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OAK ISLAND , NC
This was a very relaxed period of time with nothing really traumatic or unpleasant going on at all. It was simply a time to enjoy life and all it had to offer. There was plenty of time to fish, take walks on the beach in the early morning light, or simply to walk to the end of the pier and watch the sun set over the water, and stand in awe, at the power of it all.
And of course, there was surfing. During these months, we surfed at a number of new places, including, Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the steel pier at Virginia Beach, Virginia. This diversity enables us to meet lots of new people and make new friends in quite a few new places. It also gave us a chance to experience the cultures and mannerisms of coastal communities other than the area around Oak Island and Southport.
We found several differences between the coastal towns and villages we had been in. There were differences in grammar, accent, and personal characteristics. We found differences in the pronunciation of terms dealing with the fishing and shrimping industry and in some towns, differences in the way that fishing and shrimping was done, especially along the southern Outer Banks. These were only differences, and differences did not mean that some people were right and some people were wrong. These were just differences. I guess that it is like swimming, there are many ways to do it but they all get you across the pool.
We also found differences in the surfing styles of the surfers in the various places that we had visited. Most of these variations were due to the types of break that the person had learned to surf on and not due to anything functionally superior to another style.
Yes, we found many differences in people, language, customs, culture and heritage between the various coastal communities of North Carolina. There were actually even some differences between the preferred local foods and the cooking techniques used to prepare these foods.
All of these variations were only subtle differences. The overall characteristics of the communities and their people were very alike and uniform. The uniformity comes from the fact that a common thread ties all of them together. That thread is that they are all part of a coastal environment with it�s easy going, relaxed way of life. This way of life is so easily noticed by visitors to these areas and sadly, sometimes taken for granted by the residents of the communities.
I feel that the atmosphere of coastal living is a gift to those of us who live there, and this gift should be much appreciated and never taken for granted. To be a part of the coastal environment is simply, too great of a privilege and a gift to not be appreciated.
Like so many other gifts that life has given us, if we take things for granted, we sooner or later will find them gone.
Yes, I was a rich man
I had a million diamonds sparkling in the sunlight
Upon the sea
Many pearls I had in the crashing foam of a wave
I had bountiful gold and rubies
As the sun sets over the autumn sea
Yes, I was a rich man who spent his riches like a fool
And now
They are had by others