Windy afternoon at the beach..

What started out to be a very stormy looking day, turned into a beautiful day of sunshine and much wind. We decided to take a walk on the beach and enjoyed the roar of the sea as opposed to conversation as we could not be heard.

I passed a gentleman holding up the umbrella keeping the blowing sand off of him. There were a few other colorful umbrellas, but the beach was pretty void of folks. Saturdays and Sundays are usually cottage changes, thus the low activity.

Today it raining, however, and a good day to do business!!

Lou Ann

Recovering

The quiet morning photographs on the Fourth of July.

Slowly the island is healing itself from last Saturday.

Conversations continue.

Memorial donations are gathered.

The sun rises.

I was on my way to photograph the lovely flags of the day, here are a few taken just

moments before the explosion on Ocracoke Island.

The Day After the Explosion on Ocracoke

The village continues to mourn the loss of the four that were killed when their fireworks truck exploded yesterday. One by one the death count rose as the night and morning wore on.

Confusion, grief, sadness, and quietness has settled onto this tiny little island of Ocracoke.

Tragedy is always so difficult to deal with in a community, but being isolated by geography makes this event so unusual.

The community is so close that the stories flow like water. Everywhere, everyone, every minute.

I started the morning waiting for the Virginia Pilot to be delivered at the Community Store. They were sold out in 15 minutes. The porch was full of folks with stories to tell, some more gruesome than is humanly possible.

A memorial parade was held at 3 this afternoon to honor our volunteers. They are the real heroes in this epic. The men and women are dedicated to saving and preserving lives, but nothing in their training could have prepared them for this. In reality they are good island folks who volunteer to help their community. They rose so far up over the challenge that they are heroes in our lives....keeping the fires from spreading, caring for the severely injured even though they must have known that death would soon follow.

This evening another wonderful event was held at the Methodist Church. It was a wonderful group of men and women singing and sharing their love of instruments through song and story. I believe there wasn't a dry eye in the place when Martin Garrish sang Iris Dement's song, Our Town.

The week end is past. It is supposed to storm tonight and will good to begin washing away the scent of the disaster and begin healing...tomorrow.

Lou Ann

First Photos of Ocracoke Explosion and Full Story

It started out as a beautiful July 4th morning. Woke up early, had homemade toasted bread with cherry jam and hot coffee. There were still last minute details to finish on the float, but I could not let the morning pass me by.

I picked up my camera and went off to take photos of flags. There are all over Ocracoke Island, draped over bushes, in flower gardens, hung off old homes. I had biked down to the harbor to photograph a few photos of the boats in the water when the explosion began. The sky was filled with fireworks and I was in such a daze I didn't realize what had happened. I know I stood there stunned for at least a minutes, then it was as if the entire sky was falling with all the fireworks exploding at once. As the sky filled with smoke, the sound of the ambulance was in my ears.

I was able to recover quickly and take the first shots of the explosion. Crowds began to gather with fear in their eyes.

Four flight helicopters came, but took 45 minutes to an hour to reach the Island. They did not land on the landing pad, but rather in the parking lot side by side. The ferries were all shut down and those ready to pull into the harbor for the day's celebrations were sent back for another two and a half hour ride back to the mainland.

We do not know what was the cause of the explosion, but we do know one was killed and four are critically injured. Two local firefighters were taken off Ocracoke Island due to heat and exhaustion.

Of course everything was canceled for the day. A subdued hush has fallen on this small piece of ribbon to the sea. Quietly we all took our photos and our memories home to our cottages.

My day was only beginning as I sent my photos to WINT in North Carolina. Within minutes my phone was ringing to give permission and interviews for CNN and NBC.

It is amazing that the day is still beautiful with just a faint touch of smoke in the air. Firework debris is spread all across the harbor. I leaned down to pick up the end of one.

A moment can change our life forever.

Lou Ann Homan
Ocracoke Island

Gypsy Kids and a Farewell Party

On Ocracoke Island this summer there are three college kids living behind Philip's cottage. They have the use of the old red gypsy wagon as well as hammocks.

They are nestled into the trees sleeping at night like birds or out on the town as wandering owls. I have grown to adore these kids. They make their own yoghurt, they hang out their laundry, and they are known to us at the Three Gypsies.

Last night they cooked dinner for us in the cottage as it was Ben's last night as he left for Raleigh this morning on the early morning ferry. He leaves for India in a few days.

We have spent countless hours with these kids, watching the sunset, drinking a bottle or two of wine, cooking together, sharing pot lucks and it is as if they will fly the nest one at a time.

Farewell to Ben, have a great yoga experience. As for Paige and Kyle, well, we will be honored by their presence for a short time yet!

Lou Ann

Pokagon State Park and other Politics by Governor Daniels

I love my blog site. I started it over five years ago and do my best to keep it up-to-do, full of pictures, trendy, upbeat and colorful.

Today I break all of my rules. Since I am on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina for the summer, my Internet is a bit fuzzy. I have to pack up my laptop and other office paraphernalia to walk through the sandy lanes to the small library. I love this library, always people to talk to and a cozy room that I share in the back as an office space. I usually share it with my friend James who is working on his PhD.

I check the local news every couple of days to keep up with my Angola, Indiana home town, my friends, community etc. I was not prepared for today's headline, however.

The gist of the headline was that the State Parks in Indiana would close on Monday if the state legislature could not come to a financial agreement. It was comforting to know (I say this with tongue in check) that the prisons would stay open, however.

Governor Daniels, we need to talk. It is all backwards, you know. If we spend the money for our state parks as we should and usually do with qualified staff for children and families to participate in and encourage them to learn about our environment, etc., the need for prisons might be smaller, could even be eliminated. Who knows?

The children in Indiana are currently under the umbrella of obesity, yet we close the state parks where they can run and play?

The children in Indiana spend much of their free time watching television and working on the computer which also leads to the above subject, and less interaction with the environment. How can we possibly save an environment that isn't used and/or appreciated by children and adults alike? Is that the old adage, out of site out of mind?

And Governor Daniels, in this economic downfall, and do not tell me that we are in a recovery, my neighbors are unemployed and doing whatever they can to keep hearth and home (which means digging up their yards for gardens, etc.), the state park is still an inexpensive outing for a family. Where I live in Angola, Pokagon State Park offers swimming, kayaking, hiking, the Nature Center, and the lovely Inn. It also offers families time to talk, walk, and be together as a family.

So, Mr. Daniels, what will you do? I have had little confidence in you and now I have even less.

Sincerely submitted,
Lou Ann Homan for my State Park

Keeping the Lights Lit on Ocracoke Island

Inside the Ocracoke Lighthouse

Today was my training day to open the doors of the Ocracoke Lighthouse. I am enjoying volunteering in different areas all over the island...the museum, turtle patrol, and now the lighthouse. There were four of us in training and we met with Jessica, who is totally in charge of us, at the lighthouse around noon today. We had to fill out federal forms, inform them of next of kin in case....in case what, I wonder?

We also had to get fitted for those shirts, you know the ones I mean, the ones without pink or purple!! I get a hat, a badge, a name tag...well, just about everything.

We were taught how to unlock the old door, put the signs out...all the practical things.

Then Jessica told us we needed to climb to the top of the lighthouse. The Ocracoke light house is open only at the base, not to climb up due to the steepness of the steps, the rustiness of the steps, the tall steel ladder that goes through the hole in the top where the lanterns were lit. I was thrilled and scared all at the same time!! Only two of us went up, my friend James who is working on his PhD this summer. We are always at the same programs and events! The other two claimed knee problems or something.

I took a deep breath and up I went. By the time I was at the steel ladder, my hands were soaking wet from being nervous and the heat. But to the top I climbed. It was the most gorgeous site of seeing the village from this viewpoint. I could not help but think of the lighthouse keepers who carried whale oil and kerosene nightly up those steps and cleaned windows and kept the ships safe in the night. What powerful and wonderful men those were.

James had his camera and took photos which I will post at a later date!

We finally climbed down and had more training. I have been reading about the light house ever since I started coming here to spend summers with Philip. I can't wait to get my badge and start telling stories of this beautiful light house!!

Lou Ann