For ten days in Indiana, the Indy Fringe holds the spotlight in Indianapolis. This is the place for performers to shed their "mother/daughter banquet" appearance and enjoy a little more...well fringe on the garment event!
It was my great privilege to be a participant last year in the Fringe. This year i just caught one night, two performances.
Waiting in line always has its virtues. I met a lovely woman, Alanna, standing behind us. She never misses the fringe and she was kind of enough to share her feelings as to why!
So under the beautiful waxing gibbous moon, here is a short interview from Indianapolis
So here we are, back in the studio ready to get to work. Ahhh, coming home, sifting through memories of Ocracoke and finding everywhere I go the Ocracoke connection!
This was a weekend of festivals for me in Northern Indiana. It was a nice break from the laptop, emails, etc. But oh how I was itching to get back to work this morning. I made several out and abouts along the Indiana cultural trail. I will feature one each day! In a few you will see the Ocracoke connection which I found fascinating...from Susan Dodd to Molasses Creek.
Is it definitely a small world.
This week's column is about arriving home. There is a tradition at the Fort Wayne International Airport that when you arrive, you are greeted warmly by a man or woman holding a basket of cellophane wrapped Archway cookies. Each passenger receives one with a warm, "Welcome to Fort Wayne."
Archway Cookies makes its home in Fort Wayne so it is a very nice gesture and a definite way to welcome guests to the Midwest.
As always, thanks for reading. There are lots of fun blogs coming your way this week...so tune in!
So here I am...back home in Indiana. The transition is always hard. I still think I am in Philip's kitchen as I look for towels or light switches.
My children were all here to greet me (from Indiana, Arizona, and Florida). It was wonderful to spend a few days with them. There were suitcases and laptops piled all over my house.
I finally was able to unpack and settle in.
Why come back to Indiana? I am asked that question often.
I am a Hoosier by birth and have made a home for myself here in Northern Indiana. (I am a stones throw away from Ohio and Michigan.) We have a lovely state park, a university, a small town which some folks say is like old Mayberry, and I have family here.
Ahh...will I always be here? And what does Marcia have to tell John? (That is a private joke for those of you who attend the Ocracoke Opry!)
I also work here as a writer, a storyteller and now I am teaching part time at Trine University. That is new for me. I am teaching English comp with a focus on Dickens and public speaking. I already told the students that we will be doing ghost stories!!
I work most weekends telling stories at festivals and traveling.
I have a housemate that I will often write about as well. I usually house an international student from the college. Virginia just graduated from Trine with her MS in mechanical engineering. (She does not wear a pocket protector!) She lived here this summer while I was gone.
So I will post my stories, my thoughts, my photos and videos as I meander around the next few months.
I am heading off to Indy to the Fringe and will post from there with a fun video.
As always, thanks for reading, commenting and letting thoughts travel through space and time to share our lives in this beautiful world.
Lou Ann
P.S. Virginia took the above photo of me on my first day of school. I am fortunate enough to ride my bike to school and carry my books in my backpack.
Coming back to Indiana is always a transition...of geography, work, friends, activities, and family.
I unpack my suitcase and find pieces of Ocracoke scattered within...a seashell, pockets of sand, or even just the sweet smell of salt and sea.
When I returned home, my house was full of arriving children and it was good to be met by those I love. I have three grown sons who have scattered like the wind, I think they received the gift of wanderlust from their mother.
For three days the house was full of noise, family, children and plenty of dishes!
Just like that they returned, except for Aaron who lives with his wife Karen and the two grandchildren just a block away. We are able to see each other's houses which is always fun for me.
Living in Indiana is not the same as Ocracoke...but it is home. My House at White Picket Gardens is aptly named because of my wooden picket fence and multitudes of flowers. The gardens are in full bloom now as well as the vegetable garden and raspberries.
When I left for Ocracoke we had a fire burn in place so my campfires came to a halt. However with the summer rain of August, all is green and lush and the ban has been lifted.
Last night around 9:00 I decided to build a campfire. The sparks and embers cracked and popped under a sky of stars and towering trees. Within minutes my driveway was a parking lot for bikes. The children just kept coming.
My neighborhood is one of the last old neighborhoods. Children play outside until their parents call them in, and that is usually when the parents want to go to bed. The kids spend each moment outside. They gather rocks, play kickball in the field, let ice cream drip on the pavement, and let the sun of summer turn their winter skin to gold.
As the kids kept coming, I lit candles around the garden, and pulled out the bags of marshmallows from the kitchen. A ring of children circled the fire as we roasted the marshmallows and told ghost stories. They told me tales about the haunted houses in the neighborhood, their eyes wide open, and faced nodding in agreement.
I just kept passing around marshmallows and agreeing with them. Who would want to live in a neighborhood without a haunted house here and there?
The embers burned low around 11, and each one got back on his/her bike and meandered off into the darkness toward home. I am sure none of them had a shower or a bath, but instead went to sleep with summer dirt on their bare feet and sticky fingers from the marshmallows. But does it really matter?
Tomorrow school starts for my neighborhood so last night was our farewell to summer nights. All I hope is that when they are grown, they have fond memories of biking off into the night, playing ball in the dirt field, and having parents who let them grow up outside one sunny day at a time.
Thanks to all the children who make my life sweet and happy back home in Indiana.
And just as soon as I got used to the sand in my shoes and the salt water woven in my hair, the summer was over. I packed my bags, cleaned out the Mad Mag Studio and headed back to Indiana.
The summer was magical, as always. I am truly grateful to Philip for sharing his Island with me.
One of my best memories of the summer is the night we all went to the beach to watch the Perseid showers...so here is my last column on Ocracoke for my friends, Bill and Lida.
After I unpack and settle back in some sort of routine (which never ever happens), I will continue to blog, video, and share my small glimpse into life. As always thanks for reading and commenting.
Here is a short video of saying goodbye...very short!!
Philip and I took a little side trip today (on our way to the airport) and took a visit to Harker's Island.
I have never visited this little Island and it was a wonderful adventure. It is a small Island with pristine houses and gardens. We stopped at a park to take a far away look at Cape Lookout Lighthouse and decided we should visit there sometime soon as well!
On our way out we passed a beautiful old shrimp boat. Philip pulled over for me, and with camera in hand, I got to talking to Captain Oliver Lewis. He is a shrimp captain and was talking about the season.
I think this was my first time to meet a shrimp captain and I was delighted he took the time to talk with me.
Whereas he would not let me video him, he was fine with a photo. If anyone out there knows Captain Oliver Lewis, give him a 'hey' from me!
As for the traveling to the airport...more on that later!
What kind of video blogger would I be without a view of the summer beach?
I took this video when Philip's grandchildren were here for a visit. We packed up all our worldly belongings (or so it seemed) to spend the afternoon with them at the beach.
It if fun being part of the tourist world now and again, we are usually too busy to play on the beach. I took my video at random, I do not know any of the folks. If you happen to be the woman in the blue bathing suit, send it to all of your friends.
The summer beach at Ocracoke is splendid. It stretches for miles and miles. The further you go from the Lifeguard Beach (where we were playing that day), the less folks you encounter. Soon it becomes where you are gripped in isolation and cannot see a single soul.
Philip and I went out in his boat the other day just to scud around the harbor. It was the same time that Rob Temple was heading out for a sail on his schooner, The Windfall. As always, my cameras were tucked away in my backpack (along with sunscreen, sunglasses, and an old copy of The Week) so I was ready for some filming.
The day was stunning after all the rain, and I felt a little like the paparazzi as we circled and followed The Windfall. Rob, with his wife Sundae Horn, own the Black Schooner shop at the Community Square. It is a great place to visit and sign up for a lovely tour of the Sound on The Windfall.
I love spending time on Ocracoke and getting to know the folks here. This is my tenth summer, and it gets better every year!
There are locals to hang out with, tourists to tell stories to, and always adventures waiting to happen.
This weekend I was invited to be a breakfast guest at The Castle.
This is not just any location on the Island. It is, well, I would say spectacular in every way...architecture, stories (have YOU heard about Blackbeard or Sam Jones?), and great food.
Come along with me behind the scenes where a busy kitchen is the mainstay for the guests at The Castle.
You can find stories here, book a reservation, or even plan a wedding at:
I know some of you have seen this photo before, but it is one of my favorites. This is how the Ocracoke Lighthouse looked during the storm that I wrote about.
I truly felt as if I were Rapunzel or a Pirate or whatever my storyteller imagination could conjure up. Imagine being alone for an hour or so waiting for the rain and wind to subside. I shiver me timbers just thinking about it!
As always, thanks for reading and watching, and enjoy this week's column!
After all the morning rain, the sun brilliantly came out in the afternoon! We took full advantage of this lovely day by taking Philip's boat out in the Sound.
I happened to have my camera available when we came across Farris O'Neal on the "high seas" with his parasailing business.
Farris is a smart funny guy who joyfully takes tourists and locals out to view Ocracoke from the sky. I have yet to take advantage of this, but maybe someday.
I took some photographs and a short video as well. Make sure you look him up when you come to Ocracoke! I would also love to see photos from up high!
It has been a rainy week here on Ocracoke. Torrents of rain descended late Tuesday evening and did not give any hope of ever giving up!
Sandy lanes, streets, marshy areas are flooded with puddles and soupy wet sand land.
Alas, the sun does shine, the earth dries, and we all go about our business.
Here is a short video taken from my Mad Mag Studio door of the rain. It definitely was a good day to stay inside and perhaps read Charles Dickens?
I might add, even rain is lovely here on the Island.
Lou Ann
P. S. It appears that you will have to watch the video while cramping your neck to the left. Alas, it is just the thumbnail, once you click on the video it is fine. (I spent a long time trying to correct this, but I could not turn in on the blog!)
"In the place where the storyteller was the coming of night was marked as it was not in towns nor in modern houses. It was so marked that it created in the mind a different rhythm. There had been a rhythm of the day and now there was a rhythm of the night..."
