Ocracoke Day Trip

There is no better escape than a day trip to Ocracoke Island. My family loves to go there. I know we live on an island but there is just something special about Ocracoke. It makes even a day trip feel like a real vacation. We always try to hit the Ferry line early. My family's most recent trip was to celebrate my daughter's birthday. It was her choice for a fun day of family. My mother in law was also in town and it was a great activity to do with her.

The Ferry ride marks the beginning of the "mini vacation". As always, it is crowded in the summer but a little patience results in a fun ride over the water. I like to ride the ferry while standing along the rail. Mostly because I get sea sick if I stay in the car but also because I have seen some amazing things swimming or floating past the boat. This was no exception as we saw hundreds of little fish swimming along side of the ferry.

After unloading in Ocracoke, the first stop is always Ocracoke Village and our favorite restaurant, The Jolly Roger. For many reading this blog you will have your own favorite, but for us, The Jolly Roger is tops. We love the outdoor atmosphere, the friendly wait staff, the view of the harbor and the food! After filling ourselves to capacity, we headed out for a browsing of the shops. My daughter's favorite store anywhere is a bookstore so we stopped in to Books to be Red. What a great book store and more. They have beautiful pottery and a fun kids room in the back with all kinds of kids books and craft ideas. No trip to Ocracoke is complete without ice cream. So after a little walking, we headed off to find some ice cream. With dessert and shopping complete, it was time for the beach.

On Ocracoke, there are only two ways to get to the beach: drive out or park and walk. We decided to park and walk over. The least crowded spot was the access ramp across from the Ocracoke wild pony pasture. Being horse owners ourselves, we always like to see how the Ocracoke ponies are doing. It is great to see them looking healthy and happy. The parking lot there has a nice wooden walkway that is also handicapped accessible. Time for the sunscreen and bathing suits. We hit the surf, which was surprisingly cold for July and did some boogie boarding and body surfing. The beaches in Ocracoke are similar to Hatteras in that they are not too crowded and are usually clean. This beach was no exception. My mother in law, who can not swim well, was pleased to find the water was not too deep and even she could enjoy the waves with the family.

All too soon it was time to head home. After drying off and reloading the car, it was a short drive back to the ferry line. We like to guess how many ferry's will come and go before we make it on. While we waited, we played games and some took naps. All in all, it was a very successful trip to Ocracoke and one we will make many times again.

Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty.

Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation Fun Run

The Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation will have its sixth annual Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10:00 a.m. in Hatteras village. The rain date is October 11, 2009.

Registration will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum near the ferry docks for the event, which is a 5k run – about 3.1 miles.

Participants can walk, run, or just join in for the fun and festivities in support of an organization that provides financial assistance to Hatteras Island cancer patients.

The festivities will include music, a climbing wall From Kitty Hawk Kites, a barbecue show-off with barbecue available by the container or sandwich, clam chowder by Coastal Blue restaurant, a hot dog stand and lemonade stand, a bake sale, raffles, prizes, face painting, and much more from local businesses and organizations.

The entry fee for the Fun Run is $25 for adults and $15 for children 18 and under. The entry fee includes a Fun Run T-shirt and water. Please fill out and return a form along with your entry fee to P.O. Box 421, Hatteras, NC 27943: Attn: Fun Run.

Entry Forms can be picked up at Island Convenience in Rodanthe, Spa Koru in Avon, Buxton Village Books in Buxton or The East Carolina Bank In Hatteras.

You can also enter the day of the race.

Day At The Docks in Hatteras Village

September 19th, 2009 was the 5th annual Day At The Docks in Hatteras Village. Always fun this event celebrates the working watermen of Hatteras Island. This year Day At The Docks was held along the waterfront from Oden's Dock to Village Marina. Along the walk, there were many things to see, do and eat! Working watermen were there to demonstrate their craft. You could see net tying, a pound net, the last working skip jack in North Carolina waters, the Ada Mae, along with commercial fishing boats, the charter fishermen, and the Coast Guard.

My family has been going to this event since the beginning, and every year brings something new. Our favorite event is the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation chowder cook-off. Each year, local restaurants and individuals compete for the best chowder on the island. There are as many ways to make chowder, as there are people to eat it. This year was no exception. There were varieties of the traditional Hatteras Style clam chowder, seafood bisque and fish/crab chowder combos. Unfortunately, we never seem to get there early enough to sample all the chowders as some contestants run out early. After sampling, you get to vote for your favorite. Ours was hands down the Breakwater Restaurant. They made a creamy Tile fish, jalapeno and crab chowder. It was excellent. Second place went to Island Perks from Buxton with a traditional Hatteras (clear base) clam chowder. Third went to the Marlin Club with a Brie and crab chowder. Unfortunately for my family, that was one we were too late for. After that, if you were still hungry, the Methodist Women staff a booth with hot dogs, fish sandwiches and shrimp on a skewer.

After eating our way through the cook-off, there were plenty of activities for our son to do. Sam has participated in the Mullet toss, the blue crab races, the concrete marlin contest, jumping in the creek, fish print tee shirts, the leaky coast guard boat, and the kids fishing tournament. Obviously not places to wear your Sunday best, as the kids always come home smelling like fish. His favorite is the kids fishing tournament. This year, he and a few buddies forgot poles and decided to hand line. Sam caught many little Pin fish but the prize was for longest and heaviest, neither of which they had. After walking and playing around the docks, you can sit and listen to an array of musicians playing in the main area. The day wraps up with a Blessing of the Fleet in the harbor. It was a beautiful day, and as always everyone had lots of fun in Hatteras Village.


Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty.

Sea Glass

One of our favorite activities on Hatteras Island is beachcombing. After a big storm, you just never know what you may find out on the beach. When we moved here 8 years ago, we were big into collecting shells, all kinds and sizes, broken or whole. Then after hauling too many broken shells home, we decided that they had to be unique or whole to be worthy of a space in our "shell garden".

That rule still applies, but we now focus most of our attention on the hunt for sea glass. Sea glass comes in all colors and sizes. Green, brown and white are the most common colors to be found on the beaches here. For us to consider saving the piece, it has to be fully "cooked" which means, no sharp edges and a full smoky glaze, no shine, no clear glass. Red, yellow, orange and purple are some of the hardest and most rare to find. Blue is more common but is still a rush when found. All of these colors come in varying shades of the hue. In our family, we turn it into a contest to see who can find the most on any one-beach trip. And, when you find a piece you have to do the now famous "Sea Glass Dance". This involves holding the glass in the air, wiggling your rear end and chanting, "you ain't got no sea glass" to the other people on the beach. And yes, improper grammar applies or it does not count!

There are several books about sea glass that can help give you an idea of where a particular piece of glass may have come from. Glass with air bubbles typically are from very old bottles or windows. They could be hundreds of years old and have come from shipwrecks. The density of the color determines the age of the sea glass. For example, the deeper dark green of a piece, would indicate that it is older than a lighter green colored piece. Sometimes you can still read some of the raised logo from a Budweiser or the numbers on the bottom of a brown beer bottle. With plastics becoming more popular, sea glass collecting is becoming harder and we do not always find a piece while we are at the beach. Although we have jars full, the photo is of our box of special pieces. Each was collected for its color or shape. The yellow piece is our newest prize and was found while horseback riding in the cove on Mother's Day.

So next time you are out at the beach, especially at low tide, keep an eye to the ground for a flash of green or white and pick up some sea glass of your own!

Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty

Hatteras Island Prepares to Host 5th Annual Day at the Docks Celebration in September

Hatteras Island, North Carolina (July 19, 2009) - The 5th Annual “Day at the Docks: A Celebration of Hatteras Island Watermen” will take place Saturday, September 19, 2009, on the Hatteras village waterfront.

“The celebration this year promises to be the best ever,” said Lynne Foster, chairperson of the Day at the Docks planning committee.

The day brings local fishing families and island visitors together on the waterfront where commercial fishing boats, charter boats, and fishing gear are displayed.

Competitions, such as the concrete marlin, net hanging, and mullet toss contests, and the survival suit race, will run throughout the day.

“The contests always draw lots of competitors and many more spectators,” Foster said.

The fish identification game, children’s fishing contest, blue crab races, and other activities designed especially for children will return this year.

“We’re bringing back the very popular chowder cook-off as well as seafood cooking demonstrations, and we invite island cooks and chefs to contact us if they are interested in participating,” Foster said.

Day at the Docks gets underway at 10 am and runs until 5 pm. Guests are invited to observe workboats parade into the harbor for the Blessing of the Fleet at 6 pm.

There is no admission charge for the event.

For more information, visit www.dayatthedocks.org

Hurricane Bill

The first major hurricane of the 2009 season was a near miss for Hatteras Island, and no one is disappointed. The National Weather Service very accurately forecast the track of Hurricane Bill. Yet even with that, there are those of us who still prepare for the just-in-case scenario.

Experience has taught us that hurricanes don’t always “behave” as predicted; the storm track may change and/or the intensity of the wind may increase dramatically. Anyone who has lived here for a period of time and for those who have witnessed a hurricane here will most likely agree, that Mother Nature is unpredictable and ultimately in control. We know that even with this improving accuracy of weather forecasting, (especially during hurricane season) the weather here changes in an instant and without notice. So we must always be prepared for the unexpected.

Even though the storm was to remain well off our coast, by Friday the surf was building and warnings of dangerous rip currents resulted in the closure of the National Seashore beaches to ORV traffic, and the rescue squad asking people to use extreme caution and not enter the water during the storm conditions.

Fortunately the predicted track of the storm did not change and the hurricane passed us by on Saturday, August 22nd, just a few hundred miles off the coast of Cape Point. By Sunday morning the storm had moved well north on a track for Nova Scotia. Surfers waited patiently at their favorite break watching for the right wave, and beach goers were once again returning to the beaches for a day of fun and relaxation.

We are thankful that this storm has gone, and now will watch the Weather Channel’s tropical updates faithfully each day so we can monitor the next tropical wave as it approaches, and be prepared for our next storm. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy this beautiful island we call home.


Blog entry by Katherine White, Administration Support, Hatteras Office.

On Hatteras Island…even the squirrels occasionally swim!

Sometimes, when you are dealing with animals and the great outdoors, the most unexpected things happen! That is what this story is all about.

One early evening my husband, Jeff and I headed over to the barn to perform our usual routine of feeding, mucking and filling the water buckets. When we arrived, we noticed our horse Willem "playing" in the water bucket. This is not unusual because he loves to "make waves" with his face in the bucket…. but this play was different. It was almost like he was bobbing for something but not getting close enough to pick it up.

Since we were also waiting for the equine dentist to arrive, we didn't pay much attention to Willem and he came up to eat as normal. While we waited, I decided to empty and clean the water buckets. As I walked down toward the first bucket I called to Jeff and anyone else to come quick to see what I had found. There was a juvenile squirrel in the bucket, swimming for its life!

Now, we know that squirrels come to the water buckets to drink because we have seen them many times hanging onto the top rim with their feet, reaching down for a drink. This spring we watched a family of baby squirrels emerge from their nest near our hay box so this very likely was a squirrel from that family. Although there have been occasions of tree frogs using the water daily, this was the first furry creature we’ve found swimming! Even though we have worried about the possibility of them falling in we had not yet put a rescue plan in place.

Jeff quickly reached in and lifted the squirrel out of the bucket. It was in shock and continued to "swim" in the air and gasp for breath. Justin ran to his car and found a towel to wrap him in. He was so cold and soaked through, and his tail had been the object of Willem's attention as the end was stripped of fur. We took turns holding him close to us while he was wrapped in the towel. Soon the gasping and reflexive swimming stopped, and we were relieved to see that he was still breathing and appeared to be asleep, exhausted.

By the time the dentist had finished, the squirrel was awake and burrowing into the towel but staying fairly quiet. Thinking he needed a night of quiet, we decided to take him home with us for the night while he recuperated. The squirrel rode quietly in my arms all the way home.

We took him inside and decided to place him in an old birdcage until morning. Jeff was just setting up the cage when I lifted the towel covering the squirrel’s head and he bolted out of my arms and through the lower level of the house. Before we knew it, he was climbing the walls, bicycles, tools, washer and dryer; anywhere he could find to get away. Justin joined Jeff and I trying to corner him. (It is amazing how fast a squirrel can move!) After several attempts to grab the squirrel we managed to corner him again when he decided his best bet was to hunker down and put his tail over his head. It was the old; “If I can’t see you…then you can't see me” game! Jeff picked him up in a towel and put him in the cage. After that, we all agreed he was fit enough to return to his home right then.

Amazingly through the entire ordeal, he never tried to bite, only get away. We have seen him several times now since his water torture and he seems fully recovered. We recognize him by his hairless tail tip and he always scurries away with unusual speed. I can only imagine what he must think about the whole adventure.

Blog entry by Suzie Sholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty – Suzie and her husband, Jeff also own Hatteras Island Horseback Riding.