Need a job and love kids?

There's a flyer at the Post Office which says that Ocracoke Child Care is accepting applications for teachers and assistants. If you don't need a job, but like to spend time with kids, they are always happy to accept volunteers.

From the perspective of someone who goes to Ocracoke Child Care on a daily basis, as a recipient of the services there (well, really Connor is the actual recipient), it seems to me like a wonderful place to work. What's not to love about a day full of hugs from little ones?

Recipe source

I love food. I love all kinds of food, too...from alligator to ziti, and everything in between. I'm especially a fan of really flavorful things, so I like sauces and capers and odd things like fried pickles, just because they have a real impact on my taste buds. Subtle food is not my favorite. I want to really taste it!

I adore most of the traditional Ocracoke/Outer Banks dishes (certainly all of the ones I've tried), with two favorites being fig cake and fish cakes. (Yes, I admit, I'll probably like anything with "cake" in its name.)

I also like cookbooks. I have quite a collection. Even though I have to admit I don't use them all that often, I enjoy reading recipes, both to imagine what that dish might be like and also to learn ideas about how ingredients might be combined in different ways to make various dishes.

Now, I have a new source for recipes to read (and, heck, possibly even actually prepare!). It's
islandcookbook.com, a recently launched blog which aims to provide "Recipes from Ocracoke, North Carolina" (per the tag line below the blog name. Check it out, especially if you like to eat as much as I do.

Last chance to "talk about it"

If you are interested in joining the "Let's Talk About It" book talk series, now is your last chance. We are currently reading "A Mother and Two Daughters" by Gail Godwin. The discussion is scheduled for April 9th at the Library. (I think it will be at 6:30 PM, but I'm not 100% sure...some of the discussions have been at 6:30 and others have been at 7:00. I recommend showing up at 6:30. That way, if it's not 'til 7:00 you can just hang out and chat; if you arrive at 7:00 and it started at 6:30, on the other hand, you will have missed something!)

If you need a little extra motivation: there has been delicious food of some sort (usually dessert) at every meeting so far, so I can only assume there will be something yummy at the last one, too!

WOVV Spring Concert Festival planned

WOVV (that's Ocracoke's radio station in case you don't know about it yet...) is planning a Spring concert festival. Here's the info. about that I got in email recently.

WOVV will be sponsoring a Spring Concert Festival Sat. April 25th at
the Ocracoke Community Center from Noon till 6:00pm with performances
by local musicians, pig pickin', silent auction, cake walk and a used
CD and Vinyl sale/exchange.

For more information or to volunteer or donate contact Robert Raborn
at info@wovv.org or 945-0310.

Musicians, storytellers and entertainers in general interested in
playing can contact Kevin Hardy at 588-0059.

Artists interested in the Art Show or donating postcard art can
contact Barbara Hardy and Bob Ray at 928-2598.

Debbie Wells is in charge of the Used CD and Vinyl sale/exchange.

Donations for the silent auction can contact Paula Schramel at 928-7216.

Any help is appreciated and all donations and proceeds will go toward
operating expenses and improvements at Ocracoke Community Radio.
Ocracoke Community Radio is fiscally sponsored by The Ocracoke
Foundation a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations will be
recognized by mail and are tax deductible to the extent the law
allows.

Want more friends?

Why not become friends with the Library? I'm being goofy, to invite you to join the Friends of the Library. I love Libraries, a topic I think I've blogged about before. So I think they are a wonderful community resource to support (in case you were looking for one!)

The Ocracoke Friends of the Library association is open to anyone and everyone to join. They hold infrequent meetings (I think twice annually) which include interesting and informative speakers, and they organize the oh-so-delicious cookie swap during the Christmas season.

If you want to join, stop by the Library during public hours. Or you could attend their next meeting, which is scheduled for tomorrow (3/31) at 7 PM. The speakers will be local people who have traveled and/or lived in other countries, talking about their experiences of life abroad. Enjoy it for me if you go. (I'm still busy trying to get my life caught back up after my vacation...so I will unfortunately have to miss it.)

Health fair

The Ocracoke Students Against Tobacco (OSAT) and the Touch No Tobacco (TNT) program, a program of the Hyde County Health Department, will host a community Health Festival on Saturday, April 4 from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will be held at the Ocracoke School in the gymnasium.

“Our goal is to raise community awareness about healthy lifestyles,” comments Gwen Austin, the health teacher at Ocracoke School and OSAT adviser, “This also encourages teamwork and student leadership through hands-on experience with project management.”

“Your participation will help with our efforts to provide basic health screenings as well as a variety of informational booths designed to help the community become aware of the health-related programs, services and providers in our area”, states Wesley Smith, Hyde County Health Director, “It also provides a unique way to identify and connect with community resources.”

“We are looking forward to a fun, interactive event and anticipate approximately 100+ people from the community”, remarks Austin.

Garbage balloon

I saw a piece of garbage on the beach today, one that bothered me more than litter usually does. It was a balloon. The reason that balloons tick me off is because, when they are released they often end up in the ocean. Once that happens, the color leaches out of the latex, and it ends up being somewhere between milky-white and clear. That, combined with the attached ribbons, makes this particular trash look just like lunch (jellyfish) to turtles, who therefore eat it and often die as a result. So now you know why I'm not a fan of those cutesy balloon releases.

Birds galore

It always amazes me how different the beach can be each day. This morning, there were many, many birds there.

There were pelicans flying low over the waves, looking for breakfast...



...and plenty of seagulls just hanging out.



My favorites are always the little birds (I don't know what they are - plovers?), running back and forth at the water line, looking for the tiny creatures left behind in the sand as each wave recedes, which (I assume) they find delicious. The seagulls just watch...lazy things!



I also saw a gaggle of geese near the new helipad (I used the beach access ramp at the airport for my beach excursion today, as I do many days).



It was a birdy kind of morning. :)

Off-island and not-daily

I'm leaving the island tomorrow (Friday) morning on the early ferry to Cedar Island, to drive to Charleston SC. From there, Connor and I will be going on a cruise with my Mom and my sister (Connor's mommy). So there may not be any blogs until I get back on Sunday March 29th (although I may surprise you...I believe there's an internet cafe on the ship).

Have a wonderful weekend and next week!

Leadership seminar

I got this announcement in email recently, so thought I would share. I had the priviledge of reading a chapter of the work that the speaker, Betty Shotton, is working on, so I can attest that she has some interesting and inspiring things to say. If I was going to be on the island on Wednesday the 25th, I would be attending this seminar. But I won't be, so someone go and learn something for me!

_____________________________________

Ocracoke Civic and Business Association is pleased to offer an exciting seminar -Six Stages to High Altitude Leadership-by our own local speaker Betty Shotton of Berkana Consulting Group next Wednesday, March 25th from 11:00 am to 1 pm at The Deepwater Theatre. Lunch will be sponsored by The Flying Melon. This seminar is free for members of OCBA and $10 for guests and non- members.

Six Stages to High Altitude Leadership is a presentation designed to provide you with thought provoking and constructive ideas as you deal with life and business uncertainties. It is a flight plan for facing great challenges or when changing directions; a navigational tool for you when old ways are not working and new paths need to be forged. The six stages we will be exploring in this 90 minute interactive presentation are:

1. Choice
2. Possibility
3. Change
4. Courage
5. Commitment
6. Lift Off

Join us for 90 minutes of participative and challenging discussions to get into a "take-off" position for the 2009 season.

Please RSVP to Melinda Sutton before Monday March 23. We need a head count for lunch!

Now it's official

Yesterday, I blogged about the fact that there was a great deal of talk in the village about the possibility that ferry schedules would be reduced. I included a disclaimer, since no changes had been officially announced. Well, now they have. Here's the press release from today. The section which pertains to Ocracoke is in bold text.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 17, 2009
CONTACT: Lucy Wallace (252) 473-3461 or (919) 218-0357

FERRY DIVISION ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO SOME OF ITS ROUTES

MANNS HARBOR — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry
Division announces changes to five of its seven routes, due to budget
constraints and U.S. Coast Guard staffing requirements. These changes
go into affect April 14.

The Ferry Division sought input from riders on proposed schedule
changes for both the Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach and Bayview-Aurora
routes to minimize inconvenience to commuters. This input was taken
into consideration when finalizing the new schedules.

At Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, some runs have been deleted and some
have been added in.

Departure times from Cherry Branch will be: 5:05 a.m., 5:55, 6:35,
7:15, 7:55, 8:45, 9:45, 11:45, 12:15 p.m., 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:15,
3:45, 4:05, 4:25, 4:45, 5:05, 5:25, 6:05, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45 and
11 p.m.
Departure times from Minnesott Beach will be: 5:25 a.m., 6:15, 6:55,
7:35, 8:15, 9:15, 10:15, 12:15 p.m., 12:45, 1:45, 2:15, 3:15, 3:45,
4:05, 4:25, 4:45, 5:05, 5:25, 5:45, 6:25, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, 10:15 and
11:30.


The Bayview-Aurora route also has some deletions of runs, but all
efforts were made to meet the needs of workers commuting to the PCS
facility.

Departure times from Bayview will be: 5:30 a.m., 7, 8:30, 12:15 p.m.,
1:30, 3:15, 5:30 and 7.
Departing from Aurora, the times will be: 6:15 a.m., 7:45, 11:15,
12:50 p.m., 2:15, 4:45, 6:15 and 7:45.


Changes to the Pamlico Sound toll trips involve not adding in the
extra summer runs. For the Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan
Quarter-Ocracoke routes, the winter schedule will remain in effect
year-round.

Departure times from Cedar Island and Ocracoke will remain: 7:30 a.m.,
10:30, 2 p.m. and 5.
Departure times from Swan Quarter will remain: 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Departure times from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter remain: 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Southport-Fort Fisher route went to its winter schedule year-round
on Feb. 2. The Currituck-Knotts Island schedule will not change, nor
will the current Hatteras-Ocracoke schedule. Hatteras will begin
running its summer schedule May 12.

To view the schedules, visit the ferry web site at www.ncferry.org or
call 1-800-By-Ferry.


***NCDOT***

Award winning

If you're reading this blog, you're probably a person who likes Ocracoke. Most likely, you've been here and seen many of the wonderful images which make the island such a lovely place to visit, and to photograph. You've probably taken pictures of some of them yourself: landmarks like the British Cemetery and the Lighthouse; natural places like the beach and South Point; and, of course, all the waters - the ocean, the marshes, the sound, and Silver Lake Harbor. I would even wager a guess that all or most of you have taken a picture at the same time of day here: sunset.

But only one of you (at least as far as I know), has won an award for a picture taken on the island. That would be my friend Jamie (not the one who lives here - I have two friends (and one cat!) named Jamie). Congrats, Jamie!

Now since we've already established that all of you reading this blog probably like Ocracoke, I assume that you would like to see Jamie's gorgeous picture of Silver Lake at sunset. So here it is.

Possible ferry schedule issue

I received the following in email yesterday, so I'm passing it on for your information. This is NOT an official announcement from the ferry service, and as far as I know a decision has not yet been made. But, as you'll see the email says, there has been a lot of talk about the possibility that the ferry schedules will not be increased for the summer travel season. Okay, that's my disclaimer, now here's the info from the email:

There's a great amount of talk going around the village regarding possible reductions in the summer ferry schedules for all Ocracoke routes (even Hatteras). As we all know, any reduction in the schedules would be disasterous for the local economy... especially in these challenging economic times.

Now is the time to express your concerns and make your voice heard. Contact the following or any other appropriate state officials:

Governor Bev Perdue
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
919 733-4240 (phone)
919 733-2120 (fax)
www.governor.state.nc.us/eTownhall/constituentServices.aspx.

Charlie Fearing
Superintendent District 1 Ferry Division
252 986-2353 (phone)
cfearing@ncdot.gov

________________________________________________________

You don't have to be an Ocracoke business owner to be concerned about this. If it bothers you, whether you're an island resident, business person, or traveler, contact someone and let them know your thoughts!

Dreary

It was a dreary, gray weekend. Skies were overcast most of both Saturday and Sunday, and it rained for a while this afternoon. That said, I still had a terrific weekend. I got a couple of things caught up, even got ahead on one thing, and finally completed a project I've been meaning to get to since mid February!

And on Saturday night, I got to eat my absolute favorite food (lasagna) with two of my absolute favorite people (my husband John and my friend Jamie), and then watch a movie. (Not one of my absolute favorites, but not a bad flick.)

Often, especially in the winter, it's the "simple" things, like dinner and a movie, that make an otherwise dreary day seem warm and wonderful.

Hope you had a good weekend, even if it was dreary, wherever you are...

Progress and paint

Great progress is being made on both the Creekside and the Back Porch expansions, and they are starting to look terrific! I'm looking forward to seeing inside them both once they are ready.

Here are a couple of pictures so you can see the progress for yourself.

Back Porch:



Creekside Cafe:



Riley's is also undergoing some changes...a new paint job. Personally I'm not a fan of the color combination...



...but it matches the sign.



By the way, the blue is leftover from the last paint job...I think when they are done, it will be only red and yellow, not red, yellow and blue. I hope so, anyway!

Uncovered

When it's windy around here - which it usually is in March - it often reveals new things on the beach. Previously covered items are revealed as sand shifts, and previously underwater items are washed up by the rough surf. Here are a couple of examples I saw on the beach this morning. (Fair warning in advance: one of these pictures might be a bit uncomfortable for you if you are squeamish. I've uploaded it with a small size format, so you'll probably need to click on it to see what it is. If you think it might disturb you...don't click it.)

This appears to be a bait bucket from O'Neal's Dockside. My guess is that it may have fallen off a boat, never to be seen again...well, until it washed up on the beach. It's also possible it fell off a truck driving down the beach, although that scenario makes me wonder why it wouldn't have been picked up rather than left behind.



I'm not sure what type of animal this was, but it was obviously previously buried on the beach...and obviously a while ago, since only the skeleton is left now.

Pizza for a good cause

Ocracoke Pizza Company has recently reopened and is serving (and delivering, too, I assume) on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays each week. This coming week, though, they will be open for an extra day for a good reason. Monday March 16th will be a great day to buy dinner from them, as half of the sales and 100% of the tips will go to the High School for their trip to Washington DC.

I have not yet tried anything from the Pizza Company, but I've heard their pizza is good and their calzones are garlicky and delicious. (John loves garlic, so he's planning to have a calzone on Monday.) So if you're here on Monday, call them for dinner...get something good to eat, and do something good all at the same time.

Thanks!

I don't have any idea how many people read my blog regularly, but I want you to know that whoever and wherever you are, you are appreciated!

So, to the few regular readers whose names I do know (either because you've left a comment or personally mentioned to me that you read the blog) - Tom in Plano, Rebecca, Pat, Debbie, Steve, Ginger, Jamie, woodduck, Carol, obxbum, Banjoduster, Kari, Jenni, and of course Anonymous and "Not So Anonymous" - thanks for reading! And for commenting. (And for anyone I missed or just don't know about - thanks to you too!) Also, I wanted to let everyone know that, if you leave a question in a comment, I usually answer it by leaving another comment on that same post (rather than publishing a new post on it).

If anyone has any questions or topics you would like me to address, please leave a comment to let me know. I can't promise I'll be able to answer or comment on everything (I'm honestly clueless about plenty of things!), but I'll try.

Hope life is good, wherever you are!

Break time...

One fantastic thing about working from home is that, on a gorgeous sunny day in early March, when your work is nearly caught up and you don't have another conference call for a while, you can take a lunch break to lie in your hammock and read a good book for half an hour. That's exactly what I did today, and it was marvelous.

Then I went back to work, and the rest of the afternoon was not so wonderful. Because one bad thing about working from home on a gorgeous sunny day, is that you are, after all, stuck inside and working. (And my desk is placed in such a way that I can see out a window...which wasn't the best idea in furniture arrangement!) Anyway, that half an hour wasn't quite enough, especially considering I spent the rest of the day staring at spreadsheets, dealing with issues, and getting behind again.

But it was still worth it, and if it's sunny again tomorrow I might do it again! Assuming I can get caught up and finish staring at the spreadsheets.

Another choice for food...

I heard that the Pony Island Restaurant has reopened. I don't have any details, but will check on it and let you know what I find out. Mmmmm....Pony potatoes!

Abundant sunshine

It was another lovely day today, filled with sunshine and warm breezes. It was a terrific day to drive down to South Point. So of course I did!



The ocean was a beautiful shade of blue...



The view back toward the village from South Point...you can see the water tower and the Lighthouse from there (you may have to click on the photo to view it full screen) which I love.

Busy beach

The weather this weekend was gorgeous, as expected, although not quite as warm as the meteorologists initially predicted. We took a ride on the beach, and it was the busiest I have seen it in ages. It was the first time since I started driving on the beach that I've had to contend with lots of other tire tracks in the sand. It makes it a bit more challenging, but I still had fun.

Here's a picture so you can get a sense for it...notice all the tracks and that's a gathering of about five cars. Yes, that's a lot for March.

Don't forget...

...to "spring forward" tomorrow night. Daylight Savings Time officially begins on Sunday March 8th. More daylight in the late afternoon makes me happy.

Hope Daylight Savings Time (or something else!) makes you happy, wherever you are...

Reopening

Howard's Pub is reopening tomorrow night, so if you've missed it, now's your chance to experience it again.

They will be open the following hours:

11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday thru Thursday

11:00 a.m. - Midnight Friday and Saturday

Now you know! I don't have anything against the Pub, but I personally am waiting more anxiously for the reopening of Thai Moon. I'll get to the Pub...well, sometime. But I'll get to Thai Moon within a day of their first day back serving! Can you tell I'm craving some Thai food?

On another note, I heard that the Pub changed the menu. I'm not sure what, exactly that means (whether they added items or removed items or both, or maybe just the prices changed). I'll let you know if I find out...but it may be a while.

Icy...but not for long

It has been very cold here recently, turning the puddles from the rainy weekend into ice. We didn't get any (well, not much) of the eastern seaboard snowstorm which affected so much of the rest of the state, and several surrounding states as well. (There were a few brief moments of sleety, closer to hail than snow, but nothing that stuck.)

According to the weather forecasters on two different channels tonight, the cold snap is about to come to an end. (Yes, I was so surprised at the prediction I heard that I checked another channel to see if they were saying the same thing.) Are you ready for this? The temperatures this weekend are expected to be in the upper 70s! Talk about a great time for a quick trip to the beach! (The water will, of course, still be MUCH too cold for swimming.)

I'm looking forward to a little warm air and sunshine. Hope you get to enjoy some, too, wherever you are...

Music Across the Sound

The Annual Music Across the Sound concert is scheduled for this Saturday March 7th. The show will be held in the Mattamuskeet High School Gym and starts at 7:30. Performers include storyteller Rodney Kemp, Molasses Creek, the Snow Hill Baptist Church Chorus, the Green Glass Cloggers, Jule Garrish, Earl Carawan, and others you may have seen on the island at the Ocrafolk Festival.

I don't think I'll be able to make the trip, but I know the show will be terrific. If you're lucky enough to go, enjoy it for me!

Sneak preview

I got a sneak preview today of the one act play which will be performed tomorrow night at the Community Center at 7 PM. The show was directed by Cynthia Mitchell and is performed by several fifth graders, one high school student, and one adult. They have done an excellent job, and the show is fun to watch.

I was there for the dress rehearsal as the "official" photographer, so I do have many pictures of the cast in action. But I won't post one here until after tomorrow's performance, to keep the surprise intact.

Go see it if you can, and enjoy it if you do!