Stopping for sunset

As I drove home tonight after picking up sushi for dinner, I was treated to the sight of a lovely sunset. The sun seemed much larger than usual, close and low in the sky, and was very orange. I decided to stop at one of my favorite salt water spots, on the edge of Silver Lake and watch unttil it disappeared. As I pulled up, I saw a lady on a bicycle come up quickly, stop very suddenly, and jump out rapidly, grabbing her tripod and camera to capture the scene.

As I got out of the car, I saw Philip Howard, leading his Tuesday night "Ocracoke Ghost and History Walk". (If you haven't gone on one during one of your trips here, I highly recommend it - you will have fun, and learn a lot too! They are offered on Tuesday and Friday nights and start at Village Craftsmen.) I wondered briefly why Philip was stopping his group at that spot (I didn't think there was anything of historic or ghostly significance about Ride the Wind Surf Shop.) Then I heard Philip tell his group, "I stop here just so people can watch the sunset." What a great idea! Hope you get to take the time to stop and watch sunsets (or sunrises, or moonrises, or anything else you find lovely).

Thank you for being here

I went to a potluck tonight, a party in honor of a lovely young lady named Emma who will be leaving the island later this week to spend her senior year as an exchange student in Denmark. The potluck was very well attended, an indication of how much Emma and her family are loved. Emma will be missed, although we are all excited for her to have this wonderful experience.

As I was preparing to leave, Emma's mom Karen said the sweetest thing to me: "Thank you for being here. And I don't mean just here, at the party; but here, part of the community." Where else but Ocracoke do people say such nice things to each other? (I hope there are other places!) It was such a blessing to me to hear that, as I have been in a grouchy mood lately. I actually was mentally writing a "rant-n-rave" blog this morning. Think I'll skip that. Thanks Karen, for reminding me to be grateful for the many reasons I love this town, and to focus on my gratitude instead of my grouchy attitude!

Life at the number 1 beach

Tom from Texas asked "Have you noticed new visitors drawn specifically by Dr. Beach's #1 designation?"

I think so, yes. Of course, I haven't done any scientific study on this, but in general the island seems busier. Especially lately, every weekend finds EVERY room on the island booked, even in the larger hotels which typically have a handful of rooms available for last minute travelers.

It also seems that there are many more people coming to the island who not only have never been here before, but who are completely clueless about Ocracoke, even the fact that it takes a ferry to get here.

Finally, I have heard many visitors talking about the fact that they are going to see the number 1 beach in the nation.

I am curious to see how long this lasts. I wonder if the fall "shoulder season" will be busier than usual too. I hope so, for the sake of businesses who could use the extra income. But I certainly also hope that things slow down a bit, too. The fall is usually a great time to recharge and catch up with friends, since everyone is so busy in the summer. Since this summer is busier than normal, we will all need a good fall to rest and recharge!

Aunt Blabby

If you read the Ocracoke Observer, you probably know who Aunt Blabby is. "Ocracoke's oldest and most opinionated server" is how she is described there. But that hardly does justice to the wickedly funny, acidly witty lady. I love Aunt Blabby ~ her column is the first one I read when I get the paper.

In the July paper, in response to a question, Aunt Blabby wrote, "Copernicus called. You are NOT the center of the universe." I found that hilarious ~ and thought provoking.

It is easy to become self centered and self focused. We are, after all, involved in everything that happens in our own lives. No one else on earth but me has heard EVERY single word I've ever said. (That's a blessing for the rest of you, believe me.)

What's my point? That sometimes blogging can become a bit, well, self focused. Thinking and writing about myself and my life and my daily habits and thoughts may be making me dangerously introspective and prone to melancholy. Or maybe I'm just tired.

Anyway, if you have any Ocracoke (or non-Ocracoke, for that matter!) topics you would like to know about, post a comment and let me know. I need to write about something other than me. And maybe you readers would like a new topic, too. Let me know...

Beach closures?

Did you know that the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering designating four areas of Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, as "critical habitat" for wintering piping plover? This has the potential to close these four spots (South Point and the North End on Ocracoke) to ALL human activity (off road vehicles AND pedestrians) for most of the year (FWS has restated the critical habitat definition to indicate that the areas are crucial for both nesting (spring/summer) and wintering piping plovers.)

The closure areas would include any emergent sandbars in Hatteras, Ocracoke and Oregon inlets, which could affect ferry dredging and/or the construction of a new bridge at Oregon Inlet. If FWS is successful in their attempt, the identified areas could be closed to ALL human activity (ORV AND pedestrian) for the entire year.

In 2006, a lawsuit was brought against FWS, and the judge ruled that an economic analysis must be done. That analysis has now been completed (45 pages, released May 29), but is highly inaccurate and misleading (it was completed by a company in Massachusetts who did not contact any business owners on the Outer Banks).

I can see both sides of this issue (as usual!) On the one hand, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, of which Ocracoke is a part, is a national park, and was designated as such to ensure it would be available for people's use and enjoyment. On the other hand, the poor piping plovers don't stand a chance against man and all his big machines, and there certainly is a need to protect them.

I believe (as I do for most things) that there is a reasonable solution, and that consensus is possible. I'm not sure whether consensus will happen, but it is possible.

Regardless of your position, you can express your thoughts during the public comment period, which ends on Monday July 30. More information is available at the links below.

FWS site
Bullet Points by Larry Hardham, President of the Hatteras Angler's Club
Tradewinds Tackle Message Board

July showers bring...

...BUGS!

We had a lovely soaking rain this morning. It wasn't windy, so the rain simply fell straight down in silver streaks, cleansing and bringing a fresh feeling to our dusty dry island. We certainly needed the rain, and I suspect gardeners were very pleased. I hope that their plots produce a lovely bounty (whether edible or merely decorative) as a result of the showers this morning.

Unfortunately, there's another result of rain showers: mosquitoes! And they are out in force. There's an old adage that the mosquito population is worst about two weeks after a rain. Last week, I heard someone at the post office commenting that on Ocracoke, the mosquito swarm starts about two MINUTES after a rain shower. Today, that definitely seems true.

I went out to see the sunset and touch salt water, and had to hurry back inside before I got completely covered in bites. One particularly hardy skeeter (as we call them here in the South) hung on to the back of my hand even as I swiped at him, trying to get him to leave me alone. Nervy thing took 4 swipes before he flew off! Or perhaps I was just not making good contact, I don't know.

I'm sitting in the screened porch now, rejoicing at the sound of many frogs, because I know mosquitoes are their favorite meal. I hope they eat very well tonight.

Good advice

Ocracoke is a magical place, where the pace of life is (or at least seems) slower, the traffic is sparse, and many people bike or walk, rather than always driving. While all this is true, it is also true that the roads on Ocracoke are still places where the rules of the road (and common sense!) should be applied. Perhaps it is even more true on Ocracoke, with often narrow, windy streets shared, especially this time of year, by many pedestrians and bicyclists, in addition to cars, large SUVs with fishing poles on the front, and trucks towing boats.

So here's a quick reminder of rules which are for everyone's safety:
- bike on the right (same direction as vehicle traffic - a bike is a vehicle, albeit a slow one!)
- walk on the left (facing oncoming traffic)

Seems simple, I know. But truly, following these rules can save your life. We have been extraordinarily blessed on Ocracoke in that there aren't many bike/car or pedestrian/car accidents, but it is never a bad idea to be careful.

Stay safe out there!