North Florida Writer - Blog

LIFE ON THE FARM: The Coming Storm

9/19/2019

Sometimes the storm arrives as if from nowhere.

One of my favorite readers sent me this picture recently and when I spent time to look at it closely, it spoke of the power of nature which, of course, comes from God. Some might see it as frightening, and yes, it certainly can be looked at that way, but at the same time it is awesome as it shows a man created building, a barn, preparing to take on another onslaught of stormy weather as it has likely done for years. Thunder and lightning and heavy rain are usually things that we get through okay, excepting a direct strike of lightning which always proves horrific, but if that heavy rain hides a large tornado, then all bets are off.

Being able to really witness the power of an approaching storm in advance requires some wide open space and I guess that's why this picture got my attention. I have spent much of my life living in open space areas, and the warnings of what is coming are readily available visually if we just take the time to look. Frankly, I thing sometimes our weather folks would do better using the visual method, judging from their track record of accuracy. After all, they want to tell us what is going to happen to earth years in advance based upon models, yet they can't even tell us with reasonable certainty what will happen this afternoon.

Now there are really only two places I know of where an upcoming storm like the one in the picture gives plenty of visual advance notice. One is on the water or on an ocean beach and the second is in the wide open spaces of rural living. Since I have experienced storms from such locations the majority of my life, I can tell you there is no reason not to know what is coming. And even so, in situations like being on the water when a sudden storm approaches, or having domestic animals that must be cared for in rural life, sometimes there is no escaping the wrath of that same storm. And while, yes, it is something that concerns us, especially in major violent storms like tornadoes, tropical storms or massive thunder and lightning occurrences, they must be faced. They can also teach us a lesson for the future for they certainly have taught me as the following little story indicates and it was a tragedy.

The Power of the Morning Light

9/18/2019

The warming rays of sunlight in the morning bring renewed hope.

Light and darkness: two realities that we must face in life in so many ways. None, however, are more direct than their impact on our physical presence on this earth. Light signifies the daytime when all is clear and visually understandable while darkness represents the night with all of its unseen mysteries and also a time when most of us will sleep. The significance of the difference between the two is much less prevalent today than in times past for, with the development of artificial lighting, we can have light whenever we want it. In days before electricity,darkness usually meant the end of the productive day. Surely the old saying of early to bed and early to rise came from those times.

Light and darkness in older times also carried with them deep connotations, for the light of the sun represented warmth and goodness while darkness was by the very nature of what it is both mysterious and sometimes downright frightening. Because of that background, we see the impact that both realities have brought to our way of thinking. The good guy wears the white hat while the evil one wears the black one. Remember that from Saturday morning cartoons and Westerns as a child? It was ever present. For the same reasons, light and darkness have always carried a representation of good and evil in our faith. Light represents our Lord as the light of the world while the darkness represents the Evil One and the permanence of darkness in death. Both He and the appointed stewards who wrote the Bible also state it in writing many times and all one has to do is witness a sunrise and it becomes perfectly obvious why.

The sunrise first became such a strong part of my faith as a little boy on the glorious beach at Nags Head. Almost daily I arose before sunrise, running down to the beach to walk as it rose or just to sit on the beach dunes and watch its majesty. As one of the wonderful things that God gave us, the sun and its light is the most easily recognized and it's as He planned with so much of His Creation. We look forward to the light for it gives us the ability to see our way during the day and accomplish the tasks that we do. And even though we have man-made light sources through the advancement of the human mind, it still can't compare to the power and glory of natural sunlight and even our bodies let us know when they don't receive a sufficient supply.

All natural things that God created for us provide plenty of reasons to support His very existence. The trees and flowers that grow and prosper, the birds that sing and the ground based forest animals that roam all are good examples. They and all other creations are a wonder in their intricacy of design and how they learn to live and survive. But just by the very nature of its power all over the world and what it does to make life livable, none is as easily recognized as the sun in a glorious sunrise. Take time to sit, watch and even listen as it brings with it the hustle and bustle of life on earth when it slowly rises above the sea, the forests, the meadows and even the cities. It brings sleeping things to life as the endless struggle to survive continues. If you can't recognize how it shows us that someone much greater than us created it, then maybe you need to watch it again. Have a blessed day.

SUMMERS AT OLD NAGS HEAD: A Different World, A Different Life

9/17/2019

Pictured circa 1900, the unpainted aristocracy began with the first home in the mid-1800's, built to be aesthetically pleasing and comfortable on the beach.

When the first of the Inner Banks planters began building family summer cottages at Nags Head in the mid-1800's, they started a process which would eventually lead to the transition of a quiet, family-oriented beach to a major tourist destination. Their original purposes, however, were simple. First, the community was designed to provide a family getaway from the heat of the dead of summer inland from the ocean and second, to help families escape the likelihood of contracting malaria which ran rampant in hot and sticky weather in the low wetland areas that are Eastern North Carolina. Families would pack up all the things they needed for the summer and board steamers for the trip down the Albemarle to the Nags Head sound side where they disembarked. It was a right of passage every summer and with so many other families they knew also doing the same, it was quite the neighborly summer community that was unveiled.

Now the Town of Nags Head, what there was of it, was along the Roanoke Sound adjacent to the docks, so wagons and buggies would cart the summer residents across the raised sandbar along what is today Soundside Road to the oceanfront nearly due east of the town. Imagine a newcomer for the first time passing by Jockey's Ridge to the north and showing their amazement. And the children on board with them, well, you can just imagine their plans to play pirate or soldier on that massive set of dunes in the near future.

Today, with so many of the original homes having been restored to the same exact specifications as originally built but with some modern amenities in the plumbing and perhaps air conditioning department, a drive by brings a picture of a place held still by time. Now some also have been moved closer to the road due to beach erosion over time, but the neighborhood has qualified as a National Historic District which some designate Cottage Row. I would certainly hope that it will always be retained as such, since so much of the history and tradition of Nags Head is captured in those wonderful old cottages which blend with the natural environment rather than clash with it.

When I returned to Nags Head for a visit a few months back, I walked the beach in that beautiful area and just imagined what living back then must have been like. It really wasn't very difficult, for the Nags Head where I grew up in the 1950's and '60's was in many ways more closely related to the prior days than today. Oh, we did have a highway, cars, electricity and inside plumbing, but most of the cottages in that period were much more in tune with the unpainted aristocracy than today's McMansions and massive hotels and resorts. And whoever wanted to swim in a swimming pool when we had nature's grandest swimming pool right at our front door? It was a family beach where most everyone knew everyone else since the same families returned annually to renew acquaintances. The beach was largely wild and free, crime was practically non-existent, excepting childish pranks and dogs needed no leash. But we didn't bring our livestock to live off of while we were there and we didn't have Elsie the Cow living in the open area under the pilings. Not even my Outer Banker mother would have wanted that, but then again, she could go to the local grocer for that, unlike those early folks who had no stores available and had to be totally self-sufficient.

I can imagine an existence where when the sun went down, excepting the light of a kerosene lantern, not much was going on except having a wonderful conversation on the oceanfront porch, perhaps with an after dinner drink along with friends, while the kids told ghost stories and teased one another and voices and laughter were the only sounds heard other than the rhythm of the waves on the sea. The lead-in to a hurricane when the power went out was somewhat similar, though not as cheerful. But, wow, the quiet and the imagination and the ability to just sit and talk without an electronic device would, I think, be something that we want to bring back today. The art of conversation has nearly been obliterated as we move too fast without realizing that when we get there it isn't nearly so grand as we expected. I am glad that I at least experienced something not too dissimilar to the more distant past in my youth and young adulthood fifty-plus years later.
It won't happen today or ever again as the waves of what we call progress roll over everything in their path and, after all, nothing lasts forever. "Summers at Old Nags Head" were from a different world in a different time, but they will always live on in the hearts of those who experienced them. Memories are something we should always be thankful for.

Docks for the old Town of Nags Head on the sound side.

Worldly Knowledge + Godly Knowledge = Real Success

9/16/2019

With God at your side, anything is possible.

As I get older, one of the things that I constantly ponder is why we humans make such a mess of the world that God gave us as well as the individual talents we were given to make and keep the world a wonderful place to live. After all, he gave us a beautiful world, but rather than nurture it and use it to enjoy while also maintaining the beauty of it, we do so much to detract from that beauty. He also gave us a brain to develop wonderful earthly knowledge to make things better, yet we limit the value of that knowledge by the way we focus it, again leaving out the power of Gold's other worldly knowledge. Some of those things are small, but others are large and as more and more people come into place, the intensity of the problems increase. So, since we were created by God to live in His image, why do we fail so miserably at doing so?

Actually, the reason is really quite simple, but the solution is not so simple since we often don't want to follow the steps to solve it. As mere mortals, relegated to that status following the first sin committed by Adam and Eve when they ate of the forbidden fruit, we find ourselves so enamored with the things of this world instead of the guidance provided us from another world and as we grow and gain more earthly knowledge, the lack of incorporation of God's knowledge leaves us with a void we cannot fill. It is blocked by earthly desires which run counter to God's wishes for us and thus crowd Him out. The answer is not one many wish to consider, but what is required to overcome sinful desires is to open ourselves to the knowledge that God holds for us in His word and then temper worldly knowledge with God's perfect knowledge that comes from another world, His Kingdom.

While we might be smart, unless we add His guidance and heavenly knowledge to even the greatest of earthly knowledge, we can never truly live up to what he expects of us. This applies to human knowledge at all levels and the power of His knowledge is so much greater that a man like the Apostle Paul was able to clearly understand His truth and grace because he was granted the gift of heavenly knowledge. From his beginnings as a strict enforcer of the traditional Jewish faith, witnessing the stoning of the first Christian martyr and then spending his waking hours putting believers in jail, Paul was given God's knowledge and the gift of imparting it to others and it changed him dramatically into a true servant of the Lord.

Perhaps by today's standards a better way to understand it is to look at two highly trained professions and how they can be changed in outlook and result by not limiting themselves to worldly knowledge. For these examples, let's look at engineers and medical doctors and a couple of examples of how this might work or fail. We'll look at them separately.

Imagine a professional engineer or an architect hired by a developer to come up with a plan to design a development for a beautiful beach town while keeping it beautiful by God's standard, a place that all could be proud of including the current residents who are concerned about being priced out of their own homes as is so often the case. The engineer who used his earth-learned knowledge plus the ultimate knowledge of God would recommend a plan which would afford the developer to make a reasonable profit and pay for itself by its beauty while not destroying the lives of others. Sadly, it likely wouldn't meet the desires of the developer nor his supporters from the local Chamber of Commerce who seek the maximum in quick return on tax dollars and have already planned a property assessment proposal for the politicians in their private-public partnership. Despite arguments to the contrary, that new standard for spending money is a fairly recent standard which always hurts the little guy who doesn't have the big bucks for the legal processes he would need to fight for his rights. Should the engineer or architect fail to follow that guidance of the powerful he likely would find himself out of work and perhaps unemployable in his field.

Or maybe it's the physician who has a very sick patient with good insurance but not a Cadillac plan for a major life threatening medical condition which can be cured.Unfortunately, the cure is so costly, to a large degree caused by the bureaucratic procedures and oversight costs that it is out of the patient's reach. The doctor is a wizard in the earthly medical field of study but also believes in the Divine nature power of God's higher power of knowledge and wants to employ such a combined strategy of treatment using a much less costly regimen. But likely now working for a large, bureaucratic medical organization as opposed to the old traditional medical practice using the principles of the Hippocratic oath, the doctor is overruled at all steps in the process by his financial and administrative masters who see the patient as nothing more than a number on a chart. He can either get the treatment and perhaps end up homeless or he can die. He likely would choose to die for the requirement would cure him but there would be no way for his family to survive under the circumstances. And while neither option is a good solution, these types of situations happen every day.

Now, I don't want the reader to take these situations literally for they are just an extreme example posed to show the dilemma we all face today within the constraints of a secular society which doesn't take into consideration the capabilities and wonders of the Living God. But just think how different things might be if not only the doctor and the engineer tried to live and work knowing both the knowledge of their human world and with the discernment that comes with an understanding of God's other worldly knowledge. If the medical administrators and bean counters as well as the developer, Chamber of Commerce and the lawyers and politicians shared that heavenly knowledge base as well, what a wonderful world it would truly be. It's at least something the think about, don't you think? God our wonderful Creator has the answers to all problems; we just have to seek Him out and listen to His revelation. How sad that so many of us don't even seem to care. What a waste of special knowledge.

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Faith is the Only Ticket to Heaven

9/15/2019

Without faith as the foundation, all else means nothing.

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. - Mark 11:22-24

The powerful words of Mark tell us a lot about what it takes to make it to heaven. In today's world we are constantly bombarded with commentary saying that the beliefs in God of the past are not valid and that to advance in the modern world we must change the way we are and in some cases even the who and what we are. Many falter and fall for it, some just change the narrative in describing what it takes to get to heaven, but yet there are a strong number who stand by the tradition and refuse to bend. This last group makes up the ones who have the right connection for the only way to make it to heaven is to put your faith in God, who gave us the life of His Son in order to forgive us for sin.

Take the man who gives large sums of money to the church yet he acts as mean as a snake toward people in his daily business dealings and sees himself as the sole factor in his business growth and success. Well, by his own admission of not crediting God for his success, he lacks the faith which comes from belief in God. Or there is the man who is very kind to everyone yet he refuses to acknowledge anyone of higher power in his life. He. too, while being a good and decent man, lacks faith and faith is the principal ingredient to get us to heaven. Sometimes it's hard to understand but it is just the way things are and there is a reason and it's this. We must depend on God's mercy and grace to make it to heaven for it is He who allows us to do so. His power is not of this world, but it is a power that is greater than any other power there is and it can work special wonders. One of those wonders is saving a mortal sinner because deep down inside he acknowledges the Lord for who He is. It's just as simple as that.

We have our big part to play through in this process through our free will and it comes in opening ourselves to Him, letting the Holy Spirit fill us from within and guide us to that faith. Like the Apostle Paul, some might see the light very quickly from some major event in life, but most of us likely find it's a growing process. The more we study and read the Bible and understand what it says, the more we pray and force ourselves to focus on His realm and the more we gather together with like souls seeking a Divine future as we do, the more we will grow our faith and fully believe. And when we finally get to the point where we throw out all doubt and know in our hearts that He is who He says He is and that His Son is our mediator, well, then we will also live out our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. We'll still make some humanly sinful mistakes, but we will please Him. But we can't give up then, for faith if not routinely practiced can be lost, so it is incumbent to follow forth with the use of all those tools for the faithful to remain in sync with Him until our dying day. At that point, when He calls us home, we never need worry again. Keep the faith always and live forever, that is the Salvation Ticket.

The Joys of a September Saturday in Those "Summers at Old Nags Head"

9/14/2019

Sometimes you just had the place all to yourself.

After Labor Day, "Summers at Old Nags Head" continued the spirit into September and beyond. This wasn't just true on Bodie Island but down Hatteras way as well and in those days Ocracoke was very lightly visited, yet those who did fell in love with it. On the rare occasion when we had the wonderful opportunity to go to the beach after school opened, it was a different place, yet with the difference came wondrous things. Since Nags Head in those days was primarily a family beach, not a tourist attraction, even the summers were never too crowded, but with September and school it became an almost ghost town. If you loved serenity and peace or quiet beauty in which to expand your imagination walking along a beach largely unchanged from far earlier times, it was about as close to heaven on earth as you could get.

On such an occasion, we children would usually get the word at dinner on Monday night that dad was thinking about a weekend at the beach. The ultimate decision was, of course, dependent upon many different factors, one of which would be the weather. I can remember every evening after school, tuning in to the local news and listening to Joe Foulkes. our long-time weatherman with the deep voice, showing fronts and systems moving across the country and the impact they might have for the next weekend. By Thursday with the weather looking good, it was now up to whatever else might have impacted Mom and Dad before finalizing things. If it was a go, we would be told on Friday morning the trip was on and we would leave right after school. Such a Friday was difficult, for it was tough to focus on school even though I found the teacher glaring at me for she likely knew what was on my mind. But I got through the day and then we were off.

Arriving at the beach in the dark, Mom would issue each of us our bed linens with an added blanket. Since most cottages in those days were unheated, on occasion there would be a chilly night. But we didn't care, we thought we were camping. But unlike camping, we were glad that Uncle Hal turned on the power and filled the water tank when we got up in the morning. The rise and shine was early, for it was up at dawn to take a walk at sunrise. It was beautiful, serene and the beach was empty, excepting a few early birds doing the same thing as well as lots of flying ones. The sea was calm and the sky was crystal clear and watching the sun rise out of the ocean made it very clear that someone truly special created everything on this earth. Walking out to wade in the early morning ocean, I was heartened to feel how warm it was. That meant swimming would be in order later int he day.

After breakfast, we walked down the beach to Jockey's Ridge, having it all to ourselves. Trying to run down the dune when we were ready to leave, we invariably took the head first tumble and then, covered head to toe in damp sand, we couldn't wait to take a dip in the ocean to both clean off and cool down. It was wonderful and crystal clear, looking like an advertisement for some exotic tropical beach. Hungry again by the time we got home, Mom fed us sandwiches and then we were off to Wanchese for a short surprise visit to Mom's relatives. It was always a light and humorous time and I listened intently to learn as much as I could about my Outer Banks relatives. On the way home, we made a quick drive through Manteo, stopping at Fearing's Drug Store for the best fountain coke in town and then it was back to the beach to build a bonfire for the evening. We didn't want to miss a minute on the beach and the weather was perfect for the fire, complete with smores in abundance. Anyone passing on the beach, usually walking with a lantern, dropped by for a visit as they likely knew us. Even if not, it was a friendly and peaceful time with all being neighborly to one another.

After a late turn in because of staying up too late by the fire, it was up again early morning Sunday for another beautiful sunrise. Then, we had a light breakfast and attended and early Sunday service. What else? Well, we were then granted two hours on the beach before we had to get ready and go home. By the time we were packed and ready, we were starved but Mom, wise as she was, told us we were eating out on the way home. I can remember enjoying an adult seafood platter at the Point Harbor restaurant, amazing my mom and making dad laugh as he watched me devour the whole thing. One thing was for sure, I wasn't hungry when I got home.

At school the next morning, at the beginning of class our teacher asked what we did for the weekend and she went around the room getting responses. When my turn came, I stood up and said that I went to the beach. She wanted to know if it was Buckroe or Grand View, two local Chesapeake Bay beaches that were popular into the fall if the water was still warm. I proudly told her no, that I had been to Nags Head. She looked at me and told me I was one lucky young man and I agreed wholeheartedly. Now, all these years later, I still know how fortunate I was. It was the greatest childhood a boy could have and it can never be repeated. But, as Bob Hope used to say, "Thanks for the memories."

9-11 Memories: A Numbness and Hopeless Feeling I'll Never Forget

9/12/2019

It was something we should never forget.

Yesterday, I thought long and hard about the events that transpired exactly eighteen years ago that changed America forever. Nearly three thousand people died in the towering inferno that the Twin Towers of the the World Trade Center became and any red-blooded American who didn't shed a tear and feel great sorrow was someone without a soul. I decided not to write what I was feeling until today since so many were writing at the time. I wanted to put together my thoughts about what I was doing and what I was feeling, so here I am this morning. Today, many seem to have forgotten, some even try to say it never happened and, of course, we even have elected members of Congress who want to ridicule what happened. No, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, "someone didn't do something to someone," radical Islamic terrorists murdered Americans in cold blood while those good Americans were just trying to do their daily jobs on a beautiful morning. We must never forget what they did and we must always retain our vigilance or the freedoms we have will disappear. It's really just as simple as that.

On the afternoon of September 10. 2001, I hopped on a flight from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale, traveling to attend a quarterly meeting of sales and marketing managers of the company that employed me. Arriving in late afternoon, I picked up a rental car and headed to the hotel. I freshened up and joined the meeting group at a very nice restaurant for dinner and a social hour. My company was a great one to work for. Our meetings always included a fun evening the night before and this trip was no exception. We had some fun and laughs and enjoyed great camaraderie over dinner, knowing we would get down to business the next day.

In the morning, we gathered at eight thirty sharp to start the meeting, each of us expected to give a fifteen minute summary of performance and any issues noted to open up the day. Just as we had kicked off things for the day, the secretary to our regional vice president from her office down the hall yelled out almost as if in terror. We all stood and then were told to stay put, that our leader would be back momentarily. When he returned he was ashen, then he rolled a TV in on a stand and turned it on. We were all numbed by what we saw. It was the scene of the burning first tower after plane number one plowed in. He told us we were free to watch if we liked, but the meeting would be postponed until another day and that we needed to make whatever arrangements necessary to get home since the planes were now grounded nationwide. Those of us with rental cars would need to drive home and turn the car in there. I continued to watch and as the second plane plowed into the next tower, we all then knew for sure that this was a deed so evil that we previously couldn't even imagine it.

About an hour later, I called home and my wife asked if I knew what was happening. I told her yes, that our meeting was cancelled and I'd be driving home. I departed shortly after the call for home. It is a long and very boring drive between far north and far south Florida, yet I wasn't bored on that day, I was in a state of numbness and almost disbelief as I listened to the non-stop reporting on the radio. Then I learned of the third plane crashing into the Pentagon and reports were coming in about a fourth plane somewhere in the skies that was thought to be coming for the White House. That, of course, turned out to be the one that crashed in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania when some brave patriotic passengers offered themselves up to save the White House. They knew they would not survive regardless and dedicated those last moments from another crash into a major symbol of America in Washington.

Along the way home, I made two stops. One for gas where even the cashier had the TV on full blast and later, for a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant. While slowing eating, I watched all of the replays of what had transpired that I missed and shed some tears sitting there. I wasn't the only one and the restaurant was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Leaving, I listened on to the radio and realized that my numbness came from feeling hopeless and I knew what I needed to do.

I stopped, thought for a minute and prayed. I prayed for the souls of all who were called that day and prayed that whoever was involved in any way with those who did this should be punished as well. Then I asked God to help me open my heart to the Spirit and recognize that the only hope I had, that the only hope our nation had, was through our Savior. I remembered what I learned many times before that evil will always be with us on this earth until the King of Kings returned and I asked Him to hasten that day. Now I know He will come to banish evil in this world at a time of God's choosing, but I hoped it would be soon. And I still look forward to that day and I hope you do, too, for that is the hope of the future.

Now, for those of us who are politically correct and want us to forget the past and the horror of 9-11, I say hogwash. But instead of saying never forget, I think a better choice of words is always remember. Just like the Holocaust many years ago, the carnage committed by evil in New York eighteen years ago should always be remembered. Evil doesn't stop because we stop talking about it, it stops when we take the steps to end it. We must never give up our fight against evil or we will be overcome. God bless America and may she ever be free. 9-11 wasn't a case of "someone doing something," it was a case of evil men perpetrating mass murder against innocent Americans due to their hate. And as I said once before, it is really just as simple as that.

THE DWINDLING DUNE THAT WAS THE REAL JOCKEY'S RIDGE

9/11/2019

Jockey's Ridge as seen in the 1970's, here rising majestically in this aerial shot from beyond the Nags Head Fishing Pier.

Jockey's Ridge. The name was magical to a little boy in the 1950's and climbing it was one of the first things he wanted to do when arriving during those wonderful "Summers at Old Nags Head." Back then it was massive, divided into three dunes that stretched from just west of the beach road nearly all the way to Roanoke Sound. The first dune was fairly steep and high, the second like a smaller hill in a valley but then the large one, the one that all of us knew as the real Jockey's Ridge, rose majestically and challenged any climber who usually had to resort to all fours before reaching the top. And what a view it was. We could see the Roanoke Island and Manteo and Wanchese to the west, the Wright Memorial to the north, almost all the way to Whalebone on a good day to the south, and the beautiful Atlantic to the east and its coastline from the old aristocratic cottages up to the Nags Head Fishing Pier and the Nags Header on the north shore. And the fun didn't stop at the top, for we would dare one another to go down the steeper, deeper backside to the bottom. Once done, we realized what a monstrous job it was to return to the top, but we did it because we were little boys and we had the energy to do so.

Today, the majestic mass of sand is only a pancake of itself. It now has an elevation of no more than half its old self and resembles a pancake for lack of a better term. I saw it for the first time in many years as I arrived for a short visit this past April. Driving in from the west across the Baum Bridge, I took the Whalebone turn north on the beach and soon started seeking a peak at the grand dune. While it's true that one reason for not being able to see it was the heavy and high development to the west of the road, that wasn't the entire reason. Even then when I found a gap, Jockey's Ridge really couldn't be seen until I was nearly on top of it from the road. Later, I realized the same was true from the north and I thought back to the days when we could sit on our back porch and see the massive peak to the southwest. No longer is it the preeminent landscape point for getting your location bearings, it was just a big pile of sand by the road.

What made me think of it now was an article I was reading about the evolution of Jockey's Ridge. A candidate for a Master of Science in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Katie Weaver, conducted a detailed study of charts, maps and drawings going back to the mid-1800's and has determined that as part of natural cycles of weather, the dune doubled in elevation between the end of World War I and the 1950's but now is on the other side of the cycle. Her work was overseen by Doctor Helena Mitasova, her professor at North Carolina State University. Now I can't say anything about the reasoning and the maps that were used, but my own empirical knowledge gained as a son of an Outer Banker with deep roots back during that time frame never indicated such a massive shift. Oh, I know that dunes shift, after all sand does blow with the wind, but with all of the discussions with my relatives (I was a very inquisitive lad) I feel certain I would have known about that. After all, generations of Outer Banker children have walked those dunes and imagined being s world class mountain climber since imagination began. Neither my grandmother or my aunts and uncles ever talked about any such major change that they knew of and the knowledge base goes back to the 1840's.

In all fairness, there are some good things in the study that talk about how to maintain the sand once it is in place, sometimes shifting it manually to keep it from moving out farther. It also credits Carolista Baum for her heroic one person blocking of a bulldozer in 1973 which started the movement to create Jockey's Ridge State Park, but yet we see the park can only try and maintain what is inside its dimensions. Sand, that moving resource, is not limited by boundaries and, what's more, it needs to be free to move to and fro to do its natural work. And therein lies the big problem which no one wants to face. The massive overbuilding which blocks wind and water flow and covers so much of the sand with homes, businesses and roadways literally stops huge volumes of sand from flow in and out. That factor is the one that no one wants to address for it defies the wishes of those who want to cover every square inch of it with more development. Just call me always somewhat skeptical of studies and analyses that require public funds to accomplish, for with the acceptance of public funds we become agents for the provider of those funds, the government, and what they want has to be somehow justified in the result. That today, my friend, is massive development to increase the public coffers with fees and more. I've never seen a politician who failed to put that first and I don't think I ever will.

No one has to agree with what I say. Take it whichever you want but do ponder the issue. Change can be very good but it isn't always something that amounts to progress. Sometimes it can be a major setback to quality of life, something we all hope to have. I just can't help but think the degradation of what was an illustrious and unique symbol of the Outer Banks is a tragedy.

Today's pancake version of Jockey's Ridge. Sadly, the majesty is gone.

LET GOD BE OUR LIGHTHOUSE: His Light Will Guide Our Way

9/10/2019

Just like a lighthouse guides a ship, God will guide us if only we seek His Liight.

When my grandmother told me as a young boy about my great-grandfather, the Lighthouse Keeper for twenty-eight years (1878-1906) at Bodie Island Light, I was extremely proud. While I never met him since he died twenty-six years before I was born, I was glad to have some of his blood in my veins and to have my lifeblood link to the North Carolina Outer Banks through my maternal heritage. Spending my summers in those wonderful and "good old days" of the 1950's and 60's, I had many opportunities to visit his lighthouse and imagine his life there. Despite having a large family and a loving wife, I know he spent many a lonely night on that then isolated strip of sand known as Bodie Island, making many trips up and down the stairwell to light the lamps, then turn them off, and to maintain the facility and clean the delicate Fresnel lens. That wonderful invention turned a candle into a strong beam of light for sailors to use as a guide to keep them safe from the ever present sandy shoals which caused so many shipwrecks along the Graveyard of the Atlantic which is the ocean off the Outer Banks.

As I grew older and realized the importance of God and became strong in my faith, I found no better place to help me with the issues of growing up than walking along a beach on that beautiful shore. It was open and wild back then and to be beside the sea and watch a stunning sunrise bring light to darkness was awesome and greatly impacted me with what it said and it has remained in my heart ever since. For like the lighthouse keeper brings light to darkness which gives comfort and guidance to the sea captain plying the water both north and south in the busy sea lanes off the Carolina coast, God with His sunlight does the same thing for all who accept His love and grace. Just like operating a ship in dangerous waters requires assistance from good charts and wonderful lighthouses like Bodie Island, navigating the trials and tribulations in this world requires a warm and comforting light to help us see the way to stay clear from sin and the associated darkness that it always ultimately leads to if unchecked.

So, as I look back at those wonderful days and what they taught me, I know that my knowledge of Great-granddad Peter Gregory Gallop, a good man and a devoted lighthouse keeper helped me understand where I came from and his life's work served as a good source of assistance in understanding the importance of light over darkness if setting course toward salvation. Another dear person who was, like my mother, a native Outer Banker, my mom's favorite sister, Aunt Sylvia, played a critical part in giving me the foundation for my future since her love and faith in teaching me about God's grace was so important as well. Now, getting older, I know that from whence I came from was all part of God's plan and I thank Him for opening me up to what part they played in developing my faith. Remember, whether you are a lonely sea captain trying to navigate the seas or just a young and inquisitive boy walking on the beach, when you open yourself up the Light of the Living God, good things will happen to you. Be blessed this day because whatever we face, God truly loves us.

Great-granddad Peter G. Gallop, Keeper of Bodie Island Light, 1878-1906

When September Comes Can Fall Be Far Behind?

9/9/2019

Blue skiles on a rural Deptember day.

Ah, September, that very changeable month that closes out summer with the first signs of cooler weather finally showing that fall will soon be on the way. I remember growing up in Tidewater Virginia where the month started out blistering hot but soon it began to cool dramatically. The days were still warm but that one morning came and as you walked out the door on the way to school in a short sleeved shirt, you quickly realized it was chilly. But, of course, the variations were and are dramatic depending on where in America we live, for in New England it can be somewhat colder than nippy while in Florida September can often be the hottest month of the year.

I remember one September years ago when we went to visit friends in New England. The change of seasons was already well underway and the smell of fireplace smoke filled the air west of Boston. Windbreakers were definitely in order and I was pleased at that point in my life to see a game at Fenway Park. If you've never seen the Big Green Monster which grabs your attention out in left field from the moment you enter the stadium, you've missed something. In my personal case, I was also able to check off one item on my bucket list early in life. I was glad, however, to have that windbreaker for it was breezy and downright chilly but we temporarily forgot about it when the Red Sox came from behind in the ninth to win a squeaker. Then, to put the icing on the cake for the day, we had fresh lobster for dinner.

Moving to Florida brought a different experience for September. We went with a group on a Sunday to see a football game at the Big Sombrero which was the home of the Buccaneers. Now I was a Redskins fan back in my day of loving the NFL and the 'Skins were coming to town. But sitting in the sun in the stifling heat, I noticed that even the players looked lethargic and the Redskins proved to be more so and lost. So, midway through the third period, we opted to return to our charter bus and watch the game with a few adult refreshments in the comfort of air conditioning. Later, on the way home we visually realized just how hot it had been for when our shirts completely dried, they literally had salt lines. So much for football in September for this old boy.

Even in Florida, however, there are just a few signs in September of the change that is to come. While it's not really cool, the early mornings become more bearable while doing my for my horse chores and unless the tropics has something underway the humidity is much lower. It tells me that change is coming and it usually arrives with the first small cold front that makes it through about the second week in October. Oh, Florida is still quite warm after that and often stays that way all the way to January, but it's very pleasant and you can breathe and not have to take a shower every time you come back in the house. In the warm, not hot, and very pleasant sunshine who wants to come inside? It's why people come here, to enjoy a pleasant and mild, although occasionally cold in winter, time of sunshine and joy. It's at that time we call it God's Country. Now all I have to do is make it until I awaken to mornings in the mid-60s instead of mid-70s and I'll know we're there.

So, happy September, everyone, wherever you roam. Just don't forget to keep your eyes on the Atlantic for it is also a time of wet surprises. Don't let one sneak up on you.