Halloween on the island

I wrote in a previous post that the Halloween carnival at the school is one of the most attended events for kids on the island. Well, the Halloween party at the Pub is definitely one of the most attended events for the adults. I went for a few hours tonight, and it was difficult to move and/or hear in there. It was still fun...and there were some terrific costumes! Here are pictures of just a few of them.


Brian as Disco Mario? No, this picture was not taken at the Pub...we took it at Jamie's house before going over there.


Jamie was a werewolf. She would've been really sexy except for those hairy pits!


Jim and Mary Ellen. Not sure why this picture is so blurry, sorry about that...but they were too cute to not include and this is the only shot I got of them!


Jen as a Weather Channel reporter during a hurricane. She was very much in character, asking everyone who came by how they were preparing for the storm.


A shot of the bar area, to give you just a small sense of how full the Pub was.


Of course there's a devil or two in the crowd every year.


Some multicultural influence.


Angie was adorable as Raggedy Ann (Raggedy Angie?). Her hubby, whose name is Andy, was a matching Raggedy Andy, but I didn't get a good picture of him.


The dance floor was packed. Yes, that guy's prison jumpsuit does say what you think it says.


Ellice is the champion Wii bowler at her house.


Masado looked squeaky clean.


Babies Chrissy and Farris gettin' down!


Octo-Mama.


One of Captain Hook's pirates.


The earrings were my favorite part of this costume!


Gisette looked gorgeous in her last-minute costume she created when the one she ordered didn't arrive on time.


How's that for an interesting combination?


Reggie as the Burger King...


...and Kim as Ronald McDonald...with a little extra "item". No more comment.


Creepy scarecrow. After watching several people try to drink this way, I've decided never to wear a costume which requires a mask.


This costume was just too funny not to post.


Jen was lovely as a mermaid.


The first time I saw this guy, it startled me, because he is HUGE.


Don't let the Mummy get you!


Creepy monkey.


John and Katy as Wallace and Grommet.

Yes, really, that was just a few of them! And no, there won't be any of yours truly posted here. There were only two taken of me, and they are both awful.

The last supper

What do you do when it's the last night of the season for your very favorite restaurant, but you have an ill toddler at home so you can't go? You call them, order up some dinner, and eat it at home!



The only bad thing about this plan is that you don't get to see your friends who all went out for the last night. Oh, and the stack of styrofoam boxes you have to throw away after you eat. Oh, and before you say "good grief Kati that looks like a lot of food!"...it's one appetizer, two salads and two entrees. I got dessert, too, but I actually ate it the next day.

Shrimp boil and potluck

I was lucky enough to get to attend the Ocrafolk School Shrimp Boil and Potluck at Soundfront Inn tonight. The food was plentiful and delicious. Some of the side dishes were prepared by the Cooking class, others were brought by event attendees. Yours truly brought macaroni and cheese (of course...) and a chicken and biscuit bake thing because I was craving something warm and comfort food-y, after the chilly overcast weather we have been having here lately.

After the meal, folks gathered around the bonfire outside, and participated in an impromptu music jam inside. Much fun was had by all. Here are a few photos.

Ladies take over Cafe Atlantic!

I went to Cafe Atlantic tonight with 7 terrific ladies. We sat upstairs and were there until they closed (we didn't get there until 8:00, so it wasn't that odd to be there until close). Several of us ordered dessert first, a few of us drank mimosas, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals (of course).

I still want to eat at the Cafe one more time before they close for the season, forcing me to live without chevre with fig preserves, lemon pasta, pesto scallops, warm just-baked bread, homemade cucumber dill and lemon poppyseed dressings, Toll House pie...I could go on and on...but I'm making myself hungry!

This dynamic of getting one's fill at a favorite restaurant because it's not going to be available for the next several months is an interesting one to me. I'm sure it's not unique to Ocracoke and must happen in other tourist destination communities. I hope that the restaurants in those areas are as well supported by the local residents as the ones on Ocracoke are...most of the people in the Cafe when we were there were Ocracokers, getting their last fix. Now, the long winter without begins...hope I can make it!

Foggy

It was incredibly foggy this morning on the beach. I'm quite sure I can't do it justice with words, so here's a picture.

New Ocracoke blog

Local contractor Tom Pahl has started a blog about a historic house renovation he and his wife Carol are completing on the home they recently bought. Well, the blog is both about historic renovation issues in general and also the work on that house specifically. I've seen some examples of Tom's work, which is excellent, so I'm really looking forward to following the progress of this project. You can see his blog here.

Low flying

This time of year, I often see pelicans flying low over the water, looking for their next meal. I have been trying to get a good picture, but haven't had much luck so far. Here's one I took this morning. It's not great, but it's all I have so far...

Unveiled

The new monument at Loop Shack Hill was unveiled yesterday. I missed the actual ceremony, but here's a look at the marker.

Carnival

The annual Halloween Carnival on the island is one of the best attended events of the year. It is certainly one of the most fun days for the island's kids.

First, there's the costume parade. Here are a few of my favorites from this year.



Emmet and Caroline as War and Peace.



Ashlee and her sister (whose name I don't know) were gorgeous.



Lachlan was Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes).



A sweet fairy named Bailey.





Michael Jackson!



And another timely costume!



Parading around so the judges can see everyone.



I found this cute gnome in my garden and brought him to the parade. :)

After the parade, everyone heads into the gym, which has been transformed into a Carnival...



...complete with games...















...and a cakewalk.



The last activity of the evening is Quizo (basically Bingo).





I was tired at the end of the evening, but it was a really fun way to spend a few hours!