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OAK ISLAND , NC
There was also a sense of permanency and self worth beginning to establish a foothold within me as the esteemed title of �LOCAL� began to take hold and the stigma of �TOURIST� slowly disappeared in the salty sea spray.
I developed a thirst, not for water, but for knowledge. I wanted to learn all there was to know about the sea, the area, and all of the natural wonders associated with it all.
Many times at night, I would lie on the beach and stare in awe at the vastness of the sea and the heavens and feel the very presence of God. The star filled cathedral took on a religious significance to me. I think that I felt that all of the answers to all of the questions were somehow hidden there, waiting to be revealed.
Along with exploring my surroundings, long walks on the beach, and riding waves on an air mattress, I began to get to know some of the people in the area. Some were friends of my Grandfather, such as, Dan Shannon, Isaiah Packer, Lynwood King and some that I began to meet on my own.
Four blocks away was the Yaupon Beach Pier complex. I would walk up there to it every day and spend hours and hours. The complex was made up of the pier and pierhouse, an ice-cream shop, miniature golf course, a skating rink, a very wide concrete boardwalk and a dance pavilion with a jukebox.
At that time, most of my activities centered around the pier and pierhouse. I would walk the four blocks with rod and reel in hand and fish for most of the day on the pier.
I learned the finer points of fishing from some of the locals that I had met there. One was an old man known only as �Slim�, who was an expert shark fisherman and also Frank Hayes, who knew how to catch anything that swims in the sea.
When it was time to take a break, I would go to the pier house, get a Sundrop soda and talk to the people who ran the pierhouse. There were also pinball machines, some baseball games and one pool table. Many a dime was passed from my hand to their eager and greedy coin slots. The people who worked there were all very nice, and all of them knew me by name. During those years, on Oak Island, everyone was �family�.
Two of my favorite employees were Edith Fogleman and Edna Lee. Edna Lee�s husband, Ozzie Lee, ran a hamburger grill in the pierhouse, named the �Chew and Choke�. Don�t let the name fool you, the food was wonderful. I can still remember Ozzie, in his cook�s apron, telling his jokes to anyone who would listen.
The atmosphere there was wonderful also, with a big open breezeway facing the ocean and six big rocking chairs facing the water to sit in while you were eating and enjoying the view of the ocean.
The pierhouse was also the daytime social center for a number of the local kids, both from the island and from Southport. Although these two groups stayed mainly segregated from each other, I, for some reason was accepted by both groups, and both groups were also accepted by me. I guess that acceptance by one�s peers when growing up has always been an important issue and it certainly was no different forty years ago than it is today.