A Quiet Christmas.

 On the afternoon of Christmas Eve it started raining and the wind came up from the south.  By Christmas morning it had rained 4.45 inches and water was standing everywhere.  It was also quite chilly.  Trish and I had a quiet Christmas Day alone at home.  Once the rain stopped the sky was crystal clear blue, so, by afternoon it was time to take a village ride.  We did not see anyone out and about anywhere!  A full quiet day.

The Sunday before Christmas our son, Kelly, his wife, Erin, and their son, Frank, came out for a three day visit. We had seen then only once in the past year of COVID and it was wonderful to have this little Christmas visit.  The weather was still good then so we got to go to the beach both on the Sound side and the ocean side.

We drove the GLS on the beach all the way to the south end of the island.  We were the only people out there.  There were pelicans, cormorants, lots of gulls, and even porpoises to be seen.

On another adventure we walked to the Springers Point Nature Preserve on the Pamlico Sound side of the island.  The walk through the live oak forest was lovely, but, when we got out to the water the wind was fierce.  It was a great adventure of exploration and exercise.

We were sorry to see them go,  it later we’re glad that they got ahead of the storm.  Our Christmas Day together was held courtesy of ZOOM! 

Island Lights

 Each year in the island there is a contest related to home and business holiday lights.  Lots of people here enjoy lighting up property of all kinds for the Christmas season.

On Friday the judging was held so we were sure that that evening everyone would be sure to have their lights plugged in for a good ride around town.  There were categories such as Best Theme, Most Lights, Most Traditional, Most Original, and Best Business.  The Ocracoke Business and Civic Association sponsored the contest.

During most year there are lots of events around the community during December, but, this year is very quiet.  There is no live music, no special dinners, no parties.  COVID carefulness has put the lid on all kinds of gatherings.  The island community care has paid off in that we have stayed very safe here as a result of masks and distancing.  It is a Christmas present to everyone!

Instead of gatherings, we ride around and look at the lights!  And...it is fun.

The Old School is Gone!

 Ocracoke School is our pre-k through twelve school that has a total of nearly one hundred and fifty students. It is a very special place at the heart of our community.  There is one teacher for each grade level up to middle school.  After that students have, for example, the same teacher for math or English all through high school.

The average graduating class usually runs close to a dozen students though this year we have a very small class with only five seniors.  Each year the large majority of our graduates go on to college or vocational schools with an abundance of scholarship help.  

Hurricane Dorian totally flooded the entire school building.  After missing school for a full month following the hurricane, students were temporarily taught in several different locations around the village until COVID shut things down totally in the springtime.  

At first it was thought that the school might be cleaned and repaired, but, with further exploration, the damage to the original building was so extensive that was not a possibility.  The main building was forty-nine years old, of totally wooden construction, and had to be replaced.  Only the new gym and a newer elementary wing turned out to be reparable.

Now we are waiting for new construction to begin.  Of course, all instruction this year has been COVID virtual.  Maybe we are the only place where that has actually been an advantage!  

All that is left of the old school building.

The Ocracoke Dolphin, carved by Lynn Skinner, was saved!

Our Wet Lands

 When you come to our house you can see an old black and white photograph of the island that was taken from an airplane after World War II.  In the photograph the entire island from the village to the south end is solid sand with not a living thing from the ocean to the sound.  It looks dry as a chip.  This was before the National Seashore was established and Park Service began the process of restoring the natural dune system that had been destroyed in years past by abusive ecological treatment (the early English explorers cut all the live oak trees for shipbuilding back at home).

Now, after nearly seventy years of Park management, our wetlands are back and the ecology is more healthy than for the past three hundred years.  When Jon and Kahran were here we went riding out through that former dry land to show them where the baby shrimp and crabs come from.

Since we do not have leaves than change color here, our autumn color changes affect our grasses and wetland vegetation.  If we were here in springtime, we would see new green grasses emerging and upon a closer look might find tiny baby shrimp and little crabs swimming in these waters.

The wetlands are the life nursery for all of our seafood and we are glad that things here got turned around when we became a National Seashore.  Now we don’t know what will happen with global warming as the sea level is very obviously rising. 

Stormy Weekend

 As the recent big weather front moved from the Gulf up to New England, the Outer Banks had a heavy blow and a huge amount of rain.

The ferries did not run at all yesterday and the road to the north end of the island washed over and was closed for the day.  By late afternoon highway department workers had managed to get enough sand removed to reopen the road and the late high tide did not close it again last night.  

The Beaver Full Moon made the tides extra high at the same time as the storm and this always now threatens overwash.

Today we have to leave the island so I can have a laser treatment to remove some scar tissue from where I had cataract surgery several years ago.  We were to take the Swan Quarter ferry, but it is also not running today.  So, we are on the Hatteras Ferry for a longer drive but one that will get us there.

These are some of the winter adventures of living in our wonderful island!