The restoration work on the Ocracoke Lighthouse is coming to completion. Sunday afternoon I had an opportunity to accompany Dale to the lighthouse grounds, and to speak with Alex and J.R., two of the men who have been doing much of the work. In the course of the conversation Alex invited us to climb the tower. Here are a few photos (this is a work still in progress, so cables, ropes, tools, and protective pads are visible in some of the pictures). Click on any photo to see a larger image.br /br /This is me, almost to the top of the spiral staircase:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5Qrne4aiNI/AAAAAAAAASQ/HPzbL8dFeSY/s1600-h/lhspiral030710"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5Qrne4aiNI/AAAAAAAAASQ/HPzbL8dFeSY/s320/lhspiral030710" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446025806702348498" border="0" //abr /br /A metal ladder leads from the spiral stairs into the lantern room:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrmOHLIZI/AAAAAAAAARw/6zkt2wGls3s/s1600-h/lhladdera030710"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrmOHLIZI/AAAAAAAAARw/6zkt2wGls3s/s320/lhladdera030710" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446025785020981650" border="0" //abr /br /The 150 year old Fourth Order Fresnel Lens:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrnGvvWnI/AAAAAAAAASI/u1TcWytfq38/s1600-h/lhlensc030710"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrnGvvWnI/AAAAAAAAASI/u1TcWytfq38/s320/lhlensc030710" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446025800223513202" border="0" //abr /br /The three foot high door to the balcony:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrmoPrYcI/AAAAAAAAAR4/8DgZxBOQqnk/s1600-h/lhdoora030710"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5QrmoPrYcI/AAAAAAAAAR4/8DgZxBOQqnk/s320/lhdoora030710" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446025792035971522" border="0" //abr /br /A view of the lantern from the floor of the balcony:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5Qrm5FZu_I/AAAAAAAAASA/OiZX99KJK6s/s1600-h/lhlanterna030710"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S5Qrm5FZu_I/AAAAAAAAASA/OiZX99KJK6s/s320/lhlanterna030710" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446025796556274674" border="0" //abr /br /Look for photos of the village taken from the balcony on tomorrow's blog.br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of early twentieth century itinerant salesmen, entertainers, and preachers who found their way to the island. You can read it a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"here/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-5885977365213425808?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

I think Spring might be right around the corner. Blue skies, sunshine, and daffodils about to burst forth are good signs. And the forecast is calling for temperatures in the mid-fifties to the low sixties for the rest of the week. Walks on the beach have been spectacular, with dozens of dolphins frolicking just offshore. We can see them surfing the big waves, jumping clear out of the water, and even pushing forward with their snouts pointed up to the sky just like their trained cousins do at Sea World.br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of early twentieth century itinerant salesmen, entertainers, and preachers who found their way to the island. You can read it a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"here/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-238367976994526734?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

I was talking with neighbor Tom Pahl last night and he mentioned that he was interviewed on Public Radio's "A Way With Words" about a month ago. He had called to inquire about the phrase "knock on wood." Although the show's hosts said the origin of that expression is a mystery, they both knew of Ocracoke and the island's unique brogue. You can listen to the interview here (Tom's portion begins at about 41:00):br /br /a href="http://castroller.com/podcasts/AWayWith/1472588-The%20Language%20of%20Less%20Than%20Three%20-%2015%20Feb%202010" target=newhttp://castroller.com/podcasts/AWayWith/1472588-The%20Language%20of%20Less%20Than%20Three%20-%2015%20Feb%202010/abr /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of early twentieth century itinerant salesmen, entertainers, and preachers who found their way to the island. You can read it a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"here/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-7801939315654136464?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

The light in our beloved lighthouse has been turned back on after several months of restoration work on the tower. I understand that interior brickwork has been re-pointed, a new steel ladder has been installed at the top of the spiral staircase, interior amp; exterior metal work has been repaired and re-painted, glass enclosing the lantern area has been replaced, new lightning protection has been added, and a replacement ground-level door (with period hardware) has been installed. Unofficial observers report that everything has been done with great care to historic standards. Hats off to the Florida contractor, Alex Klahm Architectural Metal and Design, for their fine work.br /br /The relighting of the light in the lighthouse is a welcome symbol of hope for family and friends still in mourning over two recent deaths, 2 1/2 year old Charlotte Castro (see yesterday's post), and Rita Horn of Ohio (who died suddenly Tuesday evening; she was the mother of islander Sundae Horn, and grandmother of Emmet, Caroline, amp; Mariah Daisy Temple).br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of early twentieth century itinerant salesmen, entertainers, and preachers who found their way to the island. You can read it a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"here/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-5496900421025972950?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Ocracokers were shocked and saddened Tuesday morning to learn that two-and-a-half-year-old Charlotte, daughter of Marcy Brenner amp; Lou Castro had died in her sleep. Many of our readers know Charlotte and her parents who play music together as "Coyote." In addition, Marcy and Lou are both part of the band "Molasses Creek."br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S47aN0lL5oI/AAAAAAAAARo/mJCAwxPuS3E/s1600-h/charlotte1"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S47aN0lL5oI/AAAAAAAAARo/mJCAwxPuS3E/s320/charlotte1" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444528930525275778" border="0" //abr /br /Any death in our community, especially the death of a child, affects everyone. Charlotte was frequently in attendance at performances and informal gatherings where she'd dance and clap along with the music. Charlotte loved other people, pre-school, animals, music, books, dancing, and drawing.br /br /Joyce Reynolds looked after her as her own grandchild, but Charlotte was also often seen sitting on various peoples' laps listening to her mama and papa as they picked their instruments and sang to entertain us all.br /br /The entire Ocracoke community is in mourning for a sweet little girl that captured everyone's hearts.br /br /Condolences may be mailed to Marcy Brenner amp; Lou Castro, PO Box 734, Ocracoke, NC 27960.br /br /A service is scheduled for Friday morning at 11 o'clock in the Ocracoke United Methodist Church. Marcy and Lou have asked, that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Ocracoke Child Care, PO Box 284, Ocracoke, NC 27960.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-8073242639176507796?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

For years I have been telling people that there are no raccoons on Ocracoke. I know they are numerous on Portsmouth Island (they can be a nuisance when they climb down chimneys in the historic structures and tear things up). But I have never seen a raccoon on Ocracoke.br /br /A few days ago Gene Ballance sent me this photo of his porch:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4f09xw4CaI/AAAAAAAAARY/XLi5XH2m13Q/s1600-h/raccoon"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 264px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4f09xw4CaI/AAAAAAAAARY/XLi5XH2m13Q/s320/raccoon" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442588016868067746" border="0" //abr /br /(Click on the photo to view a larger image, and look in the center of the picture!)br /br /I wrote to Gene. Is this a doctored photo? I wondered.br /br /This is what Gene wrote back:br /br /"Definitely a raccoon. We see them walking down the ditch at low tide here. Others have see them too. NPS has also caught some in their cat traps on Ocracoke, I hear."br /br /So there you have it. We do have raccoons on Ocracoke.br /br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is about several early 20th century itinerants who traveled to Ocracoke, including the story of "Blackie of the North Woods ". You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm./aa href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-4096681330715509674?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

...to someplace warm!br /br /That's what Gene Ballance, our County Commissioner, imagined this post office cat thinking. Gene took the picture last week, when the temperature was in the upper 30s. I had just returned from a brisk walk on the beach when Gene pointed the cat out to me.br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4bXqVnNsdI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/YqhvlZq5kX8/s1600-h/mailme"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4bXqVnNsdI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/YqhvlZq5kX8/s320/mailme" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442274322079920594" border="0" //abr /br /(Click on the photo to view a larger image.)br /br /A number of stray cats spend most of their time at the post office, fed and cared for by various island cat lovers.br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is about several early 20th century itinerants who traveled to Ocracoke, including the story of "Blackie of the North Woods ". You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm./adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-8428550101885523297?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4qNA5hlI3I/AAAAAAAAARg/7cdtgXCmV3I/s1600-h/Blackie4.jpg"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4qNA5hlI3I/AAAAAAAAARg/7cdtgXCmV3I/s320/Blackie4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443318146211849074" border="0" //abr /br /I have just published another monthly Ocracoke Newsletter. This latest edition tells about several itinerant salesmen, entertainers, and preachers that visited Ocracoke in the early 20th century. It includes the colorful story of Moses LeFaver Cummings (also known as "Blackie of the North Woods") who held an outdoor preaching service here in 1926 or 1927. You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022810.htm/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-4946206826172783820?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

I recently learned about the progress of two loggerhead sea turtles, at least one of whom was rescued on Ocracoke Island a couple of weeks ago during a prolonged cold snap that endangered or killed a number of sea turtles along the Outer Banks.br /br /You can read more about these two survivors here:br /a href="http://scaquarium.org/STR/blog/2010/02/loggerheads-beasley-and-ocracoke-lucky.html" target=newhttp://scaquarium.org/STR/blog/2010/02/loggerheads-beasley-and-ocracoke-lucky.html/abr /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-7988827735178001997?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Amy, David, Lachlan, Bill Jones, and I were on the beach two days ago when we noticed an unusual movement ahead of us, near the water's edge. As we approached we realized it was a seal. We backed up to give the seal space and not disturb it. Luckily Amy had her camera. She was able to get several great shots, especially with her telephoto lens.br /br /A view down the beach (the seal is just a small dot near the water in the distance):br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctP-KgQ-I/AAAAAAAAARQ/ItQhYO0bZGo/s1600-h/seal1"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442368427108877282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctP-KgQ-I/AAAAAAAAARQ/ItQhYO0bZGo/s320/seal1" //abr /br /Zooming in on the seal:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctPoZJ9-I/AAAAAAAAARI/2_4G4hqQqFE/s1600-h/seal2"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442368421264750562" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctPoZJ9-I/AAAAAAAAARI/2_4G4hqQqFE/s320/seal2" //abr /br /Another great picture:br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctPJu9XnI/AAAAAAAAARA/bX5Do72Gt2g/s1600-h/seal3"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442368413034700402" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4ctPJu9XnI/AAAAAAAAARA/bX5Do72Gt2g/s320/seal3" //abr /br /(Click on any photo to view a larger image.)br /br /If you see the seal please keep your distance. It is illegal to approach or harass seals in any way.br /br /I was told by a park ranger that a harbor seal had been reported on Ocracoke. This fellow appears to be a juvenile. Maybe some of our readers can shed more light.br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-1222972009503995013?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

On Thursday, February 23 I wrote about Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Life Savers. Several readers have alerted me to stories about a new documentary on the Pea Island Life Savers. It is titled "Rescue Men" and will debut tomorrow night at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, NC.br /br /More information is available by following these links:br /br /a href="http://news.ncdcr.gov/2010/02/11/documentary-about-pea-island-life-savers-to-debut-on-roanoke-island/" target="new"http://news.ncdcr.gov/2010/02/11/documentary-about-pea-island-life-savers-to-debut-on-roanoke-island//a (look for the links to view the film's trailer.)br /br /a href="http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/7120591/" target="new"http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/7120591//a (this is a news report about the documentary from TV station WRAL in Raleigh)br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-202373523611896710?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

As many of our readers know, local musicians gather around the Community Store's pot bellied stove every Friday night from 6 to 8 pm.br /br /There is another treat in store for us on Saturday night. The Ocracoke Arts Council is sponsoring a free concert featuring Mandolin Orange, a musical duo who captured everyone's heart when they first appeared at the OcraFolk Festival a couple of years ago.br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.myspace.com/mandolinorange"img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S4bQWGUMR3I/AAAAAAAAAQw/qHlqIy3bIOk/s320/mandolinorange.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442266277794826098" border="0" //abr /br /(Click on photo to go to Mandolin Orange's web page.)br /br /Emily amp; Andrew (Mandolin Orange) will perform at the Deepwater Theater, beginning at 7 pm. If you are on the island make every effort to hear them sing and play. You won't be disappointed!br /br /Our latest span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"Ocracoke/span Newsletter is the story of span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"Ocracoker/span, Kelly span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"O'Neal/span, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-914032903387156167?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

I was off the island for a while...and didn't answer a number of questions that readers posed. So I'll rectify that oversight in today's blog. Here goes:br /ulli"Do you ever find sea glass on span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Ocracoke's/span beaches?" Rarely, although I understand there is a fair amount of it on the northern beaches (in the Nags Head area). Don't know why this is so./liliA reader asked about a book on span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Ocracoke/span and WWII by a local author. The book is span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Ocracoke/span Island: its People, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Base During World span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"War II/span, by Earl span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"O'Neal/span, Jr., and is available from the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"Ocracoke/span Preservation Society. You can order it here: a href="http://catalog.opsmuseum.org/viewProduct.cfm?item_id=714996" target="new"http://catalog.opsmuseum.org/viewProduct.cfm?item_id=714996/a/liliAnother reader asked if I would share more information about our local boy scout troop. I will keep this in mind for another post, or maybe even a monthly newsletter./liliI was asked, "Will you be at the concert [the annual celebration of the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"Feedmen's/span Colony, on Friday, Feb. 26, in span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"Manteo/span]? I understand there will be a surprise guest." I doubt it. I just got back home last night, and don't want to get in a car for a while. I'll ask friends in span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"Manteo/span about the surprise guest./lili"Where do span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"Ocracokers/span generally buy things like coffeemakers or kitchen appliances, bed linens, etc.?" A few of these smaller items are available locally at the Variety Store, but most islanders shop off island (in the Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills area, or in Norfolk or Greensboro) or on-line for these types of purchases./lili"Is it possible to ride bikes on the beach? I've seen people riding bikes on other beaches, but never on span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"Ocracoke/span." If the sand is packed down and very hard it is possible to ride bikes on the beach (I see this occasionally), but there are usually soft places at frequent intervals, so it's generally not much fun.br //lili"Are there nice, sandy beaches on the sound side of the island, or are those reserved for the ocean side?" Not really, although there are a couple of small beaches that are not easily accessible. Most of the sound side is shallow, marshy, and hard to get to./lili"The map you have on your website "The Complete Illustrated Map of span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"Ocracoke/span Island" ... is that a modern-day or historical map?" Both. It shows the present day boundaries and modern landmarks, but it also includes the historic (and often unfamiliar) place names for many areas of the island./lili"Where do people go to watch the fireworks? The life-guarded beach? Can they be seen from the village or do the trees obscure the view?" It is highly unlikely that span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"Ocracoke/span will have any fireworks displays in the near future because of the explosion and tragedy last 4span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"th/span of July. In the past they were launched behind the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"NCCAT/span (old Coast Guard) building, and could be seen from anywhere in the village./li/ulI hope this helps. Post more questions if you like. I'll answer as best I can.br /br /Our latest span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"Ocracoke/span Newsletter is the story of span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"Ocracoker/span, Kelly span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"O'Neal/span, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-3160734882005094714?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Yesterday I mentioned the book, emFire on the Beach/em, an account of Richard Etheridge and the Outer Banks' only all black life saving station. Today I call your attention to the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony. This little known community, which was established on Roanoke Island during the Union occupation of the Outer Banks early in the Civil War, was home to thousands of former slaves.br /br /Forgotten by most historians for many years, renewed interest in the Freedmen's Colony began nearly 30 years ago. Today a web site, a href="http://www.roanokefreedmenscolony.com/" target="new"http://www.roanokefreedmenscolony.com//a, presents a history of the colony with documents, maps, and much more.br /br /Moreover, on February 26 the 2010 annual celebration of the colony will be held at a title="Roanoke Island Festival Park" href="http://www.roanokeisland.com/" target="'new"Roanoke Island Festival Park/a in Manteo, North Carolina. There will be a blues concert, play, and more (please confirm details, dates and times with Roanoke Festival Park). If you are in the area consider making time to learn about this intriguing part of Outer Banks history.br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-7975643710753045923?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

A couple of years ago I read a fascinating book about the Outer Banks. Every so often I think about it, and I often recommend it to friends and acquaintances. It is titled emFire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers,/em and was written by David Wright and David Zoby.br /br /emFire on the Beach/em tells the remarkable story of Richard Etheridge an African-American Outer Banker who was born into slavery, served in the Civil War, and later entered the US Life Saving Service. He eventually became keeper of the only all black life saving station at Pea Island, on the Outer Banks. His story is rich in history, drama, and insight about the life saving service and distinguished black residents of coastal North Carolina.br /br /If your local library does not have the book, and/or you would like to purchase it, as always, I encourage you to shop at your local, independent bookstore. If there is none near you please consider one of the following Outer Banks stores:br /br /ulliemBooks to be Red/em on Ocracoke Island (to be honest, Leslie may not be open this time of year, but you can try to reach her by phone at 252-928-3936)/liliManteo Booksellers on Roanoke Island. Steve's web site is a href="http://www.manteobooksellers.com/"http://www.manteobooksellers.com//a/li/ulOur latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-7357485782656119468?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

The Ocracoke Civic amp; Business Association has been sponsoring the official Ocracoke Village web site for several years. Recently a number of updates and revisions have been made to the site. If you are unaware of this resource, or if you haven't looked at it recently, please take a moment to peruse the site. I believe there are more revisions being made, and you might want to bookmark the address for future reference. The site includes information about lodging, shopping, restaurants, services, events, and much more. There's even a downloadable village map, and links to island web cams. This is the address:br /br /a href="http://www.ocracokevillage.com/" target=newhttp://www.ocracokevillage.com//abr /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-3455540794525531792?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Many of our readers know that needed repairs have been made to our beloved Ocracoke Island lighthouse (see our posts for December 15, 2009 amp; January 22, 2010 for photos).br /br /If you have not traveled down NC Highway 12 between Nags Head amp; Ocracoke you may not be aware that significant repairs are also being made to the Bodie Island lighthouse. Several photos have been posted on the web site of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. You can view them here:br /br /a href="http://www.outerbankslighthousesociety.org/news/restoration/bilh-restore-photos-feb.html" target="new"http://www.outerbankslighthousesociety.org/news/restoration/bilh-restore-photos-feb.html/abr /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/a.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-2365488037512445886?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

pLast week Judith Saunders, resident of Virginia amp; Ocracoke and award winning artisan, conducted a week of classes in basketry techniques on the island. Fourteen people participated, including first time basket makers and more experienced weavers. Some of the baskets created were traditional, using both natural and dyed reeds. Other baskets used locally harvested natural materials, including Ocracoke seashells. My daughter Amy served as student assistant./ppThe class was funded in part by a Grassroots Grant from the a href="http://www.ncarts.org/" target="new"North Carolina Arts Council/a, with funding from the State of North Carolina and the a href="http://www.nea.gov/" target="new"National Endowment for the Arts/a. Administrative support for the grant funding came from the a href="http://www.beaufortcountyartscouncil.org/" target="new"Beaufort County Arts Council/a./ppTake a look at these photos of some of the wonderful creations from the workshop (you can click on any photo to say a larger image): /pa href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RbJJVKXI/AAAAAAAAAQo/2ifh-TxsEyg/s1600-h/baskets6.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663820430977394" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RbJJVKXI/AAAAAAAAAQo/2ifh-TxsEyg/s320/baskets6.jpg" //abr /br /a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RSGgf9MI/AAAAAAAAAQg/2zLae5kk3Iw/s1600-h/baskets5.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663665104024770" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RSGgf9MI/AAAAAAAAAQg/2zLae5kk3Iw/s320/baskets5.jpg" //abr /br /a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RR99ChNI/AAAAAAAAAQY/4zYzZUhdJA4/s1600-h/baskets4.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663662807811282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RR99ChNI/AAAAAAAAAQY/4zYzZUhdJA4/s320/baskets4.jpg" //abr /br /diva href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRksjGyI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Dh9zDj2LkNM/s1600-h/baskets3.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663656027757346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRksjGyI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Dh9zDj2LkNM/s320/baskets3.jpg" //abr /br /diva href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRfjNjFI/AAAAAAAAAQI/m0SxnSkRWz8/s1600-h/baskets2.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663654646418514" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRfjNjFI/AAAAAAAAAQI/m0SxnSkRWz8/s320/baskets2.jpg" //abr /br /diva href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRKcldGI/AAAAAAAAAQA/84aQ64XbK2I/s1600-h/baskets1.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439663648981480546" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S32RRKcldGI/AAAAAAAAAQA/84aQ64XbK2I/s320/baskets1.jpg" //abr /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/a/div/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-427174174663698439?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Amy was walking along the beach several days ago when she spotted a coin. Reaching down to pick it up she was hoping to find a collectible silver or gold piece, maybe even pirate booty. But it was only a quarter.br /br /However, she did come across several natural objects worth picking up and photographing. Below is the sea horse she discovered washed up at the high tide line. Once in a while I'll notice sea horses swimming near the docks in Silver Lake Harbor, but I can't remember ever finding one on the beach.br /br /a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3rAqld-7OI/AAAAAAAAAP4/ulFQADf09bA/s1600-h/seahorse.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438871337848204514" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3rAqld-7OI/AAAAAAAAAP4/ulFQADf09bA/s320/seahorse.jpg" //abr /br /She also gathered a number of colorful crab shells. These are common on our beach, but noticeable because of their patterns and hues.br /br /a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3rAqa5BBmI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gQA5zdALI0w/s1600-h/crabshells.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438871335008798306" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3rAqa5BBmI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gQA5zdALI0w/s320/crabshells.jpg" //abr /br /(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)br /br /Our latest span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"Ocracoke/span Newsletter is the story of span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"Ocracoker/span, Kelly span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"O'Neal/span, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-7168890406271444327?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

On Ocracoke Island be careful where you step if you venture away from the beach and off the beaten path! You might have an encounter with one of our cacti, called locally the "pickle pear." More commonly referred to as prickly pear cactus, they have sharp, smooth spikes that can pierce canvas shoes, and finer, hairlike spines that will detatch. Both can cause painful injuries to bare feet.br /br /Our native island pickle pear cactus is in the Opuntia genus, but I don't know the species. Maybe one of our readers knows. Here's a photo that Amy took recently:br /br /a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3q9hHn6_gI/AAAAAAAAAPo/NSuRaM_0IoU/s1600-h/prickleypear.jpg"img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438867876683120130" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6MgZjcmu0/S3q9hHn6_gI/AAAAAAAAAPo/NSuRaM_0IoU/s320/prickleypear.jpg" //abr /br /(Click on photo to see a larger image.)br /br /Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoker, Kelly O'Neal, and the 1951 revolution in Siam (Thailand). You can read it here: a href="http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm"http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012910.htm/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6559692-6574699507335704389?l=villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div