afternoon (by way of Swan Quarter, since the bridges on Hwy 12 are being replaced) and led an NCCAT seminar on a Ghost & History Walk last night. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
I haven't had time to check out the bridge replacement project yet (actually there is no way to get down there unless I can find my way from the beach and across the dunes to the road), but I'll give a report as soon as I learn anything. But everything seems to be humming along fine. Mail is getting delivered courtesy of the National Park Service, the UPS truck is making it through the soft sand, and I've seen the Dare Building truck in the village.
But it is quiet this time of the year. When I drove off the Swan Quarter ferry it seemed like a ghost town -- no cars in the parking lots, no pedestrians, no bicyclists....just quiet. It reminded me of the Ocracoke of fifty years ago, or the Ocracoke just before a hurricane. Not a bad place to be, actually.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
While Michael was here I went to visit Lou Ann. Even though we were in the cold and snowy mid-west, we got out quite a lot and had a wonderful time (both Lou Ann and I enjoy walking so we joined an early morning hike with a naturalist in a nearby state park, and bundled up many an evening to walk through the quiet streets of her little town). We also filled our days and evenings with pot luck dinners, swimming (Lou Ann gifted me with a YMCA membership so I'd swim for a half hour most days while she was at work), visits with family & friends, an evening at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, line dancing (we did pretty well, thank you), a day at the circus ( wish Lachlan could have joined us!), and other activities (reading & writing were high on the list).
I arrived home Monday afternoon (by way of Swan Quarter, since the bridges on Hwy 12 are being replaced) and led an NCCAT seminar on a Ghost & History Walk last night. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
I haven't had time to check out the bridge replacement project yet (actually there is no way to get down there unless I can find my way from the beach and across the dunes to the road), but I'll give a report as soon as I learn anything. But everything seems to be humming along fine. Mail is getting delivered courtesy of the National Park Service, the UPS truck is making it through the soft sand, and I've seen the Dare Building truck in the village.
But it is quiet this time of the year. When I drove off the Swan Quarter ferry it seemed like a ghost town -- no cars in the parking lots, no pedestrians, no bicyclists....just quiet. It reminded me of the Ocracoke of fifty years ago, or the Ocracoke just before a hurricane. Not a bad place to be, actually.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Friday, January 25, 2008
See Ya Later!
Still working long and hard, night and day to finish up by Monday noon. Why does she need to finish by Monday noon you ask? Because Frank, Willie and I are leaving for Salisbury, Md. to see my Mom. She'll be 87 years old on January 31st. Her name is Ruth Bromhall and she is happy and healthy an very feisty! Then we'll leave from Philadelphia at 6AM on Thursday with Frank's Mom and sister Amy for Aruba. Frank and I will stay there for a month and my oh my are we looking forward to it. So I'll report when we get back on our adventures. Aruba is a wonderful place and WARM. A note to Lynn in Va., you can order soap from our website anytime darlin. To Emma Lovejoy , it was so good to hear from you and know you miss Ocracoke. Emma is the daughter of friend Karen Lovejoy and Dave Frum and our foreign exchange student from Ocracoke to Denmark this year. To the person who offered a prayer for my son and his family, many thanks. So.....adios, adieu, see ya later.........when I'm tanned and rested. Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Mixed Emotions
A brief entry today. Our oldest son Matty who lived here with his wife Mary and our two grandaughters Lici and Hannah Rae until this past August left for Ft. Sill, Oklahoma today. He's a Navy veteran and he was a commercial fisherman and carpenter here on the Island. Mary worked for the Ocracoke Preservation Society. But, as is so common these day, prices for homes here are so high they couldn't afford to buy so they moved back to where Mary grew up in Ohio. Matt has joined the Army. He's thirty three. He did it for his family and his country. His Dad and brother and I are very proud of him. We're proud of all that serve. Thank you.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Thanks for the Comments
We are sometimes amazed that folks actually read our journal entries, at least I am. We sit here in relative solitude, often not seeing but one or two souls in a days time in the winter. It's so nice to find the comments that you leave for us. To Beth Moore who wanted to know why we visited Chesapeake City, Md. - my husband Frank ( he makes the soap ) grew up there and most of his family lives in or around there. His Mom, Dolly is who we usually stay with when we're there. To the person who had the great suggestions about Burger King - thanks. We'll be traveling again and we'll need more coupons! Willie got a hamburg every time we stopped. Boy does he love to go. To the person who had the question about the vendors who got stranded overnight on the island - there is always one motel open for just that circumstance and if there wasn't I'm sure, knowing Ocracoke folks, they'd have a place to lay their heads. Dallie and I are working hard closing out last year and getting Village Craftsmen ready to open in March. Our hours are long but the radio is loud and we can wear our old clothes and take long walks on nice days. Those are our "perks" off season. Later. Jude
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Monday, January 21, 2008
January Newsletter
It's been quiet here on the island lately. Instead of catching up on chores I've spent more time relaxing than working. I did write a short newsletter a few days ago, however. It was inspired by a 1942 article in The State magazine that I came across recently. You can read it here. I hope you enjoy it.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Not Much was Moving
Yesterday was one of those days that is hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been here in the winter. It started out raw and cold, wind blowing, rain beating sideways. Half way through the morning I stuck my head out the back door of the shop and low and behold - spring had sprung. The rain was still beating sideways. When I left Village Craftsmen a little after 5PM I went to the Variety Store to pick up a few things for dinner. You could hear the ocean roaring and carrying on like it was as near as the Post Office. The rain was still beating sideways. The vendors that had come to make deliveries for the weekend couldn't get off the island. Sysco, Budweiser and others had to spend the night, I hear. When I went to let Willie out about 9PM the fog was swirling around the yard but the rain had finally stopped. As I crawled in bed about 11, I could still hear the ocean's roar in the distance . This wild place somehow wraps itself around me and quiets me to sleep.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Home Is an Island
Frank and I left Ocracoke on December 21st and returned on January 7th. We went to Salisbury, Maryland-Chesapeake City, Maryland- Bedford, Pa.- Dublin, Ohio- Camby, Indiana and back the same way again. We visited mothers, and sisters and brothers, sons and daughters-in-law, grandaughters, neices and nephews and many friends. We went to stores, taverns, museums, galleries, restaurants and every single Burger King between here and Indiana thanks to Frank and some coupons he got on Christmas. We had more fun than two people have a right to have. We laughed til we cried. We cried because we left people we love and won't see again for too long. We decided that 14 degrees is too cold for any human being to endure . We decided that we hate traffic more than 14 degrees and we were so happy to get home to the quiet of the island. We just wish we could have brought everybody we love home with us. Excuse me while I grab a tissue. Jude
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is inspired by an April, 1942 article about the island in The State magazine. You can read it here.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Happy New Year!
Hi, this is Philip again. I decided to take a two week winter trip. Went to see Lou Ann, then we traveled to Texas to visit her parents in Houston. I was a good sport and sat through several hours of old home movies! Actually it was fun to see images from her former life (it is quite interesting -- she lived in a farmhouse without running water, cooked on a wood stove, spun her own wool, and raised chickens, rabbits, goats, & cows, among many other things).
We spent New Years Eve with my 95 year old aunt and her daughter. Went to the Grapevine Opry (in Grapevine, Texas) for a country music celebration. The theater is larger than Ocracoke's Deepwater Theater, but there was a lot of down home banter and good cheer. All of the performers, much like at home, were friends, so we heard about their husbands, wives, and children. And the music was superb, especially one ten year old girl who belted out "Your Cheatin' Heart!"
Back on the island life is slow and quiet. And cold. Not as cold as the mid west (a foot of snow covered everything in northeast Indiana, transforming Lou Ann's small town into a fairy land), but it has been below freezing several nights (it's in the low 40s right now). I haven't been down to the campground yet, but the road is definitely closed as contractors begin replacing all seven bridges on the island. Completion is scheduled for no later than mid-March, maybe sooner.
In the meanwhile, all traffic (other than 4-wheel drive) comes and goes by way of Swan Quarter or Cedar Island. Dare Building brought a 4-wheel drive delivery truck, and an unfamiliar fuel delivery truck has been on the island. There's also a brand new helicopter landing pad by the airstrip in case of medical emergencies. I haven't been out there yet to see if a helicopter is stationed here now. But there is also an additional yellow fire truck on the island "just in case." It's nice to know that the authorities have done a thorough job of preparing for this period of enhanced isolation.
I might make another off-island trip later this month. Michael Stanwood, a musician friend of mine, is coming to the island in a week or so, and I might leave the house to him for a while so he and fiddler Dave can practice undisturbed in my living room for another CD.
Our latest monthly newsletter is the story of the Christmas Eve wreck of the British steamship, Ariosto, in 1899. You can read it here.
We spent New Years Eve with my 95 year old aunt and her daughter. Went to the Grapevine Opry (in Grapevine, Texas) for a country music celebration. The theater is larger than Ocracoke's Deepwater Theater, but there was a lot of down home banter and good cheer. All of the performers, much like at home, were friends, so we heard about their husbands, wives, and children. And the music was superb, especially one ten year old girl who belted out "Your Cheatin' Heart!"
Back on the island life is slow and quiet. And cold. Not as cold as the mid west (a foot of snow covered everything in northeast Indiana, transforming Lou Ann's small town into a fairy land), but it has been below freezing several nights (it's in the low 40s right now). I haven't been down to the campground yet, but the road is definitely closed as contractors begin replacing all seven bridges on the island. Completion is scheduled for no later than mid-March, maybe sooner.
In the meanwhile, all traffic (other than 4-wheel drive) comes and goes by way of Swan Quarter or Cedar Island. Dare Building brought a 4-wheel drive delivery truck, and an unfamiliar fuel delivery truck has been on the island. There's also a brand new helicopter landing pad by the airstrip in case of medical emergencies. I haven't been out there yet to see if a helicopter is stationed here now. But there is also an additional yellow fire truck on the island "just in case." It's nice to know that the authorities have done a thorough job of preparing for this period of enhanced isolation.
I might make another off-island trip later this month. Michael Stanwood, a musician friend of mine, is coming to the island in a week or so, and I might leave the house to him for a while so he and fiddler Dave can practice undisturbed in my living room for another CD.
Our latest monthly newsletter is the story of the Christmas Eve wreck of the British steamship, Ariosto, in 1899. You can read it here.
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