Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Moon Over Ocracoke

Dear Folks,

For the past week Philip's son and his family have been visiting from the mountains of North Carolina. It is so lovely where they live, but every summer (almost) they bring all their summer gear to Ocracoke to share in the fun and beauty here.


The children are active with bike riding and beach going and playing with their cousin, Lachlan, who lives here full time.

Yesterday afternoon I announced that there would be a full moon. (I guess I should have announced it to all of you as well!) We made a family plan to meet on the beach at 8:00 to just sit and stare at the deepening dusk with the sun going down on the Sound and the moon coming up over the Atlantic. I got there early with towels and a flashlight and spent some time alone just sighing at the beauty. It wasn't long before the whole entourage came running!

The kids were happy to just walk on the shoreline as veils of darkness began to hover over us. The grown ups all sat on the towels and chairs waiting for the magical sphere to rise out of the water. (OK, I know realistically how it all works, but play with me here!)

The July moon did not fail us. It rose magnificently up over the water and we caught our breath. We did, indeed, hollar down at the kids and they glanced at the moon, but continued to play in the moon shadows as they appeared on the empty beach.

Once they found out I had a flashlight, they began looking for ghost crabs. We, the grown ups, counted the shadows of the children once in a while, but knew they were fine and having a great time.

Finally it was time to leave. Of course, they did not want to go until I mentioned ice cream. Back into the village we all had ice cream, letting it drip down our chins and onto our day-old shirts.
It was a wonderful memory builder for all of us.
Lou Ann

P.S. The moon will rise again tonight...8:58 here on Ocracoke
P.S.S. I wrote this for Philip's blog as well!

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