Waving

I am a waver. I wave at every car with a "local" sticker, regardless of whether I know the driver. I wave at people in the Post Office. I wave across restaurants and stores at friends. I wave through my windows at people I know who ride or walk by my house, even though I'm not sure whether they see me.

So the other day, when I saw my friend Mary Ellen raise her hand and wiggle her fingers for a whole block as she rode by my house, it warmed my heart. I knew I loved her for a reason!

Thunder and ozone

There was a terrific storm tonight, with plenty of lightning and several long, close rumbles of thunder. I was at Marcy's house and I swear I could feel the place vibrating a couple of times! There were several ladies there, rehearsing for the show on Saturday night, and at one point DeAnna was singing a song called Perfect Storm. Very fitting.

I walked home after our rehearsal and, although it wasn't a long walk, I enjoyed every second of it. The storm had cooled the air considerably, which was a welcome relief (it was very hot earlier today). So I walked slowly and breathed deeply, enjoying the fresh after-rain scent of ozone. The only way it could have been any better is if there had been no clouds so I could see the stars. But cloudless, starry nights and thunderstorms don't go together.

Lost something?

I recently saw a flier at the post office which made me a bit sad. It was put there by someone who had lost a camera during their vacation, and was a plea to anyone who found the camera to please contact them. It even included a hand drawn picture of a person crying over the lost memories. I wish I had found this person's camera, so I could call and make their day. I know I would be really upset if I ever lost my camera (or even just the memory card) during a vacation.

Okay, so to elevate this from the status of just a sad blog and turn it into a public service announcement, here's a tip to prevent the loss of your precious family photos if you ever misplace a camera.
Film camera: write your name, address and phone number on an index card which you keep in your camera bag. The first picture you take after loading a new roll of film should be of this card. That way, if you lose your camera and the person who finds it develops your film, they will know how to get in touch with you.
Digital camera: same deal, except you don't need to keep the index card, since you only need to take the picture once. Just don't ever delete it from the memory card (or internal memory) of your camera.

If this advice comes too late (if you have already lost a digital camera or memory card), there's one final possibility for help: visit the found cameras and orphan pictures blog. If you find a lost camera, you can send a picture or two from it to the blog owners for posting, in the hopes that the owners will see and recognize their pictures and you can get the camera (and the memories) back to them. As a bonus, the blog includes stories about the people who have lost cameras and gotten them back, which just might restore some of your faith in humanity (assuming you are having a bad day, or have otherwise lost said faith).

Have a great day, and hang on to your best memories!

Island nuts

No, this blog is not about some of the more - er, unusual - residents of the island (although there are plenty of them). It's about my new favorite snack - macadamia nuts from another island: Hawaii.

While Damon and Jocelyn were here, Damon's mom sent a gift set of 3 cans of macadamia nuts - one milk chocolate covered, one salted, and one Kona coffee dark chocolate. I'm not sure if Damon meant to leave them behind for us when he left or not, but it was my luck that he did! There's only one problem - I am going to be sad once I eat them all.

Did you know that macadamia nuts are one of Hawaii's major exports? That got me wondering what the major "exports" of Ocracoke are. Fig preserves, maybe (at least in the edible category). Gifts of all varieties. Seashells. Memories.

Jackpot!

I went to Bingo the last two Tuesday nights, and had thought about going tonight. (I wanted to use my new orange dauber that my sister bought last week and left for me, because watching her use it last week, while I slaved away with my green crayon, gave me dauber envy! Although, on second thought, that was nothing compared to the envy I had for the lady with the lighthouse dauber...now that was cool!)

Anyway, I heard that someone won the $500 jackpot last night. Lucky them!

Song sirens

If you enjoy women's voices lifted in song and story, you should plan to attend the second annual Women of Ocracoke show scheduled for Saturday August 2nd at 8 PM at Deep Water Theater. Tickets cost $10, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to support the venue. Enjoy it!

Hometown tourist

My sister and I went for a walk tonight, and saw along the way a lady I met during the storytelling workshop earlier this year. She commented that she had been here for a week but hadn't seen me out and about, and asked if I had been busy or off the island. That got me started reflecting on the idea of being a tourist in my own home town.

It is too easy, when you live and work on Ocracoke, to miss the events and activities that make it a wonderful vacation destination. I really need to make sure I take more time to get out and do the fun things, like attending DeepWater Theater shows, kayaking, walking on the beach, and other such good stuff.

The funny thing about having these thoughts today in particular, is that I actually managed to do a couple of "touristy" things this afternoon. I went into an island shop, ate ice cream at the Slushy Stand, and even engaged in some truly goofy tourist behavior. Here's the evidence:

Game night

We enjoyed "family game night" this evening. I'm not kidding. Yes, I know that sounds like some kind of geeky organized thing, but it really just happened. We played a game of euchre, and then enjoyed a hilarious round of "Dirty Minds". Then, I finally finished my first attempt at a medium difficulty
Sudoku puzzle. I think I need to go back to the easy ones, because the medium one took me slightly over an hour, spread across two days!

It was really fun to spend this time with family - we teased each other about cheating at cards, laughed at the crazy clues in Dirty Minds, and everyone encouraged my Sudoku efforts. In short, we enjoyed each others company.

So, even if you think "family game night" is geeky, I recommend you try it. Have fun!

Rainy mornings

It has been rainy here the last couple of mornings. We need the rain, so I'm not complaining. Also, the showers have been short lived, clearing off by late morning. Unfortunately, that does make for some hot, humid July afternoons.

On weekdays, I don't notice the weather that much since I spend much of my time indoors working. But with the weekend coming, I hope it will not be too hot to do something fun outside.

Hope you enjoy your weekend - indoors or out!

Bonfire

We went to the beach bonfire tonight and enjoyed a program of several stories (and a couple of songs) by one of the NPS rangers. It was too windy for S'mores, unfortunately, but we had fun anyway. I loved listening to the waves crash and watching for the first star of the evening to appear. And then, of course, I did put my feet in salt water.

The National Park Service presents several informative and entertaining programs every week throughout the summer season. I highly recommend attending one!

Here's what's available:

Morning Bird Walk - Wednesdays, 8 AM, meet at the oceanside parking lot at the north end of the island (by the Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry dock)

Soundside Seining - Wednesdays, 2 PM, meet at the oceanside parking lot .7 miles north of the Pony Pasture

Explore the Shore - Mondays and Fridays, 9:30 AM, meet at Ocracoke Campground parking lot

Crabbing with a Ranger - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM, check at NPS Visitor Center for location

Ocean Safety Demonstration - Wednesdays, 10:30 AM, Ocracoke lifeguard stand

Especially for Kids - Mondays, 3 PM; Tuesdays, 4 PM; Thursdays and Fridays, 11 AM, NPS Visitor Center outdoor area

Outer Banks History - Tuesdays, 11 AM; Thursdays, 3:30 PM; Saturdays, 2 PM, NPS Visitor Center outdoor area

Banker Ponies - Sundays and Thursdays, 3 PM; Tuesdays, 2 PM, Pony Pasture

Pirates! - Mondays and Fridays, 2 PM; Wednesdays, 11 AM, NPS Visitor Center outdoor area

Graveyard of the Atlantic - Sundays, 11 AM; Wednesdays, 3:30 PM, NPS Visitor Center outdoor area

Barrier Island Nature - Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2 PM; Mondays, 11:30 AM; Tuesdays, 3 PM; Saturdays, 11 AM, NPS Visitor Center outdoor area

Maritime Woods Walk - Fridays, 3 PM, Hammock Hills Nature Trail (meet in parking lot)

Evening Campfire - Wednesdays, 8 PM, Ocracoke Campground beach

Night Lights - Thursdays, 8:45 PM, Ocracoke Campground parking lot

The schedule is subject to change and can, of course, be affected by weather, so check with the NPS Visitor Center to confirm which programs are happening while you are here. Enjoy!

Ocrafolk School 2008

Long time readers of this blog may remember that last year I had insane amounts of fun taking the Ocrafolk Sampler class during the first annual Ocrafolk School. If you were insanely jealous of my insane fun, and you've been waiting for your chance to do some of the same things, you're in luck! The dates and classes for this year's Ocrafolk School have been announced, and are posted on the website. I highly recommend the school, not matter which class you take!

Who is it?

I'm not a huge TV fan, and I'm even less of a fan of most "reality" TV shows. There are, however, two exceptions: The Mole and The Amazing Race.

I enjoy The Mole because it makes me think, trying to figure out which player is sabotaging the game. We watched it tonight and everyone has their theories regarding which player is "the mole". I'm not sure who it is yet, but I still enjoy watching the show.

If you're a Mole fan and you think you know who the mole is this season, drop me a comment and let me know.

Lots of water

It was a "watery" day today.

First, this morning at church, Connor was baptized in water, and blessed by Pastor Joyce making a sign of the cross on his forehead with water from the Jordan River.



This afternoon, several bands of rain came through as a result of Tropical Storm Cristobal. It really wasn't much at all though, especially considering all the concern and coverage. Cristobal turned out to be a non event. That's my favorite kind of storm, though!

Cristobal might be coming

I blogged a while ago about the fact that, when you live on an island, you should keep a decently close eye on tropical weather. I need to take my own advice. Today, I heard for the first time about Tropical Storm Cristobal, which is apparently headed our way. It was the first I knew of the storm. Good thing other people are paying more attention than I am!

At this point, it looks like the storm will parallel the Outer Banks, bringing high surf and some wind. It doesn't look like it will be a particularly impactful storm, but we'll see and I'll let you know if anything interesting happens.

Too busy

I saw a sign years ago that said "If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy." I hope I'm never that busy. (Even on my busiest days, I try to laugh. I have the help of a very humorous husband, plus a friend who sends me links to funny things on the internet. )

Here's my modified version of the saying.

When you are too busy to:
- get out of the house
- go to the beach
- blog

...you are too busy!

A wonderful evening

Tonight, we had dinner outdoors. We attended the OWWA fish fry and enjoyed steamed shrimp and fried bluefish with coleslaw, baked beans, and a terrific key lime pie for dessert. We ate at a picnic table right outside the Fish House, and met some friendly visitors too. It was a great dinner, rivaling any expensive restaurant.

After dinner, we went home and played a round of euchre. I love euchre, so this was my favorite part of the evening! Jocelyn and I played several rounds of Speed (which took about 3 minutes total) and one session of War (which lasted nearly 30 minutes, and that was a relatively short round because Jocelyn beat me soundly).

Finally, we worked on the puzzle for a few more minutes. Well, Jocelyn worked on it. I watched and provided moral support. Someone has to be the audience to watch my sister's puzzle prowess.

My favorite part of the whole evening? We didn't turn the TV on for a minute. I enjoy these evenings of "old fashioned", unplugged activity, reminding me of simpler times. Hope you get to enjoy some quiet times, too, wherever you are...

Puzzle people

My family enjoys doing puzzles. I also like to do them, although I am terrible at them. My sister and my husband, however, are quite good at them. They do really well putting pieces together based on shape only, meaning they are successful at assembling the parts of a puzzle in which the pieces are all the same color (like a large area of sky, water, or sand in the picture). I, on the other hand, can only work with the pieces which have obvious differences in the image, as my eye simply does not easily see the differences in the shapes.

I was hoping to have a deep meaningful life lesson here, about how people look at the world differently (some see the big picture, some the parts), but it's just not coming to me. So here are some pictures instead!

Jocelyn and John putting the outside edge together.

Savannah watched the progress from below.

Island scenes

I stopped by a friend's house recently, to drop off something for them. They weren't home, so I went inside, found a pen, wrote them a note, and left it and the item on their dining room table. I love the symbolism of this - that our homes and our lives are open to each other, and our friends are always welcome to come in.

I also loved this scene, which I saw outside my friend's house. Very Ocracoke!

Advice

Today, I had a baby-related question. (The first of many, I'm sure!) Usually, when I have a question, I ask Mr. Google (or sometimes Mr. Yahoo). It's actually a running joke in our family that I can find the answer to nearly any question in six clicks or less. I usually watch movies with my laptop at the ready, in case I wonder "who is that actress?" or "what did I see him in last year?"


When I had the baby-related question, however, I called my friend Sundae, who has three kids. It was a definite departure from the norm for me, but I love the fact that many of my friends with babies have encouraged me to call and take advantage of their experience when I need to do so.

The great thing about this particular instance of receiving advice was that, after Sundae gave me a suggestion on what to do, she said "I'm really not all that familiar with this. You should check on the internet."

Pot luck party

We went to the pot luck welcome home party for Emma Lovejoy tonight. (Emma recently returned to the island after spending nearly a year as an exchange student in Denmark.) It was one of the most enjoyable potlucks I've ever attended (which is saying a lot because I love pot lucks and go to several (and host one or two) every year).

There were several things which made this a great potluck, one of which was - of course - the food. What makes food at an Ocracoke potluck terrific is not merely that it's delicious, though. It's also that it's comfortingly familiar. Here's what I mean by that: I went through the food line tonight with Damon and my sister, and found myself pointing out several dishes I recommended they try, because they are yummy. I said things like "this is Sundae's pineapple casserole - sweet and cheesy at the same time", "Marcy's sausage rolls are always good", "definitely try some of Kitty's lima beans", "Philip makes fantastic deviled eggs", and "eat whatever Merle brings, no matter what it is". It's not merely food at an Ocracoke potluck; it's friendship in a bowl.

After most folks had finished eating, several musicians brought out their instruments and entertained the crowd. It wasn't a show to just watch, though, and we weren't a passive, uninvolved audience. People sang along, crowd members were named in one song, kids played and danced in the middle of the circle of musicians, and Philip brought out (and played) his "dancing man" (a cute toy which is also a percussion instrument, played by bouncing the platform under the jointed wooden guy, causing his legs to jump, hit the platform, and tap out a rhythm).

I loved the sense of community and belonging at this particular potluck, evidenced mostly through the children. They were included in the fun, encouraged to sing, and cared for by whomever was closest. Sundae held Marcy's daughter Charlotte, I played with Sundae's daughter Mariah Daisy, and everyone stopped by our table to meet Connor, who slept in Emma's arms for a while.

I am deeply blessed to be part of this circle of food and friendship. Hope you are surrounded by good food and better friends, wherever you are...

Fashion is not my friend

We watched "The Devil Wears Prada" tonight. I don't think about fashion much, and I really don't care what's "in" and what's not, so watching an entire movie about the world of fashion was interesting for me.

My requirements for clothing and shoes are that they be:
1. Comfortable - this is the most important attribute and is the reason I don't wear high heels or anything tight.
2. Affordable - there are at least 417 more important things to spend money on, in my opinion. Okay, 417 might be a minor hyperbole, but you get my point.
3. Easy care - this is especially important here on Ocracoke, where dry cleaning is simply not an option. But I didn't own anything that was "dry clean only" before I moved here either.

That pretty much rules out anything in the world of high fashion. I guess it's a good thing I live on an island and hang out with other people who think fashion is irrelevant.

Gray days

It has been quite overcast here for the past few days. They have been good days for hanging around indoors and watching movies. Which is fun (I love movies), but doesn't provide much fodder for blogging!

BBQ Fund Raiser

There's a fund raiser for the Fire Department planned for this Friday starting at 11 AM. The volunteer firefighters will be selling cooked barbecue and baked goods. Because there isn't a BBQ place on the island, this will be popular, so if you plan to buy some Q, get there early. They will definitely run out before it's over.

If you want to try something different in terms of baked goods, my sister will be contributing a chocolate haupia pie. It's a Hawaiian dessert and - judging from the ingredients she bought today at the Community Store - I suspect it will be delicious.

Here she is putting the final decorative touches on the whipped cream top.




I'll post the recipe she's planning to use if anyone is interested. Leave a comment to let us know if you would like it.

If you're here on Friday, you can enjoy some good barbecue. If not, hope you eat well at home, wherever you are...

Bye, Bertha

When you live on an island in a hurricane-prone area, you keep a slightly more focused eye on what the weather is doing off the coast of Africa and in the Caribbean. Those are two of the spots where storms often start.

Recently, we were watching Tropical Storm - then Hurricane - Bertha. She looked mean (winds were 115 mph - category 3 - at their highest), and well organized. The satellite view yesterday looked like a textbook example picture of a hurricane. But she was far off, so we weren't too worried.

And then she simmered down (winds are now at 80 mph - category 1), and lost her classic-hurricane structure. It looks like she will blow away toward the north, staying well out to sea. Phew.

I completely missed whatever the "A" storm was this year (there must have been a named system, or we wouldn't be on Bertha now). But it's definitely a good thing when we don't hear about one.

We're in the clear for now. But I'll still "keep a weather eye on the horizon", just in case.

Sud-oh-no

My sister Jocelyn and her boyfriend Damon are Sudoku fans. I have, of course, heard about the Sudoku craze (I live on an island, not under a rock), but until a couple of days ago I hadn't yet tried to do one. Jocelyn brought a book of puzzles with her and taught me how to solve them. I started with the easy ones, naturally. I haven't progressed beyond easy ones yet. But I have been able to solve a couple of the easy ones all by myself! (I won't tell you how long that takes, and certainly won't compare it to how long it takes Jocelyn or Damon to do an easy one!)

Before trying Sudoku myself, I really had no interest in it, and certainly didn't understand the tendency toward obsession with it. But now I feel the pull...there's something about wanting to improve on your past performance and "beat yourself" which is highly addictive.

So try it sometime, if you haven't yet. Or don't, if you would rather not get captured by it!

Spittin' seeds

After dinner tonight, we enjoyed a summer ritual: eating watermelon outside on the porch, and spitting seeds at one another. Yes, it's uncouth and somewhat ridiculous. It's also very funny. Every now and then, you should do something ridiculous, just for the fun of it!

Misdelivery

The UPS guy who delivers to Ocracoke is terrific. His name is Grant, and he is always friendly and helpful. Recently, he brought something to us which was actually incorrectly addressed. Mail delivery (via the Post Office) to Ocracoke uses only PO Box addresses, since there is no home delivery. UPS shipping, on the other hand, uses the street address. Grant had a box for me with the PO Box address on it. He remembered our names and street address and brought the box to us anyway. I know that many other UPS guys would have sent the package back, saying that the address was undeliverable. But not Grant.

That said, no one is perfect. Last week, I got a call which went like this:
Bob: "Hi Kati. This is Bob Chestnut, at Ride the Wind Surf Shop. Are you expecting a UPS delivery?"
Me: "Yes."
Bob: "Well your box is the same size and shape as our skim boards, so it was delivered here by mistake."
Me: "It's a crib mattress."
Bob: (Deadpan) "I know. Imagine my surprise."

So we went over to the Surf Shop and picked up the mattress. It all worked out fine and gave us a laugh, too.

Hope all your deliveries make it to you, wherever you are...

Happy Fourth!

John and I missed most of the Independence Day festivities today, because we went to New Bern to pick up my sister, her boyfriend Damon, and Connor. We made it back in time to see the fireworks, though, so here are a few for your enjoyment.

Hope you had a fun and safe Fourth of July!

Multiple kinds of music

I heard some music recently and thought to myself "that sounds like... but it can't be." So I looked up to see the source of the tune, and sure enough it was: an ice cream truck.



Yesterday, I followed it to get a couple of pictures and find out more. I spoke to the guy driving the truck, who told me that they would be here all summer, and that they are working on both Ocracoke and Hatteras.

And then, yes, I indulged. I couldn't help myself. I did manage to resist ordering the choco-taco and reliving the 80s, but now I'm thinking that was a bad choice. Honestly, how often do you get the chance to have a choco-taco?

I took my ice cream cone down to the boat ramp, sat on a bench and enjoyed it while watching a ferry arrive. I also watched two families: one fishing and the other having a picnic on the dock at the ramp. It was lovely and peaceful, marred only by the fact that I had the ice cream truck music playing over and over in my head.

After finishing my ice cream, I went home, ate a quick dinner (life is short, you should eat dessert first) and then went to the Ocrafolk Opry show at Deepwater Theatre. It was a terrific show as always, and I enjoyed having real music chase the ice cream truck song out of the crevices of my brain where it had been repeatedly playing.

After the show, I stood outside and talked with a friend for nearly an hour. It was a lovely evening, with no clouds and very few bugs, so we were able to enjoy and extend our conversation. I rode my bike home under a canopy of beautiful, plentiful stars.

Now lest you think that Ocracoke is perfect: I got sand spurs stuck in my feet while walking out to the bench at the dock to eat my ice cream cone, and my friend and I talked mostly about things that have been really annoying us lately. It's not utopia living here. But - at least on evenings like last night - it's pretty darn close.

Bushes and books

I have been meaning, for the last several days, to stop and take a picture of my friend Nancy's hygeranium (that's hydrangea to those of you unfamiliar with what Ocracokers call them) bushes.

I have a childhood memory of a HUGE hydrangea bush, large enough for me to crawl under it and hide. Having not ever seen a bush quite that big again, I had recently begun to doubt my memory. (Or, more accurately, to wonder if it was a case of everything seeming larger because I was small.) Then I saw Nancy's bushes and knew that it is possible for hydrangeas to be that big. These are so enormous, my adult sized self could crawl under them if I wanted to hide from the world for a while!





I snapped those shots today, on my way home from the annual book sale at the Library. John and I went shortly before it ended, and came home with a bag of summer reading. I got more than twice as many books as he did, even though he has much more time to read than I do. He has already read most of one of his books, and I haven't even started one of mine!

Hope you have time to enjoy both flower bushes and books, wherever you are...

Sunset stripes

I went to the beach today, and boy was my timing lucky! I got to see a lovely sunset in progress, painting stripes of orange and pink all over the sky.

I got shutter happy and took 42 pictures in about 10 minutes, but I'll spare you and only post my favorite one here.



Hope you can take the time to watch sunsets, wherever you are...