One of the interesting things about owning a home in the Outer Banks is the fact that you live in a community that revolves around tourism.  Every Saturday or Sunday our neighbors change.  It is your home, yet the dynamics change week by week.  This has provided us with the opportunity to meet some very interesting people.  There have been moments when I have sat on the beach talking to a complete stranger, feeling as if I have known him or her forever.  The families move on, yet some faces remain despite the passage of time. My oldest memory is that of Parker and his Dad.  Parker had special needs and was being raised by a father whose name I do not even re...

Today I would like to thank the amazing Currituck County EMS team for missing their dinners and Friday night plans simply to wrap up my son’s ankle and get him in the car for me. Not two minutes after we arrived Friday night, my son jumped some stairs and landed wrong on his ankle.  He heard a loud pop and went down. At the time, I couldn’t get him off the ground.  “Do I call 911?  Or do I try to get him in the car.”  {listening to my son groan on the ground…}  “Do I call 911?  Or do I…”  {groannnnn}  “I guess I call 911.” They wrapped my son’s ankle and got him settled in to my van for a ride down to the Emergency Room at mil...

Parents, please watch your children and respect the dangers of the ocean.  If you could see what I see weekly on the beach, you would understand my frustration. It is the first week of June and I have already seen two incidents during a single weekend that could have ended in tragedy.  The first involved a family who rented a yellow ocean kayak for the week.  The father allowed his 12 year old son to go in the kayak first without a thought to the freezing water temperatures.  The boy paddled out far enough that no one would have been able to swim to him if he needed help. After floating around a bit he started back towards the shore.  When he reached the s...