Ocracoke Day 5 Morning

 Some Signs and Buildings around Ocracoke Island....

Our House

Ocracoke Day 4 Afternoon - Birds, Fish and a Shark

Here's a look at the some of the birds, fish and the shark we've spotted on Ocracoke:

Pelican on a sailboat

This is a Laughing Gull
with a fish in his mouth.

possibly a short-billed dowitcher
but not sure.

We really don't know what kind of bird this is.

Karl caught a 5 lb. Black Drum!

letting it go...

my mom!

Karl also caught a Smooth Dogfish shark.

Paddle Ball on the beach!

go Abby!

Our week is ending too soon....

Ocracoke Day 4 Morning -

Good morning!

I'm at the Ocracoke Coffee Company. It's a coffee shop that's comfortable as an old shoe.

Look at where I sit...and read, knit, blog and drink coffee and protein drinks. and granola with yogurt.

While I was at the coffee shop yesterday, the kids, my mom and Karl biked to the other side of the village

to hike Springer's Point Nature Preserve, another Ocracoke tradition.

Springer's Point is a point of land stretching out into the Pamlico Sound. 

The pictures of beach and water are of the Sound, not technically "the ocean."

Most of the rest of the pictures were taken by Ana:

Those live oaks are beautiful
as well as being fun to climb.
Unless poison ivy is wrapped around the tree.
We try to avoid that.

Every year, we get pictures of the kids
in a live oak tree at Springer's Point.

Springer's Point is near Teach's Hole,
named for Edward Teach, a pirate otherwise known as Blackbeard. Apparently he and his pirate friends would get together and hang out there, right on Ocracoke. In fact, it was considered his headquarters.
There's lots of nice little inlets, perfect for hiding.

It's also where Blackbeard met his end. According to Blackbeard and Other Pirates Off the Atlantic Coast by Nancy Roberts, The Royal Governor Spotswood of the British colony of Virginia
sent two sloops out of Hampton, Virginia with 53 men and a trained fighting crew from the Royal Navy.

They sailed into Ocracoke Inlet from the ocean and saw the mast of Blackbeard's ship behind some sand dunes. Long story short, they ended his pirate career and his life. Right here on Ocracoke.

This afternoon:  Birds!