Beachcombing on the Outer Banks

Beachcombing is one of my favorite pastimes – especially during the winter months. You literally feel like you have the entire beach to yourself. Well, you and the multitude of shorebirds, who don’t seem to mind you’re there as they politely scurry of your way. The wind is blowing, your eyes are watering, the waves are crashing and you're bundled up like the kid on "A Christmas Story". You’re searching for the Holy Grail – a smoothly shaped, etched piece of sea glass, edges worn from time spent tumbling in the waves. The most common pieces you will find are green, white and brown – but sometimes you will encounter a prized piece of cobalt blue, purple or turquoise. My collection has a very special place, in one of my favorite glass vases – a trophy case of some sort. Sea glass isn’t the only thing you’ll find while enjoying a walk on the beach. Beautiful shells, in all shapes and sizes, are sitting in the tide line. Clam, scallop, oyster and whelk shells are commonly found along the shores of the Outer Banks. They too have a special vase waiting for them when I get them home. I also look for unusually shaped pieces of worn driftwood. They make great garden accents and whimsical wind chimes.

If you’re lucky enough to be here when Miss Mattie Midgett's Store is open, you’ve got to check it out. The Nags Head Guide writes “Built in 1914 on the soundside before being rolled to the seaside, this unpretentious and once-thriving store houses the celebrated beachcomber collection of Nellie Myrtle Pridgen, Miss Mattie’s daughter who was a self-appointed protector of her beloved Nags Head beaches. In support of Mattie’s store, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in June 2003. The resolution declared, “The site, the store and the artifacts are an irreplaceable part of Nags Head history.” In 2005 Pridgen was awarded the first annual Nags Header award by the town. The award recognizes a person who has helped shape the image and direction of Nags Head. In the museum, visitors will step back into time viewing artifacts discovered by Pridgen during her years of daily sound to sea jaunts. The collection is essentially the way Nellie left it. Rare shells, beach glass, war paraphernalia, buttons, barnacles, driftwood, messages in bottles and more chronicle her life’s time and its relationship with the sea. The unusual, must-see collection houses a huge fulgurite (crystallized sand caused by lightning) that took days for Pridgen to extract - with the help of a bicycle pump. At the time of this writing, the building had not yet become a full-time museum, but they do conduct several open houses at various times throughout the year.”

See you on the beach!

Submitted by Dana Breashears, Kitty Hawk Rentals Internet Customer Care

Surfing on the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks of North Carolina were destined to become a Mecca for east coast surfers. The nearby continental shelf, changing sandy sea floor, and strong winds have and will forever continue to provide some of the most appealing surfing conditions from Miami to New York. The continental shelf lying directly east of The Outer Banks is among the most drastic on the Eastern Seaboard. What this means for surfers or better yet waves is that the swells are less inhibited before reaching land. This translates into larger waves and more of them alternatively leaving areas such as Florida and Virginia where the continental shelf is much more gradual and less defined prone to weak and infrequent swells. The power and quality of waves on the Outer Banks often stack up equally to almost anywhere in the world. Recently, a local blew minds with his natural approach to tube riding (maintaining control while inside of the breaking wave) by plowing through an international pool of world renowned surfers and into the semi-finals at a professional surfing event at Pipeline, Hawaii; the most revered wave in the world. The waves were in the 20 foot range and our local charger showed no fear. Surfing has shaped the culture on the Outer Banks for years and shows no sign of slowing. The laid back atmosphere and respect for nature often associated with surfers has translated into our daily lives and is one of the main reasons the Outer Banks flourished in the 1960s and 70s culminating in what it has become today. Who knows? Without surfing and the waves delivered my mother nature our businesses, schools, artists and musicians and churches may not be what they are today. Next time you’re visiting the beach whether a local or tourist, consider picking up a board and giving surfing a try. Believe me, you only need on wave to understand that Only a Surfer Knows the Feeling. Stay up to date with Outer Banks surfing by connecting with http://www.mattluskphotography.com/ or http://www.surfkdh.com/.

Boy Scouts parade in downtown Raleigh

On February 8, one hundred (100) Boy Scouts from across North Carolina led a parade in downtown Raleigh to the State Capitol; where they met with Governor Beverly Perdue and presented the annual Report to the Governor from the Boy Scouts of America.

This year’s report carries special significance because February 8 is the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. One Scout from each of the state’s 100 counties attended to represent their home county to celebrate its 100th Anniversary by pledging 100,000 hours of community service to worthy projects.

Frank Stick Memorial Art Show

The Frank Stick Memorial Art Show is at Glen Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery in Nags Head through February 26th. There is some really fascinating artwork there which includes pottery, jewelry, and paintings. It is great to see wonderful creations of people you actually know.

Frank Stick was a famed outdoor painter who came to the Outer Banks on a fishing trip and couldn’t leave. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge which is the wonderful undeveloped area you drive through for a little over 10 miles after you get off the Oregon Inlet Bridge onto Hatteras Island. Thank goodness there are folks who have the forethought to keep some things natural forever. I guess we have to thank artists for that in a way. Many times it is what they have created that gives us the opportunity to see how things used to look.

I am particularly proud that my daughter, Gigi Wescott, is in this art show. Her painting is of an island girl which is acrylic on canvas. She loved to draw from the time she was 3 years old, on the walls down our hallway. She took so much time to create her drawings in high school that she actually flunked Art 2 as she could never finish her projects on time even though I saw the hours she spent on them. Her art teacher, Mrs. York, was a great mentor to Gigi.

After high school, Gigi became a tattoo artist and has been very successful at Vertigo Tattoo. March 2nd will be her 4th year anniversary as a tattoo artist. She is now also beginning to enjoy painting. She says of herself that she is “a tattoo artist by day and a painter by night.” Here is her untitled painting that is in the show. She selected this one as she said she had spent more time on it and put more detail into it than some of her others.

Thanks to all the artists for making us ooh and aah! Thanks especially to my daughter for making mama so proud.

HomeAway Super Bowl Commercial

HomeAway.com is launching their 2010 marketing campaign with a Super Bowl Commercial which will reunite the cast of the "National Lampoon's Vacation" comedy series, The Griswolds!!! HomeAway is a leading website in vacation rental marketing; owning popular vacation rental websites such as VRBO.com, VacationRentals.com, GreatRentals.com, Cyberrentals.com, A1Vacations.com and many more. This campaign will hopefully bring much needed attention to the vacation rental industry world-wide. As it is now, statistics show that only 10% of people who vacation have ever considered a vacation rental as an accomoation option. We hope and expect this percentage to rise within the next year with help from HomeAway and their appealing 2010 marketing campaign!

See more information regarding the reunion of the Griswolds & the HomeAway SuperBowl Commercial here.