Raining on Ocracoke...



Dear Folks,

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!)



P

The coming of darkness....

"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..."

Jacob Grimm

Excavating a Loggerhead turtle nest with my column, photos and video..it is all right here!

Hi Folks,

This blog took a little longer than usual to put together as it filled with all kinds of information and media!

Sundae Horn called me around supper time on Thursday evening. She heard that a Loggerhead turtle nest had hatched a couple of days before, and that the park service was going to "excavate" the nest at dusk.

She didn't have to say more, I was practically out the door. I spent a few years working with the park naturalists in the morning looking for nests, marking them, etc. However I always left Ocracoke before I had a chance to see any hatchlings.

I hope you enjoy the following, it was a wonderful experience!

The column explains most of it, so enjoy that as well!

Lou Ann

Here is the column that will explain the process and the emotion of the evening:   

Click here for the full story!

Now on to the videos! These are done in four parts as I was not so good at splicing. Each one is in order of the process of the excavation. Hopefully you can catch the excitement and learn a lot as you go along!

As always, thanks for reading, watching and sharing with me. This blog has definitely been a labor of love!

Lou Ann





Farewell little hatchlings!

For a friend....

There is a solitude of space

A solitude of sea

A solitude of death, but these

Society shall be

Compared with the profounder site

That polar privacy

A soul admitted to itself-

Finite infinity.

Emily Dickinson





Happy Birthday, Philip

Dear Friends,

The summer birthdays on Ocracoke Island just don't end. Today is the birthday celebration of Philip and his grandson Lachlan.


We started out celebrating with breakfast at the Flying Melon. You know you are living in a small village when the cook announces that the birthday boys have a free breakfast. (I was happy as well as I was buying!)

There are folks stopping in all day...friends and neighbors with greetings and/or small gifts. Tonight Philip's son Stefen and his family arrive for their yearly vacation on the Island.

Another wonderful tradition is that the birthday gal or guy has their name written in chalk on the chalkboard at the Community Store. I remember my first time seeing my own name in print on the board, I felt like I actually belonged here!

The tradition continues as you can see from this short video clip of Lachlan and Philip giving out words of wisdom.

As always, thanks for reading and watching,

Lou Ann



The Salt Marsh on Ocracoke Island

De

Dear Friends,

I think the Salt Marsh on Ocracoke Island is a surprise, a mystery, and perhaps a forgotten gift from the Island.

Hammock Hills Nature Trail is a short easy walk through towering pines, sandy foothills, and the scent of the sea.

At the end of the nature trail is a boardwalk for viewing, bird watching and just thinking. The water on the Sound side is peaceful and calm.

Please check it out next time you are here visiting, or just come along with me for a glimpse as I am out and about.

As always,

Lou Ann

Come visit Blanche Jolliff Howard!

Dear Folks,

So the labor of love continues...my video blog.

Today's blog has two features, first of all please enjoy my column on Blanche. This was published at KPC where I have written a weekly column for several years. As of right now, it is published in four newspapers.

Click on the link here to enjoy: 

This week's column featuring Blanche from Ocracoke Island!

Secondly here is my video blog. I had experimented a little with this one splicing two together. You will see where I did that. I also mention the word
"garden" more times than needed! I do love to say that word with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Well, just enjoy the video. It is lovely. Blanche is lovely.

As always, thanks for reading and watching this summer!

Lou Ann