If you ever see

...something that looks like a shallow lake on the beach (a small low area which has filled with seawater at high tide), like this example:



...you should wade in it (especially if you have little kids). They are lovely, calm places to splash, and the water is usually bathtub warm since the shallowness means sun is able to heat it quite effectively. That's what I call wonderful - a natural hot tub, within view of the ocean!

Unusual sights

Occasionally I just have to stop what I'm doing and take a photograph because I see something...well, unusual. Something you just don't see every day.

Here's an example from this morning:



Yes, that's one of those "claw" games - shrinkwrapped - in the bed of a pickup truck. It was about to be delivered to Blackbeard's Lodge (for their game room, I assume).

Pothole filler, Ocracoke style

I saw this near my house recently, and thought I would share it with you. Around here, holes in roads, driveways, etc. are often filled the old fashioned way...with oyster or clam shells. Historically on Ocracoke, anything that needed to be done was done with whatever materials were on hand, and seafood shells were plentiful. I enjoyed seeing this nod to tradition.

Sandy seaweed

This morning's photo-worthy sight on the beach was several piles of sand-encrusted-seaweed. It must have been windy overnight, so the blowing sand stuck to the seaweed, creating an interesting patterned, textured look.

Turtle time

There are a couple of turtle nests near the spot where I go to the beach each morning. One must be close to hatching, as the rangers have closed off the area from the nest to the waterline, and have put up the black plastic barrier.





In case you've ever wondered, the black plastic is to help ensure that the turtles go toward the water rather than toward the road, both by creating a barrier they are unlikely to try to get through, and by blocking any light from the road which might confuse them into going that direction. So now you know!

I also happened to see one of the Park Service staff who does the morning turtle patrol. It's thanks to the efforts of these folks (and volunteers from the community) that turtle nests are located, marked and protected.

Potluck

There was a potluck tonight at the Lovejoy's house, in honor of Emma's host family from Denmark who are here visiting. There were a couple of funny conversations around specific food items which are always brought by same people. The first was when I brought in my typical macaroni and cheese. Karen said that during the afternoon, when the family was talking about what to cook, Emma said that there would be a good number of young children there and therefore they should have something the kids would like. To which Karen replied, "well, if Kati comes, there will be macaroni and cheese." Ah...it's good to be known.

I started the next conversation about food, when I saw Philip carrying something which was NOT his deviled eggs. I said "Philip, you have to go home...you can't come to a potluck without your deviled eggs!". He explained that he did have them but they would have to be brought in on the second trip (they had brought several items to share). I was greatly relieved. Then, when Philip was returning with the eggs a few minutes later, he stopped by the table where I was sitting to offer me first dibs on the plate. I suppose it goes without saying that I took him up on the offer! Again, it was good to be known.

I'm already looking forward to the next potluck.

Wonderful women

Last night's Women's Opry show was a terrific evening, filled with music - both instrumental and vocal - and stories - in both English and Spanish! Here are a bunch of photos (thanks go to James for taking them, since I couldn't).


The prepped canvas for Kitty's future masterpiece.


Kitty working to transform it into a masterpiece.


Jamie and Molly kicked off the show with Moon River.


Marcy sang a gorgeous song called "Seven Shades of Blue" by Beth Nielsen Chapman.


Sundae and Marcy reprised the popular song from last year's show, "Apples in June".


Katie and Leslie performed a couple of classical songs, and were joined by Echo on piano for Dona Nobis Pacem.


Lulu told a story in Spanish. Her delivery was so dramatic and heartfelt, the language didn't matter.


DeAnna performed a funny song from the Blackbeard musical which was performed on the island years ago.


That's yours truly with Marcy and April, singing "Simple Things" by Jim Brickman and Beth Nielsen Chapman.


Lou Ann told a funny "short story".


Molly and Emma brought sweetness into the evening with "Let There be Peace on Earth".


Kathleen (special guest from Norfolk VA) performed a terrific new song she had written just for the show, plus a funny one ("Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens") with Marcy.


Rachael sang a lovely aria called O Mio Babbino Caro (at least I think that's what it was called...it was something like that).


Jamie surprised the crowd by inviting her mom to join her on a "Sentimental Journey".


Katy heated things up with "Fever".


April rocked the house with "Dancing with Myself" (yes, the Billy Idol tune...she even gave a great Billy sneer at the end!)


Everyone sang together on the finale song "A Folksinger Earns Every Dime", and on the encore, the appropriately titled (well, re-titled, really, since it's an adaptation) "Women of Ocracoke".

If you didn't get to enjoy the show in person, I hope you now feel a bit like you've experienced it vicariously!

Cloudy

I'm just going to let these pictures speak for themselves about how cloudy it was when I was at the beach this morning.





To go along with the clouds, the ocean looked pretty stormy too.

Practice, practice, practice

It has been a busy week, filled with rehearsing for the Women's Opry show this Saturday night, so I've been a bit off my regular blogging schedule. (Although at least it's not as bad as when I got two or more weeks behind during June!)

I have gotten to hear several of the planned songs for the evening, so I know it will be a good one, filled with women's voices raised in song and story.

Anyway, I'm tired and it's getting late, so I'll keep this blog short, and just remind you to come to the show this Saturday if you will be here on the island.

Here are the details again:
- Saturday July 25
- Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:00
- Advance ticket reservations are possible by calling Lou Ann (her phone number is on the posters around the village but I don't have it handy at the moment...I'll add it to this post when I get it)

UPDATE: the phone number to call for advance ticket reservations is 921-0192. And here's a picture of the poster.

Opry night

I went to the Ocrafolk Opry last night, and it was a wonderful show as always. I only took a few photos, but I'll share what a couple of the ones I did get.


Jamie, Gary and Marcy making beautiful harmonies on "Scarlet Tide".


Molasses Creek joined by several additional friends.

If you haven't yet been to a show at Deep Water Theater while you are visiting the island, I for one think you should! Be well, wherever you are...

Sea oats

I have enjoyed seeing the sea oats recently, as they are full and lovely. Here are a couple of pictures, and the lyrics to a terrific song called "Child of Sea Oats" by Eric Bruton. Here's how he explains it on the CD liner notes: "I decided to write a song to try to explain the bond of someone born and raised near the coast to the sea. In this song it is the sea that tries to explain the reason for the bond." As you have possibly already guessed, I love this song...it explains how I feel about living near the sea, even though I wasn't born and raised here.





I am the seagull cry you hear down by the shore
I rode the gulf stream swell centuries and more
I've given life, I've given death, I've caused you mostly pain
And if your heart is with me, salt water's in your veins

I am the gale that blows on dreary winter nights
And sunny summer days that hold aloft your kite
I've given smiles, I've given tears, I've watched you in the rain
And if your mind is with me, the sound still calls your name

I am a way of life you cannot leave behind
You are a child of sea oats, salt water's on your mind

I am mosquito songs you hear deep in the night
And ponies running free 'cross dunes, a lovely sight
I fed you well, I gave you hell when hurricanes did blow
And if your body's with me, life's sweet and soft and slow

I am a way of life you cannot leave behind
You are a child of sea oats, salt water's on your mind

You are a child of sea oats, salt water's on your mind

Quiet

It has been quiet around the village recently, which is odd for July. Multiple people have mentioned to me that it doesn't seem as busy on a daily basis around here as it usually would be this time of year. The weekends are still pretty busy, but weekdays (especially early in the week) seem almost hushed. I see far fewer people on the beach on Mondays and Tuesdays than any other day, regardless of the weather.

I am not sure how the island businesses are doing in general, but I have heard from a couple of people that their sales are down from the norm for this time of year. One thing which may be a contributing factor, however, is that the last two years are possibly not good to use for comparison purposes, since most everyone's revenues were higher than usual during that time period as a result of Dr. Beach's #1 Beach designation for the island.

So all of this led me to start thinking about the economy, and more specifically about media coverage of economic issues and the impact the media has. So I'm going to share my thoughts in a nutshell. Disclaimer: you may not like or agree with what I'm about to say, but I suspect you haven't seen this particular thought from another source (at least I haven't seen any media coverage of this idea, although I've seen plenty of stories about the economy, how to save money, etc). It's also in second person, so please read this as "the universal you", and don't take it personally as if it were literally about you (only you know whether it fits you or not.)

So here it is:

Unless you have lost your job or experienced some other financial hardship or change(medical expenses, new mortgage, added a person to your family, etc.) that is out of the ordinary, your personal economy has not changed (your micro-economy is stable, regardless of the state of the macro-economy). If that's the case, if you are acting as if your personal economy has issues (i.e. not vacationing, not spending the same amount as you would usually, etc.), you are letting what the media says about "the economy" be more important than what you think and know about your own economy. Doing so ultimately creates a vicious cycle effect on the macro economy: if the people who CAN afford to spend don't do so, the issues with the overall economy become worse, which means the number of people whose micro-economies are affected by those issues becomes larger, which means fewer people who can afford to spend, which means the issues with the macro economy become worse, and on and on...it's not pretty).


So now, if I've ticked you off, or if you think I'm nuts or just way off base, or whatever...feel free to fire away with your comments. Even if you're snarky about something I wrote, you won't be the first person to do that by any stretch of the imagination. You won't even be the first this week!

I really truly do hope your micro economy is stable, wherever you are...

RIP Rileys

Well, Riley's has earned the new record for the shortest length of time a restaurant was open in the building which seems to be the downfall of all such establishments. (Perhaps someone should try a gift shop or something else in that space, or turn it into a residence!)

Anyway, Riley's closed on July 5th, after having been open only a few months.

The sign that they had posted at the road, presumably to draw attention to their presence and direct people to find them, is now leaning up against a fence, partially hidden by a cedar tree.

Q and cake

Today was a good day for eating! First, at 4 PM, there was BBQ available at the Fire House. It was a fundraiser for the Methodist Church Rec Hall renovation, and it was very well attended. Rightly so, because the food was delicious.





I didn't eat my BBQ plate until later, because I knew that in a mere two hours I would have an opportunity to eat many delicious things at the July birthdays potluck. Of course, I wasn't disappointed (Ocracoke potlucks are never disappointing!)

One of the best things about potlucks (in addition to the food!) is the conversation, and the screened porch at the house where this one was held was the perfect spot for that.



The birthday people smiled for photos...



blew out the candles...



...and opened the presents!



(The box contained multiple items, one for each person with a July birthday. Karen got to unwrap it and pick the first present because she drew the number 1.)

If this is your birthday month, Happy Birthday to you, wherever you are...

Downpour

I just looked at the radar online, and saw some serious showers headed our way. We need the rain, so it's fine by me. The wind has been increasing all day, so I hope the power stays on, at least long enough for me to post this bl






Just kidding! The power is still on, at least for the moment. :) I love thunderstorms at night, when you can really see the lightning and the sounds of rumbling thunder off in the distance and raindrops hitting windows and skylights provide a lovely natural white noise by which to sleep. That sound just started, so ... (yawn) ... good night!

Sleep well, wherever you are...

Pile of sand?

This morning, as I drove onto the beach, I saw what I thought was a pile of sand. I idly considered it, wondering why someone would just pile up sand and how early they had been there to do so (it was near the water's edge, so I knew it had been done that morning before I arrived, since it wouldn't have survived high tide overnight). After a few seconds, I thought nothing more of it. I parked near it and proceeded to do my Bible study and reading (that's what I do every morning on the beach, so if you've ever seen me and wondered why I stay in the car so long and what I stare at so intently in my lap, now you know!)



Once I finished my reading, I got out of the car to walk to the water as I usually do, and that's when I discovered that the pile of sand was not merely a pile of sand after all.



I loved the detail of the tongue piercing...so funny!

Then I reflected on this for a minute and realized something. Often you need to look at a "pile of sand" in your life from a different angle to truly see it, and to realize that it's not what it originally seemed...indeed, it may be better than you initially thought, and if you don't take the time to look at it from that other angle, you may never know the good that is there. I needed that reminder, so I'm thankful to whoever sculpted this particular pile of sand.

Darkness

I volunteered at Bingo last night, and coming home on my bike I realized how very dark it was. I guess there was very little moon, plus it was overcast, further limiting the amount of light which came through to the street. Luckily, I didn't have far to go, but it was a bit nerve wracking anyway, specifically because I was on my bike, making me afraid that I would run into someone before either of us saw each other. My solution? I whistled, so people would hear me coming. It worked, too (I didn't run into anyone on my way home, and I did see several people going the other direction on their bikes).

One of my fellow Bingo volunteers, Lou Ann, didn't fare as well on her way home in the dark. She tripped going up the stairs at the school (cutting through from the Firehouse to School Road), and broke her arm. Ouch!

Here's an odd truth about darkness on the island: one of the darkest spots in the Village is right by the Lighthouse! Of course, that's because the light shines straight out, not down, and is 75 feet above the roadway, but it's still a little ironic in my opinion.

I recently learned that the area near the Lighthouse will be even darker than usual for a while, starting some time soon. The interior of the structure is being renovated, and the work will include turning off the light for about two months, a fact which makes me slightly sad, even though that does not make logical sense in any way since I am not a mariner and therefore don't need it for navigation. I guess I need it for emotional equilibrium...or something like that!

Hope it's not too dark, wherever you are!

Jingle shells

No, "Jingle Shells" is not the name of an island version of the Christmas tune. It's what happens when you stand quietly at the water's edge on a relatively empty beach, and listen closely as the waves roll in over this:



When the shells roll over each other in the motion of the water, they sometimes make a lovely jingling sound. There is actually a particular type of shell which is called jingle, because it is especially good at making the sound, but any bunch of small shells will do it under the right conditions. It's lovely beach music.

Rainy...and Pub music

There was a light but steady rain falling for most of the day today. It was welcome in terms of my garden, but the persistent overcast grayness of the sky made me sleepy!

I did, however, manage to somehow stay awake long enough to enjoy the first set of Martin and Friends at Howard's Pub. They were excellent, of course, and there were many pub patrons who walked forward (away from the bar and/or their tables) to stand closer so they could hear them...which I think is high praise indeed. There was also one fairly drunk guy who was having a terrific time dancing; he was quite humorous to watch. The pub is a great spot for people watching, and even more so when there's music.

Here are the plans for music at the pub for the next week or so, in case you want to go listen or people-watch.

Karaoke - Thursday July 16 (actually, every Thursday), 9:00 PM
A Good Natured Riot - Friday & Saturday July 17 & 18, 9:30 PM
MULE DOG (Marcy, Lou, David and Gary) - Monday July 20, 8:30 PM

Third annual

The third annual "Women of Ocracoke" Opry show is planned for Saturday July 25th at 8 PM at Deepwater Theater. It's sure to be an entertaining evening of stories, songs, and even painting! (Kitty Mitchell will, as she has the past two years, create a painting during the show.)

This year, it is possible to book tickets in advance, which I recommend as the show has sold out for the past two years. I'll update this post with the phone number to call to reserve your seat as soon as I have it.

Amazing weather

It has been much cooler than usual for July around here recently. Not that it has been cold (or even cool, really), but the temperatures have actually been dropping into the 70s (sometimes even the upper 60s) at night, which is unusual for the middle of summer. The days have been lovely, too, with lower than normal temperatures and little humidity. The weather forecasters are predicting a return to typical July heat next week, so folks have been enjoying this reprieve while it lasts. The beach has been busy most mornings, and almost everyone I see and chat with as I run my daily errands (post office, Community Store, etc.) comments on how wonderful the weather is. It makes me long for fall.

Hope the weather is pleasant wherever you are too...

You might not believe this, and a word about "following"

Long time blog readers may be incredulous at this (I had a hard time believing it myself), but today my laptop crashed again! Yes, the same one that did just that in February (although it has a new hard drive as a result of the February experience).

This time the crash was not of the hard drive, but the video card is apparently dying a slow death. When I booted up this morning, the screen...well, how can I describe this...wigged out. It turned all sorts of crazy colors, including a black, white and psychelic green checkerboard pattern briefly, and then filled up with blue and red lines from top to bottom. I could still see enough to work with it, though, so I bet you can figure out what I did. I backed up every bit of data on that thing: all my pictures, my email files, my writing and other documents. Shortly after that, the laptop locked up completely, so I was once again VERY thankful for my external hard drive. If you save ANYTHING to your computer and you don't have an external drive to use for backups, I can't suggest strongly enough that you run out and get one. Do it now, especially if you have the kind of laptop I have (which will remain nameless, dude). :)

Anyway, I'm up and running on the backup laptop (the one my husband usually uses), so I'll keep the blogs coming!

I had another one of those "inside most of the day" sort of days, so I don't have any interesting Ocracoke stories or new photos to share, but here's a quick FYI. A few people have commented that they would like to "follow" the blog, and then some (but not all) of the ones who commented have actually become followers. So I wanted to just clarify, in case folks were waiting for me to respond to their requests to follow, that you don't need to ask me and I don't need to do anything special (or anything at all, actually) if you want to follow the blog. Anyone can become a follower, so if you would like to do so, please go right ahead! If you're not sure what following is and would like to learn more, the official Q&A/explanation from blogspot is here.

Have a good evening...and back up your data, wherever you are...

Be careful

My friend Amy told me a funny story recently. For this to be a funny story, you have to know that Amy gets up early every morning to head to work (one of her jobs) at the Back Porch. She makes all the desserts that are served there, and they are marvelous (in my humble opinion). One of Amy's other jobs is waitressing at the Flying Melon.

Okay, so now you have the background, here's the story. On Saturday night, Amy was waitressing at the Flying Melon and a couple came in somewhat late. The restaurant was still open, but it was just late-ish for dinner. The couple explained to Amy that they had just eaten at the Back Porch, but they had come to the Flying Melon for dessert because "none of the desserts at the Back Porch appealed to us". Oops. Of course, they couldn't have possibly known that they were opening mouths and inserting feet, and Amy certainly didn't hold it against them. She also kindly chose not to explain to them that she was the one who had made those desserts at the Back Porch.

It was just a funny, small town kind of story, and it reminded me that when you live (or vacation) in a small town, you just never know if the person you are commenting to about, for example, the "strange" spelling of a sandwich name on a menu, is the person for whom the sandwich is named. (That's an example I personally witnessed.)

If by some twist of fate, one of the people who went to Flying Melon and commented to Amy about Back Porch dessert options is reading this blog (and wouldn't that be perfectly poetic?), please don't be offended. I really don't intend to make fun. We've all tasted our own feet, figuratively speaking. I once asked someone how his wife was doing, because I hadn't heard that she had run away with another man and left him. Talk about whoops!

Hope you don't put your foot in your mouth too often, wherever you are...

By the numbers

Earlier today, it was 12:34:56 7/8/9. Yeah, I know that has nothing to do with Ocracoke, but I thought it was cool and frankly I don't have anything else to blog about today, or any new photos to post. Plus I'm really, really tired. So, sorry for the short post...I'll try to do better tomorrow!

Sunday silence and music

There were two events on Sunday - a silent one and a musical one. The silent event was the parade, which had been postponed from Saturday and was converted into a silent honorary/memorial event, rather than the usual raucous activity. There were just a handful of entries - the fire truck, an antique car, some ladies on horses, and a few others. It was a very respectful event, and I was especially moved by the fact that the crowds gathered along the streets burst into spontaneous applause as the EMTs and volunteer firefighters passed by. Here are a few pictures.


















The musical event was a performance at the church by several talented musicians, who do weekly shows on Hatteras called "Frisco Jubilee". The show had been scheduled previously (before the events of Saturday) as a fundraiser for the Methodist Church Rec Hall renovation project. It was an evening of wonderful entertainment, including poems by Johnnie Baum and music by Speedy Price, April Trueblood, John Couch, and Ocracoke's own Martin Garrish and Aaron Caswell (along with several other talented people - I don't remember all the names). The show was very well attended, and was a chance for people to have some uplifting time together after the tragedy of Saturday. It was much needed, and enjoyed by all who were there.