Reprinted from the December 2009 Ocracoke Observer
By Ken DeBarth
Dear Santa Claus:
This winter I will be surf fishing on Ocracoke. I need some equipment to help with this. Please bring me the following items:
Fast-Action Spinning Rod. As you know, Santa, colder water temperatures in the winter require smaller and lighter baits. To help me cast these lighter offerings please bring me a 7- to 8 ½-foot rod rated for ½ to ¾ ounce lures.
Spinning Reel. I want a good quality reel with a strong drag system. You know, Santa, fighting a big drum or striped bass on the light-weight rod you are bringing me will require some serious drag stress during the fight.
Light Line. Please load the reel with no more than 10 pound test mono filament or 15 pound test braid. To get any casting distance with the lighter lures (see below) I’ll need to work with a small diameter line.
Waders. Santa, since you live at the North Pole I know you have experience with cold wet feet. Please bring me a set of chest waders.
Lures. I’ll need some lures for the puppy drum, flounder, and speckled trout. Please bring me some ½ ounce jig heads and twister tails or Gulps. Red jig heads and green tails seem to be the best combination here. I also want some 1 ounce gold Hopkins lures. These work best when the water clarity is good. If you can stand in knee deep water and see your feet, Santa, try casting the Hopkins.
Bait. For the big stripers and drum, I’ll need bait. Please bring me some finger mullet and some big mullet for chunking. Santa, leave the mullets outside on the doorstep. They might get to smelling bad if you leave them under the tree.
Thermometer. Santa, if you have any room left in your bag, please bring me a thermometer. Water temperature is important in the winter. Drum are less active, if not dormant, at temperatures under 55 degrees. Stripers are active at temps as low as the mid 40s. If I can check the water temperatures, which can vary according to wind and sun, I will be able to find the areas where the fish will be.
You probably haven’t fished here much in the winter, Santa. I invite you to come down and try it when you recover from your trip around the world on Christmas Eve.
Thank you very much, Santa, and have a Merry Christmas and tight lines.
Merlin seen perched at the NPS campground on Ocracoke
What makes birdlife on Ocracoke fascinating is that it is always changing. There are the year-round residents such as the Northern Mockingbird and Fish Crow and species like the Great-crested Flycatcher that fly up from the tropics to nest in the village. In spring and fall, “migrant” birds pass through on their way to their breeding or wintering territories. And then there are those that converge on the island from the north to spend the winter and may be seen flying along the dunes or perhaps perching on the water tower. Since it is December, we will feature one of these neat winter birds, the Merlin (Falco columbarius). The name Merlin derives from esmerillon, the old French name for this species. They were formerly known as pigeon hawks, not because of a fondness for eating pigeons but rather for their flight pattern which some thought has a similarity.
With a long wingspan of about 24 inches, the females of this species are noticeably larger than males weighing eight ounces; males are closer to six ounces. When lighting conditions are good, males can be distinguished by their gray backs, females and immature birds are brown and all of them have streaky breasts.
The Merlins spotted on Ocracoke breed in the Boreal or Taiga regions of the eastern northern United States and Canada. They prefer relative open habitat with low to medium-height vegetation and some trees that makes Ocracoke an ideal habitat for them. If you are out and about on the island, at a given moment during the day, you may see a Merlin dash past you displaying both speed and agility pursuing its prey which consists primarily of small birds. I have seen them on the island flying fast and low to the ground in hot pursuit of an unfortunate Myrtle Warbler. Fearless and feisty, they will chase off a Bald Eagle who strays into its territory.
Merlins do not build their own nests but will use an abandoned one made by a crow or hawk. An interesting adaptation change is that within the last 30 years or so, Merlins have started to nest in suburban and even urban areas, particularly in the northern Great Plains.
You can start looking for Merlins in the fall. Carol Pahl sent me a nice photo of one she saw at Springer’s Point on October 9. On the Wings Over Water field trip this past November all of the participants got an excellent view of a Merlin perched in a dead live oak at the entrance of Springer’s Point, perhaps it was the same bird. The falcon seen in this photograph was perched on one of the telephone poles at the campground.
Merlin seen on Portsmouth Island
On a given day in December on the island, one may see any of three falcon species, the Merlin, American Kestrel and the Peregrine Falcon and on most of the Ocracoke Christmas Bird Counts over the past 28 years or so, they have all been seen.
Speaking thereof, time for annual pitch. Since 1981, a Christmas Bird Count has taken place on Ocracoke. This event begun in 1900 is an opportunity for people to get out and identify and count the birds during a 24 hour period. Last year, 101 species were reported on Ocracoke. This year, the count date will be December 31 and, for the adventurous, the Portsmouth Island Count will be on December 30. You don’t have to be an expert to participate as beginners will be placed with more experienced birders and we welcome your participation. If you are interested in joining us, contact Peter Vankevich by email petevankevich@gmail.com or 252 928-2539 for details.
There are places where we all go to tell tales, to gossip and to share stories with friends. We find them whether we are fishermen, sailors, storytellers, girlfriends, storekeepers or just curiosity seekers. I fall into the last category and I don’t mind admitting it.
I have one such place here on Ocracoke Island and I want you to know it as well. So dream away with me all you curiosity seekers.
It is early morning and the sun is just creeping up over the live oaks with dappled shadows and heavy dew. I toss on my Ocracoke festival t-shirt and black workout pants. There is no need to comb my hair or put on make-up since the salty sea air will have the final say in my appearance anyway!
Today I walk, although I often bike. Even though it is early, the fishermen have long since started their day…telling their own stories and working the sea. There are walkers and joggers, mostly tourists. My morning journey is not long since nothing is far here. A few more steps and the Community Store is in my view, the heartbeat of the village.
It was established in 1918 as a small grocery store by Amasa Fulcher. The weathered white clapboard has been painted more times than anyone can remember. It is trimmed in dark green, a traditional Ocracoke color. I walk up onto the long porch, and the scent of fresh coffee wafts through the air. I walk on in and am delighted as always with the charm and beauty. The wooden floors are scuffed and worn smooth from the footsteps of those who have come before us. In the center is a pot belly stove which is fired up in the winter when the stories move inside. On Friday nights in the winter after the tourists leave when the Nor’easters blow down the coast there is local music there.
Susan and James manage the store now. She and her sweet baby are just opening up for the day. We chat about the weather, children, and the tourists as I pour coffee, adding packets of sugar and fresh cream. I look around at the store. It is stocked for the day. I usually can find what I need. If not? I just change the recipe!
I finally move back to the porch to read the large chalkboard that is updated every morning with islander’s birthdays or new baby arrivals. It is our daily newspaper. I next check the bulletin board that informs us of fish fries, baby showers, or someone wanting to sell a boat, or hitch a ride to Raleigh. I settle back into one of the wooden rockers. Red geraniums hang from the porch posts and small sailing crafts bob in the harbor. Folks begin to arrive to pick up milk for cereal, cokes and peanut butter crackers for high sea adventures, diapers, cigarettes or strawberries from a North Carolina farm. Captain Rob stops by for coffee before he checks on his schooner. I notice he is barefoot, as are many others. There are no shoe rules on Ocracoke. Everyone stops to read the news, chat or gossip about the previous day’s events. I take it all in.
I drink my coffee slowly enjoying every moment. The day is full of so many events that I need to leave. I pop my head into the store to say goodbye to Susan and head on home.
I will be back later in the afternoon to buy groceries for supper and to find out what has happened that day. The old timers will tell stories then. Maybe I will get to hear the one about Ansley O’Neal who stuck his knife into his wooden leg when he was done whittlin’.
Iggie will show up as well on his electric wheelchair. He will sit at the end of the bench for hours smoking and eating berry pies. Iggie, with spiked hair and masses of jewelry, is an island treasure. The locals all stop and chat with him, some tourists as well. I always take my seat right next to him…not wanting to miss a word that he speaks.
I finally hop onto my bike and head for home to share my news and gossip. It is good to know that there will be more stories tomorrow.
I remember a spectacular morning, fog rising, loons calling, an occasional splash in an otherwise peaceful morning. I took photos of everything. We pulled close to a small island to photograph it when from behind the island came a silent gliding kayak with two folks aboard. In the mist all we could see were the dark shadows of the paddlers against the rising sun. I took several photos, but within minutes the sun burst out from behind the mist and the magic was gone.
My Uncle told me photography is a metaphor for life. You think you know what is in front of you or where you are going, and then something new comes into your life, unexpectedly…good or bad.
I am thinking of my Uncle today as I rise early to photograph the flags on Ocracoke Island. It is July 4th and the day is brilliant, the sky is the color of sapphires tossed up into the air. I hop on my bike and head down Howard Street stopping at Chris and Betty’s house. Their wind blown flag hangs from an old live oak tree. I stop to chat about the day ahead…the parade, the fireworks, a big day on a small island.
I stop next at the harbor where Rob’s schooner is decked with flags high up on the mast, and the lines are decorated as well. I lie on the dock to get some good shots. I like this photographer role that I am playing.
I continue around the harbor and photograph small flags in gardens, around the fish house, on porch posts and on small watercrafts bobbing in the water.
I circle around when I hear the sound of fireworks across the water and see the patterns and sparkles in the sky. I think it is a preview of the evening’s activities. In what must have been a nanosecond, I realize I am wrong as a huge explosion shakes the entire island. The sky fills with an enormous white cloud that contrasts with the tossed up sapphires. I am in such a state of disbelief that I forget my camera is in my hand. Then I begin the photographs. I catch the cloud, the fire, the rescue helicopters. I catch the day.
Folks come out of cottages and small hotel rooms. No one can stop looking. The sirens begin. Helicopters come from Greenville and Chapel Hill to carry off the dead and injured. Hatteras sends in reinforcements although the fire trucks and ambulances must come a distance and be transported by the one waiting ferry. All the other ferries have discontinued service.
Everything stops. We are in slow motion and a dark veil wraps itself around the island and ties itself into a knot. Word spreads from neighbor to neighbor. No islanders were injured when the fireworks truck exploded, but all the folks from the pyrotechnics crew are involved. Four die. One will live but will need therapy the rest of his life. He is 31.
I do not need to be told that everything is canceled. I know from within my heart. This small village goes into mourning. Our volunteer rescue workers are the heroes as they rise to the occasion, keeping the island safe and secure from fires in the brush and caring for the injured.
A group of us gather for a potluck on this evening feeling the need to be together. We grill out, we talk, we whisper, but on this night we do not laugh heartily. We are hollow inside.
Before the night is over, Sundae brings out her traditional cake decorated like a flag with blueberries and strawberries for the stars and stripes. We gather in the kitchen and sing “The Star Spangled Banner” holding hands.
I think about my Uncle, he is right. We go in search of one thing and another event takes its place.
I take my bike and ride the dark lanes home. The village is quiet on this July 4th night. Empty. I know that sleep will not come easily to this island out to sea.
The North Carolina coastline is home to about 25 species of colonial nesting water birds. Along the Ocracoke beach during the spring and summer, especially around two hours after the high tide cycle, as well as in the early morning and evening you should be able to see a large long-winged black and white seabird with a prominent reddish bill gliding low just in front of the breakers. This is a Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger); one of a family (Rynchopidae in the order Charadriiformes) of only three world-wide species. It is related to the terns and gulls that can be found around the island. Its feathered appearance: long wings, black back and head and white under parts are not what make this a unique and fascinating bird. What is remarkable is its bill. Even without the aid of binoculars, you may be able to notice that the lower mandible is about one third longer than the upper mandible. This unique structure is ideal for its foraging technique of skimming the surface for small fish and crustaceans. When the lower mandible touches a fish, the upper bill (maxilla) snaps down and instantly to catches it.
The habitat for these birds in North Carolina is coastal, so you should not expect to see them inland unless in a rare instance such as being blown in by a major storm. For example, in 1996 after Hurricane Fran, skimmers appeared flying around Jordan Lake in the Triangle area. In the east, their range these days is primarily from the mid-Atlantic and southward including the Gulf Coast and Mexico. The explorer, Samuel de Champlain, however, described seeing skimmers on Cape Cod in July of 1605 and records of nesting in Massachusetts were reported until about 1830. It is believed that these colonies were eliminated by egg collectors. Nesting colonies in small numbers began to return to New England in the 1950s. Skimmers usually nest within tern colonies, especially with Common Terns. Both the eggs and nestlings are pale with spots so that they blend in with sand. Successful nesting of Black Skimmers on the Outer Banks has declined in recent years.
Another fascinating feature about skimmers is that they are the only known birds to have pupils capable of being narrowed to vertical slits as one would see in the eyes of a cat. It is believed that this may help protect the retina from damage during their feeding activities when light reflection can be very strong.
These birds are stealthy. Many times I have stood on the beach waiting for them to fly by to photograph. Even being moderately attentive yet still enjoying the beach, there have been several instances when they suddenly appear seemingly out of the blue and, in spite of my camera’s sophisticated autofocus capabilities, I have, at best, a blurred or partial image of the bird as proof.
Besides the beach, other good spots to see these birds are the ferry terminal area at the north end and Springer’s Point at early evening.
If you have any comments or suggestions for a “spotted” column, feel free to contact me, petevankevich@gmail.com.
LUGOFF, S.C. — Memorial services for Margot Mary Rochester, 72, were held on Friday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Riverbank Zoo Botanical Garden or Palmetto Health Hospice.
Mrs. Rochester died Tuesday, Oct. 28,2008. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., she was the daughter of the late Thomas McAuliffe and Margot Peyser McAuliffe. A graduate of Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. Margot earned her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina and later earned her Ph.D. in reading from the University of South Carolina as well. She retired from Lugoff-Elgin High School after 28 years of teaching English and chairing the English Department.
Mrs. Rochester authored the “Earthly Delights” and “Down to Earth” gardening books. She was a freelance writer with regular columns in The State newspaper and Chronicle-Independent. Margot was a Master Gardener and enjoyedpeaking about gardening around the country. Margo and her husband, Dick, also owned a home on Ocracoke for many years. She was active in the Ocracoke community and wrote a gardening column and other feature stories for The Island Breeze for more than a dozen years.
Margot was a member of Grace Episcopal Church. Surviving are her husband of 52 years, Richard James Rochester; children, Thomas “Tom” R. (Cindy) Rochester ofCornelius, N.C., and Dan (Bonnie) Rochester of Wilmington, N.C.; grandchildren, Haley Rochester, Drew Rochester, Gray Rochester, Morgan Rochester and Margot Rochester.
The carvings and boats of William Nathan Spencer and the carvings and sketches of his daughter, Cindy, will be featured in an art show opening on August 28 [2006] at the OPS Museum.
William Nathan Spencer, son of Murray Fells and Zenia Spencer, was born at Ocracoke and delivered by Miss Lola, last of the traditional island midwives. He spent the biggest part of his life on the water, commercial fishing in Ocracoke’s waters. He was captain of his shrimp boat, the Miss Miriam, for seventeen years. For the past eight years he has had what he calls a “straight job,” managing Ocracoke’s transfer station for Hyde County.
William Nathan has been working with wood his entire life. “My great-uncle Charlie Tolson started me making boats when I was about eight. We’d take two cedar shingles and make one into the boat, one the sail. We’d add a rudder and sail them across the Creek.”
His bird carving is a more recent undertaking. Six years ago, while working for the county logging in pickup loads of sand, he found himself in need of something to do. He decided to try carving ducks and he’s been carving ever since. He taught a class in decoy carving last winter Council, and he and Cindy share a booth for their artwork at the Ocrafolk Festival. Shore birds, ducks, geese, and pelicans (some in flight) will be in the show, as well as flounder, drum, and boat models.
Cindy also grew up at Ocracoke, and graduated from school here. She attended Carteret Tech, where she obtained a degree in Law Enforcement. She presently lives in Ayden, North Carolina, and works at a Weyerhaeuser sawmill.
Cindy has always liked to draw, and when she saw her father’s birds she decided to try her hand at carving. She began working on dolphins and horses, which are still among her specialties. Her sketches of animals are done in chalk and colored pencil.
The Spencer’s opening will be from 5:30 till 7:00 p.m. on August 28 [2006] and will include live music, punch, and finger foods.
Just past the Ocracoke Lighthouse and before the corner to Springers Point Trail, look to your right and you will see Pamlico Gifts, home to Folk Artist, Elizabeth Parsons. Folk Art is defined as art that does not come from classical training and study. It is more closely related to craft traditions and is characterized by a naïve style in which traditional rules of proportion and perspective are not employed. One of the more famous folk artists is Grandma Moses. One of Ocracoke’s famous Folk Artists is Elizabeth Parsons. Her shop with all her handcrafted items in addition to her paintings is a folk art mecca. Be sure you allow enough time to chat with Elizabeth when you visit her shop, she is a rich source of history and wonderful stories about what it was like to grow up on the island. Her father like many of the men of his generation worked off island on a dredge along the mid Atlantic coast. That is where he met his wife to be and Elizabeth’s mother. He returned to Ocracoke and commercial fishing when Elizabeth was two years old. Her family had a small store on the island where Elizabeth and her sister, Della helped out. Della owns the little shop called “Woccocon Nursery and Gifts” which you will pass on the left as you travel to Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth has always loved handcrafting with shells and driftwood which are plentiful on Ocracoke beaches especially after storms. She recalled one time when a storm delivered buckets of shells that she and her family collected over the course of a week. More than she had ever seen … starfish, olives, scallops and Scotch bonnets. Then one morning, the tide changed and everything disappeared. Just like that, overnight, the beaches were empty. She recalls meeting her husband Roy when she was selling hotdogs at her family’s store. He told her that as soon as he saw her he knew “she was for him”. After dating awhile, they married in 1950 to start their own family. Many people heard Roy perform guitar, sing and yodel as a regular in the Ocrafolk Opry. He was also an excellent carver. His cheery smile and funny stories are one of his legacies. Sadly, Roy passed on a couple of years ago and is deeply missed. Elizabeth began to work on canvas more than 20 years ago. Her paintings show scenes of the harbor, boats, the lighthouse and other aspects of island life. They are bright with primary colors and lovely in their simple design and execution. Her shop has artwork on every shelf, all “one of a kind” and unique in her straightforward style of painting. In 1979, Roy built her shop, Pamlico Gifts to sell her assorted island craft work. In recent years, Elizabeth has begun painting her island scenes on driftwood, t-shirts, hand towels, mugs and other items you will see in her shop. Her shell baskets are all made from local seashells and personally handcrafted by her. You can also find CD’s of Roy’s music at the shop. Aging has brought on arthritis which has slowed the craft work for Elizabeth but her spirit and passion for art shines as brightly as ever. Be sure to visit her at Pamlico
Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part series.
Home from her adventures in Central and South America, Eleanor found a job at the Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minnesota where, she said,
We all worked hard there. I stayed there for nearly a year, but decided that I was not ready to give my all to the Mayo Foundation…there were few single fellows there!
Wanting more excitement, Eleanor decided to go to Hawaii, a choice which changed her life and eventually led her to Ocracoke. She got a ride to San Francisco with a friend and spent five weeks there working at a women’s apparel shop while waiting for a flight.
Jake and Eleanor Garrish date unknown.
When I did get a flight, I recall that it was half cargo: I shared a seat with a big old box. I arrived the day before Christmas 1946. A friend from my Panama days met me at the airport and I stayed with her at her small place near Waikiki Beach… She invited me to accompany a group of gals from Queens Hospital, where she worked, to go to the beach one Sunday afternoon to meet a group of Navy fellows they had met at a ship’s party. In this group was a fellow from Ocracoke (I’d never heard of the place), Chief Petty Officer Willard J. Garrish.
Eleanor and Jake the day they first met in 1946
Eleanor and “Jake” Garrish, whose ship had collided with another ship on its way to China and stopped in Hawaii for repairs, got along quite well.
On our first date, in early February, we went to a dance at the Navy Chief Petty Officers Club, and it didn’t take long before we learned that we both loved to dance.
Two weeks later his ship left, but they kept in touch by mail. Eleanor found a civil service job, and, when Jake’s ship stopped at Pearl Harbor on its way to San Diego, they went to the beach and a movie.
That fall Eleanor took an ocean liner back to California, where Jake was stationed, and got a secretarial job at the Navy Supply Depot on the San Diego waterfront. Jake (she called him “Boats” or “Heap Big Chief” or “Ole Salt”) and she saw each other often, but Eleanor recalls that just before Christmas, 1947, he took off by train to travel all the way back to a place called Ocracoke to see his parents and family, leaving me to spend a rather lonely Christmas. I felt a bit put out!
Upon his return, Jake asked Eleanor to marry him. So they took a Greyhound Bus to Yuma, Arizona, where they were married February 1, 1948. Jake’s ship deployed once again to China and Eleanor changed jobs to the Naval Air Station, which involved commuting by ferry across San Diego Bay.
The next big event was the arrival of our son, Jim, born two days before Christmas of 1949. Jake’s ship was away from San Diego and I had to take the ferry by myself to the hospital clinic shortly before giving birth.
Having served at sea for many years, Jake received orders to his first shore duty at Annapolis, Maryland. He applied for a driver’s license and they bought their first car, a Chevrolet, put all their worldly belongings into the back seat, including a baby crib, and headed across country, to Atlantic, NC.
We were planning to take the mail boat to Ocracoke, but it was not available. So we got in a small open boat. It was cool and damp, raining lightly, and spray was hitting us right and left. So someone at the dock saw to it that a tarpaulin was thrown over us. That helped, but I wondered, “What was I getting into?”
After three long and uncomfortable hours they arrived at the harbor and then walked down the road.
We were met by barefoot fellows, and we trudged through deep sand to the Charlie Garrish place. (On British Cemetery Road) It was evening when we got there, getting dark, and it was good to be on solid ground. I met Jake’s family, and there was a lot of hoopla upon our arrival.
They returned to Atlantic after a few days and continued on to Annapolis, where they bought a house. When it was time for Jake to return to sea, Eleanor at first stayed at home with Jim. She explains, however, that I’d always been a working gal and when Jim was old enough (five) I returned to work as a school secretary.
Jake retired in 1966 after 24 years in the Navy and went to work for the Maryland State Forestry Service. Jim entered the Navy after college and spent 27 years around the world.
After retiring, Eleanor and Jake moved to Ocracoke in 1976, moving into a house they had built earlier near Jake’s parent’s home. (They had bought the one-acre lot in 1950 for $150.) Jake thoroughly enjoyed outdoor life on Ocracoke, whether fishing, clamming, gardening or hunting. Eleanor was active in the Methodist Church, volunteered at the museum and enjoyed quilting.
At first, after moving to the island, I felt like something of an outsider, but that didn’t last. The longer I spent on Ocracoke, the more at home I felt.
Jake died in 1998 and Eleanor continues to live on Ocracoke at age 98.
Looking back, Eleanor muses that Jake and I spent many interesting, adventurous years together, challenging at times. Love, respect for each other, and perseverance
