decisions decisions

Jury Duty tomorrow.

anchors aweigh

Where has September gone? There have been lots of sailboats at anchor in Silver Lake, including, recently, a gorgeous Cheoy Lee ketch. One can dream. The cruisers are migrating south, which must mean it's time to think about my own winter vacation. Right now the top choices are a nice long trip to wine country in Argentina or subletting a place in a Rocky Mountain ski town. I could also stay on Ocracoke and invest some $ and sweat into home improvement projects. Feedback is welcome.

A friend is visiting for the weekend, and I called around checking room rental rates on Ocracoke. Turns out staying in a nice condo from Blue Heron Realty is not much more than a hotel room, plus you can cook and relax by the pool!

reasons to love

Another great thing about Ocracoke: pot luck dinners. I've been feeling a little grumpy and sullen lately, but that all changed last night. The Civic and Business Association hosted a community pot luck to welcome the new Methodist minister, new physician and new principal of Ocracoke's K-12 School. Mac 'n' cheese, pineapple casserole and baked beans--these are foods of contentment.

Ocracoke is a more worldly place than it once was. The buffet also included couscous, tabbouli and falafel, though I think a lot of people mistook the falafel for hush puppies.

If that doesn't make you happy, picture this: two long tables were devoted to home baked desserts. I ate dessert first. Life is indeed good.

skeeter who?

Time to wax your surfboards in anticipation of Igor's swell, which may drive some of that warm blue water up on the beach to accompany our lovely fall sunshine.

Last night, playing bridge, I learned that there are 150+ students enrolled at Ocracoke's K-12 public school. Holy cow that's a lot! I'll be curious to see the census results. Are they out? How big is Ocracoke these days? Change: exciting and scary.

late summer sunshine

Amazing weather and the drum are biting!

sweet rest

The stars are an enormous sparkling blanket stretched over the island.

Earlier today we remembered and honored Jim Cornette, who taught at Ocracoke School for over twenty years. He was kind, and wise, and witty. We sang, shared stories, laughed and wept. Many people honored his request for a black tie/ bare foot funeral. Ocracoke never looked so good, or so much like itself.

Thank you for bringing your light to this community.

brand new day

Ocracoke is open for Labor Day weekend, and the island is sparkling. Earl forced me to clean up my yard, filled my cisterns, and washed everything down. Yesterday lots of turtles were on the move and after dark the frogs made their presence known.