North Beach Sun Summer 2021

Free!

Summer 2021 • Volume 136

Col Splash

Rodanthe’s Randi O’Sullivan brightens the art world

Find Your OBX Dream

Milepost Living Photography

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101 Sir Walter Raleigh Street 1 252-473-6880 @mermaidspurseobx mermaidspurseobx@gmail.com

Sleeping In, Ltd.

Celebrating 21 years in 2021!

Fashion, sleepwear, jewelry, home textiles and more! It’s a “gotta have it” kind of place.

101B Fernando Street 2 252-475-1971 Like us on Facebook

Laughing Lollipop

Take a walk down memory lane in this little mom and pop sweet shop! Ice cream, throwback candies, chocolates, homemade cotton candy, fun gummies, bulk candy and more!

101 Budleigh Street 3 252-473-2579 laughinglollipop.com Like us on Facebook

4 | SU M M ER 2021

Charlotte’s

Full-service ladies’ boutique specializing in fashions that are traditional with a contemporary flair. Seasonal makeup events with Trish McEvoy and designer trunk shows. Check website for details.

4 103A Fernando Street 252-473-3078 shopcharlottes.com

Avenue Waterfront Grille

Spacious indoor and outdoor waterfront dining. Local seafood, all-natural proteins, specialty burgers and pizzas. Craft beers, wine and Outer Banks cocktails.

Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan selections. Come and play Carolina Keno and N.C. Education Lottery with us!

5 207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-473-4800 avenuegrilleobx.com

Bloom Boutique

A fashion-forward boutique offering unique, high-quality women’s clothing and accessories. Pop in for a personalized enjoyable shopping experience.

6 107 Fernando Street 252-305-8638 bloomboutiqueobx.com

Community Yoga of Manteo

Become part of our family of spirit, movement and love.

Classes are limited. Please visit us online for class information and reservations.

7 207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue obxcommunityyoga.com Like us on Facebook & Instagram

Sam & Winston

A family-owned shop with fine art, books, gourmet kitchen goods and high-design gifts for ladies, gentlemen, children and dogs.

8 108 Sir Walter Raleigh Street 252-475-9764 @shopsamandwinston

Between Tides Launch Party

On August 10, Sam & Winston hosts the launch party for Angel Khoury's debut novel, Between Tides. Join us for drinks, food and live music!

The Tranquil House Inn

A charming 25-room coastal Carolina inn located on the waterfront. Recently rejuvenated for 2021 and originally built in the style of the stately Outer Banks’ inns of the 19th century, the charm of cypress woodwork and stained glass will greet you at every turn.

1587 Lounge

Downtown Books

Largest growing local brewery on the Outer Banks. Award-winning craft beers and creative cuisine served for more than 20 years.

Outdoor, pet-friendly dining available. Dinner reservations accepted.

11 208 Queen Elizabeth Street 252-473-6666 lostcolonybrewery.com

An independent bookstore offering best-sellers for all ages and genres, autographed copies, southern cookbooks, book baskets, puzzles, greeting cards and select gifts. Stop in for Friday author signings including Joseph Ellis, Scott Dawson, Joseph Terrell, Angel Khoury (Aug 13) and more.

13 103 Sir Walter Raleigh Street 252-473-1056 • duckscottage.com

The Wheel House Lounge

Sisters Boutique & Gifts

Dozens of homemade ice cream varieties, smoothies, shakes, sundaes, handmade Belgian chocolates, fresh fudge, ice cream cakes and delicious espresso drinks.

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 10 252-423-3118 bigbucksicecream.com

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Distinctive clothing by CP Shades, Frank & Eileen, Juliet Dunn, Wilt and other niche brands.

Sophisticated accessories, jewelry and fragrances for you and your home.

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The newest craft cocktail bar located inside of Outer Banks Distilling, specializing in Kill Devil Rum cocktails. The distillery gift shop is open from 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and the Wheel House Lounge is open from 12:00-7:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

12 510 Budleigh Street 252-423-3011 outerbanksdistilling.com

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A cozy tapas lounge and event venue on the charming historic downtown Manteo waterfront, where small bites and cool drinks await you! The 1587 Lounge is located on the waterfront within the Tranquil House Inn. 405 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 9 252-473-1404 tranquilhouseinn.com

The Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe

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Head North and Find Yourself in Corolla The Currituck Beach Lighthouse The Lighthouse towers over the Outer Banks landscape. For a small fee, visitors can climb all 220 steps up the winding iron staircase for a wide-open view of the Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Whalehead in Historic Corolla The Whalehead museum is a 1920s era Art Nouveau architectural masterpiece and is the centerpiece of Historic Corolla Park. Weekly and annual events are often held here, tours of the Whalehead museum offered daily.

OBX Center for Wildlife Education The Center for Wildlife Education houses exhibits on both natural and wildlife history and offers free educational programs.

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17 62 36 SUMMER 2021

44 AHEAD OF THE TIDE Raising Outer Banks homes 46 SUN SALUTATIONS 50 FIVE FACTS Things you didn't know about John’s Drive-In LIFESTYLE

10 FROM THE DESK 13 BUT FIRST...

14 SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR FOLKS

17 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Raising goats at Panda’s Paradise in Kitty Hawk OUTDOORS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

28 THE STROKE OF A BRUSH The colorful art of Randi O’Sullivan REAL ESTATE

54 FROSTED FINDS Treasured beach glass memories 56 FOUR IF BY SEA The big snooze of 2020 58 INSTAGRAMMABLE OBX The spots with the best shots

32 TOWN REPORT 34 BUSINESS BRIEFS 36 HOME SPOTLIGHT The Buchanan Cottage in Nags Head

20 OUT ON THE RANGE Local National Park rangers share stories of previous posts

40 THE LIFE-CHANGING

MAGIC OF (UN)TIDYING UP Finding joy in creative clutter

26 FISH LIKE A LOCAL Summer fishing on the Outer Banks

42 THE LAY OF THE LAND Surveyors make sense of property lines

FOOD & BEVERAGE

62 BUSY BEES Collecting local honey 66 OH HONEY, HONEY Bake sweet treats using local honey THE LOCAL LIFE

68 ZOE SIMPKINS Kiteboarding instructor, REAL Watersports

ABOUT THE COVER: Randi O’Sullivan with one of her vibrant paintings near her Rodanthe home (photo by Ryan Moser).

THIS PAGE: Photos by Elizabeth Neal, Ryan Moser, and Cory Godwin (clockwise from top left).

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F R O M T H E DE S K

staff staff PUBLISHERS Adam & Cathy Baldwin PUBLISHERS EDITOR Adam & Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Amelia Boldaji Dave Rollins ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Dave Rollins Adam Baldwin DylanDESIGNERS Bush GRAPHIC An acrylic painting by Hatteras Island artist Randi O’Sullivan.

Photo by Ryan Moser.

We all have stories to tell.

HOW DO YOU TELL A GOOD STORY? That is – above all – the main question we have to contend with here at the North Beach Sun. And it doesn’t end – from the moment we come up with our first new ideas until the day an issue goes to press, that question is somewhere in the back of our minds, rattling around as a reminder that it’s our job both to find great stories, and also to tell them well.

Narrative is a tremendously powerful thing. It can open our eyes, move us, make us laugh or cry, and show us different ways of looking at the world around us. And it can even be a way of organizing seemingly disparate things and events – a means of getting from point A to B that may take a number of twists and turns, but ultimately allows us to forge a series of connections that might have otherwise been lost.

And that’s perhaps why it can be hard to recognize a good story at first glance. Like anyone in the business of narratives, there are plenty of times that we’ll hear a pitch or come across something new, and think it’s not quite what we’re looking for. Maybe it doesn’t appear very glamorous, or it feels too obscure, or it just doesn’t seem to have enough weight to it – whatever the case, it can be easy to dismiss a fledgling story idea this way.

More often than not, however, we find that if we look a little closer and dig a little deeper, the problem isn’t really the idea itself, but just that we haven’t figured out the best way to tell that particular story yet.

Because we all have stories to tell – whether big or small, life-changing or simply heartwarming – and the way we tell these stories can be just as important as the messages they contain. That’s where our voices can be found, after all, and that is where our truest point of connection lies.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue – and all the varied stories it contains!

Adam Baldwin WRITERS Dylan Bush Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji CONTRIBUTORS Mattie Dalia Cathy Baldwin Steve Hanf Amelia Boldaji Hunter Haskett Cory Godwin Catherine Kozak Steve Hanf Hannah Lee Leidy Catherine Kozak Fran Marler Hannah Lee Leidy Amanda McDanel McDanel Amanda

Ryan Moser PHOTOGRAPHERS CoryMANAGER Godwin SALES Ryan HelenMoser Furr Elizabeth Neal Kati Wilkins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Faith Turek SALES MANAGER Helen Furr ACCOUNT The North Beach Sun isEXECUTIVE published quarterly by Faith Turek Access Media Group.

All works contained herein are the property of the North Beach Sun. The views expressed in the articles contained herein The North Beach Sun is published quarterly by do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, Access Media Group. All works contained herein are editor or Access Media Group. The published the property of the North Beach Sun. material, advertisements, editorials and all other The views is expressed articles herein content publishedininthe good faith.contained Access Media do not necessarily reflectSun the cannot views ofguarantee the publisher, Group and North Beach and editor no or Access published accepts liability Media for anyGroup. loss orThe damage of any material, editorials andaccuracy all otherof kind causedadvertisements, by errors, omissions or the content is claims published in by good faith. Access Media made advertisers.

Group and North Beach Sun cannot guarantee and accepts no liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by errors, BEACH omissions orSUN the accuracy of NORTH claims made by advertisers.

115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

NORTH BEACH SUN

Publisher

Editor

252.449.4444 115 West Meadowlark St. editor@northbeachsun.com Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252.449.4444

editor@northbeachsun.com 10 | SU M M ER 2021

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 11

OREGON INLET

D N A L S I S A R E HATTA WHOLE DIFFERENT BEACH.

12 PEA ISLAND N AT I O N A L WILDLIFE REFUGE

A sliver of land so thin that in some places you can see both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound, Hatteras is a barrier island unlike any other. The drive south is worth it for the view alone, but mosey on down and you’ll find quaint towns with restaurants serving up the local catch, a thriving art scene, world-class fishing and the East Coast’s premier kiteboarding destination. Come see why Hatteras Island is truly an unforgettable destination!

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Island Acupuncture & Massage

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39774 Highway 12, Avon 252-489-1919 • theislandattic.com Instagram: @islandattic At Island Attic we travel annually across the world to bring the finest global imports from Bali and Thailand.

We feature artisan direct handicrafts, Teak furniture, local art/jewelry, and stylish apparel. We love to share our stories of wanderlust and all of the beautiful, diverse cultures in our travels.

Pamlico Station 24267 Highway 12, Rodanthe islandacupunctureobx.com 252-995-4481 Specializing in massage and acupuncture. The only healthcare practice in the Outer Banks that specializes in traditional Chinese medicine. Licensed and certified.

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Rodanthe Pier

Pier Rodanthe on Hatteras Island

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Uncle Frank’s Hot Dogs & BBQ

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26248 Highway 12, Salvo islandcruisersinc.com 252-987-2097 Park the minivan and cruise the Outer Banks in island style!

Offering golf cart, auto, and 4x4 rentals. 48-hour advance online booking available, or call for next day reservations.

5

OBX Kiting outerbankskiting.com 252-305-6839 Capt. Jay Crawford The most experienced kiteboarding and foilboarding coaches located on Hatteras. Our guests fly and ride only the newest and best gear. Fully certified and CPR / first aid trained.

Sunset cruises, tubing and the new sport eFoiling!

12 | SU M M ER 2021

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Buxton Village Books

C A P E H AT T E R A S N AT I O N A L SEASHORE

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Island Cruisers

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CapeAttitude®

47918 Highway 12, Buxton buxtonvillagebooks.com 252-995-4240 Hatteras Island's independent bookseller. Open all year. Offering the newest best-sellers the day they release. Books for all ages.

25972 Highway 12, Waves unclefranksobx.com • 252-715-5200 Uncle Frank’s is not your ordinary hot dog stand or BBQ joint... We proudly serve up hot dogs, BBQ and cold beer of the highest quality while sourcing the finest ingredients and striving to protect our planet.

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At The Cape Hatteras Motel 46556 Highway 12, Buxton capeattitude.com • 252-995-5611 Show them your Attitude! The place to go for unique reminders of your time on Hatteras Island. Apparel, cups, koozies, stickers and more!

2451 Atlantic Drive, Rodanthe rodanthepierllc.com 252-987-0030 Fun for the whole family! Pier passes available, no fishing license required for those who fish the pier. Beach access parking is available for a fee. Our pier house offers bait and tackle, merchandise and refreshments!

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Island Attic

Quarterdeck Restaurant

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54214 Highway 12, Frisco QuarterdeckHi.com 252-986-2425 Serving classic local seafood, homemade desserts, and much more since 1978! Located on the Pamlico Sound with awesome views and breathtaking sunsets. Full-service B U X TO N WO O D S bar and occasional live music. Call for more C OA S TA L R E S E RV E information. Dine in by reservation, outdoor pet-friendly seating, and takeout available. Family platters that feed 4-6 people available as well. Hope to see 8 you soon!

FERRY TO OCRACOKE ISLAND

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C A P E H AT T E R A S N AT I O N A L SEASHORE

7

but first...

Flower Power

If you plant it, they will come…especially when you’re talking about pollinators. An array of animals such as birds, beetles, butterflies and bees (plus plenty of other small mammals) are critical to sustaining our worldwide ecosystems, and a grassroots project called The Butterfly Highway has been paving a new way forward in order to raise awareness about the importance of habitat restoration for pollinators in North Carolina since 2014.

Photos courtesy of Patricia Matthews and Jessica Loose.

How Does your Garden Grow?

Southern Shores resident Patricia Matthews came up with the idea of starting a Free Little Plant Library in her neighborhood last September (left). The idea was fairly simple: First, create a designated spot where likeminded gardening enthusiasts could rehome extra things such as seeds or other types of plants, and then foster that sense of community by asking people to use the honor system of “take one, leaf one.”

AFTER SEEING SOMETHING SIMILAR IN ANOTHER STATE,

Joined shortly thereafter by longtime Kill Devil Hills resident Jessica Loose, who hosts the Colington Harbour Free Little Plant Library (right), the fledgling project already has an impressive 600-plus local members – and Patricia only hopes that their ranks will continue to increase. “I would love to see these Little Plant Libraries pop up all over the beach,” she says. “Word is getting out, and it’s been so nice to watch it grow.”

Back to Soil School LOOKING FOR A REASON TO HIT THE BOOKS with the big kids at the end of summer – especially if you can do it outdoors? If so, you might find your calling with the Dare County Extension Master Gardener Program. No special skills are needed beyond a commitment to learning more about all areas of horticulture – from botany to insects and landscape design – and later sharing that knowledge with the wider local community as a Master Gardener volunteer.

The two-part training process (which consists of 40 training hours and a volunteer internship) is only held every two years, however, so if you miss the July 1 application deadline with the N.C. Cooperative Extension office, you’ll have to start planning for 2023.

For those ready to dig right in, though, classes start this September – and culminate with a graduation ceremony next year!

With the backing of the N.C. Wildlife Federation, this statewide program aims to establish a network of safe places for pollinators to thrive. The best part is that anyone NORTH CAROLINA IS HOME TO can join in by registering their backyard gardens as Pollinator Pitstops along the loosely connected and ever-growing “route” – which has been steadily turning some small NATIVE ideas into some big BEE numbers.

500

Since the project’s inception, more than 2,000 Pollinator Pitstops have been registered along The Butterfly Highway, which has subsequently protected more than 30,000 acres of land for native pollinators in a wide variety of N.C. counties – including Dare, which hosts at least two Pitstops for the general public to visit at the Outer Banks Arboretum & Teaching Garden in Kill Devil Hills and The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo.

SPECIES

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NATIVE BUTTERFLY SPECIES

1,200 NATIVE MOTH SPECIES

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 13

summer events Though events may look a little different this year, the Outer Banks is always full of fun things to do!

Due to changing regulations, some events were still being modified or added as of press time, so please don’t forget to check websites for the most current information on these individual events.

DOWNTOWN MARKET

Saturday mornings through the summer, ending September 18 Buy fresh local fruits, veggies and crafts at this farmers’ market every Saturday in downtown Manteo from 8 a.m. until noon. townofmanteo.com

FARMERS’ MARKET

May 27 – September 9 (Thursdays) Stop by Dowdy Park in Nags Head between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. each Thursday during the summer for fresh fruits and veggies, plus other crafts. nagsheadnc.gov

THE LOST COLONY May 28 – August 21

This fascinating drama – the longest running outdoor historical drama in the United States – brings to life the mystery of what happened to the first English colonists right here on the Outer Banks. thelostcolony.org

CURRITUCK CORNHOLE TOURNAMENTS June 16 – September 8 (Wednesdays)

Compete in weekly games at Whalehead in Historic Corolla for a chance to win a beach vacation donated by Brindley Beach. visitcurrituck.com

COROLLA CORK & CRAFT June 16 – September 8 (Wednesdays)

Enjoy local beer and wine tastings, live music and curated crafts by artisans in the scenic setting of Historic Corolla Park. visitcurrituck.com

14 | SU M M ER 2021

38TH ANNUAL ROGALLO KITE FESTIVAL

THE LOST COLONY WINE, BEER & CULINARY FESTIVAL

June 18 – 20

This free kite festival at Jockey’s Ridge honors Francis Rogallo, inventor of the flexible wing, and features stunt kites, kite displays, kite instruction, kite making and more. kittyhawk.com

UNDER THE OAKS ARTS FESTIVAL June 22 – 23

This free, two-day art festival features talented artisans on the waterfront grounds of Historic Corolla Park. visitcurrituck.com

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION July 5

Marvel at fireworks on the lawn of Historic Corolla Park while listening to free live music and enjoying family-friendly activities. visitcurrituck.com

42ND ANNUAL WRIGHT KITE FESTIVAL July 10 – 11

Learn to fly stunt kites and watch large kite displays during this kiting event at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. kittyhawk.com

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT SUP EVENT July 21

Attach a NOCQUA light to the bottom of an SUP for nighttime water fun during this annual event at Waves Village Watersports Resort that includes glow yard games, family activities and free demos. kittyhawk.com

2021

OUTER BANKS WATERMELON FESTIVAL August 5

There’s plenty for the kids to do during this summery event at the Kitty Hawk Kites store in Nags Head, including face painting, crafts, watermelon seed-spitting contests and more. kittyhawk.com

OUTER BANKS PIRATE FESTIVAL August 11 – 12

Learn pirate lore, meet Blackbeard’s crew and enroll the little ones in Scallywag School during this fun festival at Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nags Head. kittyhawk.com

OBX WEDDING FEST August 29

Meet and mingle with local wedding vendors at this wedding expo held at three venues: Sanderling Resort, Duck Woods Country Club and Keeper’s Galley at Haven on the Banks. obxwa.com

OBX ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL September 8 – 9

This annual show at the Hilton Garden Inn features paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography, glass and more. A portion of the artists’ entrance fees are donated to local charities. www.facebook.com/obxartfestival

September 25

This year’s festival features wines from around the world, regional cuisine, entertainment and more – all with a dramatic view of the Roanoke Sound from backstage at the Waterside Theatre. thelostcolony.org

DUCK JAZZ FESTIVAL October 9 – 10

This free, all-day event features national, regional and local acts at the Duck Town Park. townofduck.com

OUTER BANKS BREWTAG October 23

Watch teams launch handcrafted kegdriven flying machines from a flight deck while enjoying live music and sampling local and regional beers at The Soundside event site in Nags Head. obxbrewtag.com

OUTER BANKS SEAFOOD FESTIVAL October 16

Enjoy fresh local seafood, cooking demos, mullet tossing, live music and more at this family-friendly event at The Soundside event site in Nags Head. outerbanksseafoodfestival.org

BLUEGRASS ISLAND FESTIVAL October 21 – 23

Bluegrass lovers from all over the world flock to the Outer Banks for this tradition of acclaimed bands playing in one of the most beautiful venues anywhere, Roanoke Island Festival Park. bluegrassisland.com

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cottongin.com N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 15

Can’t beat our view!

Unique gifts worth making that “side trip” for

The Cliff Morrow Gallery

Fine Art • Photography • Pottery • Maps • Gifts for the Home

Whimsical t-shirts, drinkware and more.

Find it all at

46556 Highway 12 • Buxton 252-995-5611 • capehatterasmotel.com •

The Cape Hatteras Motel

46556 Highway 12, Buxton • 252-995-5611 capeattitude.com

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!

The sea, the sound, and a world of possibilites in between.

Find it all in Year after year, visitors have enjoyed our walkable village, top-notch restaurants and remarkable shops. Discover community events, walking trails, a kayak launch, and the boardwalk at the Town Park in the heart of Duck.

While you’re visiting Duck find all the ways to Shop, Play, Dine, and Stay at doducknc.com.

16 | SU M M ER 2021

Save the date! The 2021 Duck Jazz Festival is coming October 9-10. Visit duckjazz.com for info and updates.

townofduck.com 252.255.1234

FOLKS

The Kids Are Alright Photos by Elizabeth Neal Story by Hunter Haskett

B

ack in one of the most densely forested parts of Kitty Hawk is a private dirt road that twists and turns down a shaded path. Far from the bustling main highway – and even many of the more residential areas of Kitty Hawk – traveling it can feel a bit like slipping back in time to the days when this fishing village predated the Wright brothers’ arrival and was filled with families who had lived there for generations.

Even with this kind of atmosphere, however, you might not expect to stumble upon a farm where you’re promptly greeted at the front gate by a sizeable herd of peanut-loving goats.

“They’re like potato chips, you can’t have just one,” quips Roxanne Dorman, the owner and resident goatwhisperer responsible for Kitty Hawk’s Panda’s Paradise Farm.

She says this from experience. Seven years ago, Roxanne started her new venture with two goats, and then quickly added one more – the eponymous Panda,

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 17

“When the kids start hitting the

who still resides on the farm – because she wanted to learn how to make Once the kids are born – typically in early spring – they stay ground, it’s nongoat milk cheese. Fast-forward to today, and Roxanne is now the caretaker with their mothers for around two months. Then comes the stop. I’m lucky if for 26 goats – not including the numerous baby kids she breeds and hardest part: saying goodbye. nurtures while she finds them new homes each year.

“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’” Roxanne I get two meals a “My husband said, ‘You can have as many goats as you want as long as remarks about the process of finding other homes for the baby day then – and I you can make money,’” Roxanne explains with a laugh. “So I started buying kids in order to provide crucial income for the farm. “And it’s some breeding stock – and then it just kept getting bigger from there.” definitely not easy!” mostly eat those According to the American Goat Federation, there are about 200 While it can feel harder and harder to watch the kids go standing up.” breeds of domestic goats – many of which can vary greatly by size and to their new homes every year, Roxanne loves getting updates appearance – but only around a dozen breeds are most commonly found about their lives in the months – and even years – afterwards. in the United States. Roxanne has several breeds herself – including a “I tell people that when you start a goat farm, you really pygmy, a mini-Nubian and a Nigerian dwarf – but myotonic goats are by far her favorite. need a goat mentor,” Roxanne adds. “So everyone knows that when I deliver the kids to “They’re easygoing, for one, and you can keep them in a fence because they can’t their new homes, that’s not the end of our relationship – they can always call or text me jump,” Roxanne says about the breed mostly commonly known as fainting goats. if they have any problems along the way.”

“They’re also great moms, and they normally don’t have complications with birthing. To Even with her years of experience, Roxanne has her own mentor who she can go to me, they’re just the best breed.” with any goat-related questions when she finds herself stumped – but she isn’t afraid Roxanne would know, of course, because she oversees every element of the farm, to say that she gained a lot of her knowledge from first-hand learning and a fair share from feeding the goats to milking them, and also dehorning them when necessary to of Googling. ensure the safety of the herd as a whole. She even hand-breeds many of the goats, and Because at the end of the day, running a goat farm isn’t easy. Roxanne usually kicks helps deliver their babies herself after about a five-month gestation period. off her mornings by providing the goats with ample hay at 8 a.m. – and she often doesn’t

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Phaleena, a mini-Nubian, poses for the camera (far left). Phaleena’s buckling, Cash, perches above the rest of the herd (middle, above). The farm’s namesake, Panda, enjoys a day in the sun (middle, below). A crowd comes running when Roxanne’s doling out peanuts, including Halo, Angel, Gracie and Susie Q (far right).

complete her daily tasks of milking and cleaning until nearly 8:30 p.m. – especially during kidding season.

“When the kids start hitting the ground, it’s non-stop,” Roxanne says. “I’m lucky if I get two meals a day then – and I mostly eat those standing up.”

If it seems as though Roxanne has a way of finding more hours in the day than normal people do, there’s a reason for that – because managing the farm isn’t even her fulltime job. In addition to the farm, Roxanne also runs an environmental consulting business with her husband, Doug, and she uses the goats’ milk to produce a wide variety of handcrafted cheeses and other specialty products such as bar soaps and luxurious body lotions.

She even donates a portion of her goat milk to a wildlife rehabilitation program down in Frisco, which takes in orphaned fawns.

“I don’t necessarily make a profit on all of it, but it’s something I enjoy doing,” Roxanne adds. “I get so many people who [are appreciative] of these things, and it means so much to me because I put a lot of time into it.”

And no matter how much Roxanne branches out, she retains a deep appreciation for the goats themselves that fill her days with their wholly unique antics and personalities.

“Something horrible could’ve happened to put you in a bad mood,” Roxanne says.

“But all you have to do is go outside, and they can take your mind right off it.”

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FLORIDA

OU T D O O R S

Life in the National Park Service takes rangers all over the country. After working in some amazing locales, these rangers now call the Outer Banks home.

Out on the

Range

BY STEVE HANF

J

osh Nelson hadn’t been at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site very long when he made his rounds one day along the Thomas Hariot Nature Trail. At the end of the loop just beyond Roanoke Island’s famed Waterside Theatre, he encountered two men lounging on the beach.

Josh recalls the day as beautiful: Sunny and warm, but not too hot. He asked one of the visitors how they were doing and was immediately struck by the reply.

“He said he hadn’t been that relaxed in two years,” Josh says.

“I don’t know what had happened in his life, but that little park was enough to completely relax him.”

The rejuvenating power of nature in general, and America’s national parks in particular, is well documented. More than 237 million visitors logged more than a billion hours of park time with the National Park Service’s 400-plus destinations in 2020.

The history and beauty of the parks also draws nearly 20,000 workers into the park service for some of the most coveted jobs in government.

Josh, an interpretive ranger at Fort Raleigh, explains that the ability to experience so many unique environments is one part of that draw. Another is simply the “idea” behind the parks.

“It’s the idea of being able to collectively protect the place for everyone,” he explains, before pausing and gazing into the distance as he searches for more words.

“Then there’s obviously the benefit of being able to experience incredible places daily,” he continues. “I can honestly say that there’s not Continued >

From top to bottom: Josh Nelson at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Meaghan Johnson at Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, and Josh at another job at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 21 11

Josh Nelson at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico (right).

Dave Hallac at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (below).

D A B S L R A C CAVERNS O

IC MEX W NE

been a day that I haven’t wanted to go to work. And that’s a pretty good thing to be able to say.”

ACCORDING

TO

MIKE

BARBER,

THE

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around 80 fulltime employees and 60 to 65 seasonal staff members work for the National Park Service (NPS) at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. These rangers found their way to the Outer Banks in a variety of ways, but all share the same passion for the job.

Dave Hallac, the current superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, arrived here from Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park after first working at Everglades National Park in Florida.

Meaghan Johnson, the deputy chief of resource management and science for the Outer Banks Group, is also now on her second gig with the NPS after transferring here from Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys.

And then there’s Josh Nelson, who along with his wife, Toni, pinballed across the country before landing here on the Outer Banks. Josh grew up in Maine and remembers seeing park rangers in action on his home turf of Acadia National Park as well as on trips to the Western parks his family took every year. When he was little, the notion of being an “outdoor police officer” hooked him, and a job with the NPS was the only career he ever wanted.

He worked seasonally at Acadia while pursuing a parks management degree in college, then hit the road. Toni got a volunteer position at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and Josh worked at a nearby state park in order to make ends meet before he was able to land a seasonal position at Wind Cave as well. That began their eight-year odyssey.

From Wind Cave to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, to Zion National Park in Utah, and back to Wind Cave and then Carlsbad – Josh and Toni spent a season here, a season there, making ends meet with ski resort jobs in the offseason, carving out a spartan existence but enjoying every bit of the ride.

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“Sometimes there’s a dream job out there, but you didn’t know it was your dream job until you hear about it.”

“Our material life really fit in an 8x5 enclosed trailer, combined,” Josh says. “It’s been a challenge, but on the other hand, it’s where our priority is.”

After earning valuable experience and service time at Carlsbad Caverns – Josh and Toni started looking for other postings. The park service isn’t like the military, with rangers getting new orders every few years. When rangers are ready for a -Superintendent new adventure, they have to visit a government Dave Hallac website, see what’s out there and apply.

“Spending so much time in the Southwest, we were looking for a little bit of green, a little bit of water, and turns out we got a lot of water and also a lot of green,” Josh says of his current job at Fort Raleigh, which he started in the fall of 2018. “We’re really happy here. I’ve loved each place I’ve worked in, but there are so many other places out there to see that I haven’t ever really regretted moving.”

DAVE HALLAC’S FAMILY HAS ALSO TRAVERSED THE COUNTRY,

but with substantially longer stops during his employment at three different national parks. He began his current posting in 2014 and is now in charge of the NPS’ 22nd most-visited park per 2020 numbers, with more than 2.6 million visitors flocking to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year – the highest visitation numbers in 17 years.

Like many, Dave wound up working for the NPS after spending time with another federal agency. He was a biologist on Everglades restoration projects for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when a supervisory position at Everglades National Park opened up, and one of his NPS colleagues told him that he’d be great for the job.

While he loved the Everglades – and still does – Dave jumped at the chance to serve as lead scientist at one of America’s most beloved national parks seven years later. During his subsequent four years at Yellowstone, he worked on fisheries restoration projects and monitored the park’s expansive herds of wildlife.

“Sometimes there’s a dream job out there, but you didn’t know it was your dream job until you hear about it,” Dave says. “That was the case [at Yellowstone].”

W YO M IN G Continued > 2 2 | SU M M ER 2021

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 23

b

“It felt somewhat unnatural to see people just coming and going from their positions so frequently, but it was also a little refreshing because there are so many opportunities to have new experiences at different parks and to take those experiences on to the next park.”

s

- Ranger Meaghan Johnson

UGAS T R O T D R Y FLORIDA W Y O M IN G

Meaghan Johnson scuba diving at Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida (above).

Dave Hallac on the job at Everglades National Park in Florida (below).

Still, when the opportunity to manage an entire park group became available, Dave knew it was the right move. He was named superintendent of the Cape Hatteras Seashore and the Outer Banks Group of parks in 2014.

“I got a total spectrum of reactions from, ‘you’re crazy for leaving Yellowstone’ to ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe you lasted that long in Yellowstone,’” Dave says with amusement when asked about moving on from such an iconic location.

And there’s also the fact that a posting at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is known to be a bit controversial. Visitor access and the protection of the landscape has always been a battle at national parks, so things such as off-road vehicle management at Cape Hatteras is just part of the job. But Dave can still appreciate some of the fierier local debates that have emerged during his time here.

“Even if folks are angry about something, the reason they’re really angry about it is that they care so deeply,” Dave explains. “The other thing I enjoy most about the Outer Banks is its dynamic nature. You go to Yellowstone and you can certainly see something pretty similar [every season]. In Hatteras, you can go to a place like Cape Point today and then go back in a year – or even six months from now – and it might look completely different.”

“It was kind of eye-opening to me when I started with the park service to see how transient it was,” she says. “It felt somewhat unnatural to see people just coming and going from their positions so frequently, but it was also a little refreshing because there are so many opportunities to have new experiences at different parks and to take those experiences on to the next park.”

Meaghan does miss the scuba diving that was a huge part of her job at Dry Tortugas, but she’s excited that her small child is now closer to family in North Carolina. Meaghan also enjoys working on various aspects of all five of the eastern N.C. parks – including Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Moores Creek National Battlefield – as the deputy chief of resource management and science.

“It’s about both cultural and natural resources, so that’s a lot. It’s all things living, including our nesting shorebirds and sea turtle nesting management, and anything to do with our lighthouses and cultural resources,” Meaghan explains.

“Moores Creek, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers – there are a lot of cultural resources at all three of those locations.

“I’ve only really been with two parks now,” Meaghan adds with a laugh when asked about her travels. “But I think I picked two good ones!”

The common bond with all of these staff members is their love for the National Park Service: Love of the land. Love of interacting with visitors. Love of the mission.

“The mission is incredible,” Dave adds. “Sometimes people say that we’re in the ‘forever business,’ because our job is to protect and preserve these resources for the enjoyment of future generations. The parks almost become a part of you – and in some cases you can feel that attachment for the rest of your life.”

Everglades

WHILE THE NPS IS A RELATIVELY SMALL AND

ORGANIZATION, Dave Hallac and Meaghan Johnson never crossed paths during their time in South Florida – although, like Dave, Meaghan also came to the NPS from an outside organization.

She had been living and working in the Florida Keys for 14 years doing coral reef monitoring, restoration and research for The Nature Conservancy when a fisheries biologist position opened at Dry Tortugas National Park. It was a natural fit for Meaghan since she had already been working in the park with many of the same people. After three years at Dry Tortugas, Meaghan made the move to the Outer Banks in the fall of 2019 to be closer to family.

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OU T D O O R S

istock.com/sablin

Fish

Tips and valuable info

By Mattie Dalia

LIKE A LOCAL

is much like trying to predict the weather—there is no sure thing. The best advice I can offer is to just get out there and get a line wet, as much as you can. And what better time of the year to do that than summertime? Bring on the sunny days, warm water and fun fishing!

TRYING TO FORECAST FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS

Offshore

Pier

One of the main draws for people to take a charter boat out of the Outer Banks is the close proximity to the Gulf Stream—that’s where the big fish are. Take a look at our coastal position on Google Maps. See where the water color turns dark? That is the edge of the primo, warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Early summer, the boats should get into dolphin, yellowfin and big-eye. Later summer, they should add catches of marlin and wahoo.

The Outer Banks is home to some of the best fishing piers in the world. Some people don’t realize the size of the fish caught on piers, and large cobia, amber jack and king mackerel leave tourists and locals alike in awe when they are hauled in. Typical summer catches include bluefish, spanish mackerel, spot, croaker, sea mullet and triggerfish. To get a leg up, always ask the person behind the pier counter what’s biting and on what bait.

Inshore/Nearshore

Surf

While you probably won’t catch the larger billfish typical of an offshore trip, there are numerous advantages, including less expensive options (half-day trips are cheaper), quick rides to fishing spots, and the ability to dodge rough conditions by staying in the sound. If you go wreck fishing in the summer, you can find tilefish, sea bass, grouper and amberjacks. Trolling nearshore can produce catches of cobia, bluefish, spanish and king mackerel.

When I go surf fishing, I only have one expectation: to have a wonderful time. Not good advice, but I have gone hours not checking my bait, enjoying time with friends and drinking cold beverages on a beautiful sunny day. But, if you DO want to catch some fish, you can target and catch sea mullet, pompano and croaker by bottom fishing with live bait. Throwing plastic lures or scented lures on lead jig heads can also produce trout and bluefish.

2 6 | SU M M ER 2021

While you’ll need a N.C. Coastal Recreational Fishing License, these locations have no entry fee and can offer good fishing: behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse, under the Manteo bridge, and on the pier created from the former Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet.

FISH FOR FREE.

KEEP A LINE IN THE WATER. Fishing can be extremely unpredictable. But those who catch fish are successful because they KEEP FISHING. If I can provide any advice, it’s to keep a line in the water; don’t give up because it’s slow. I’ve seen slow times turn instantly into some of the best catches. The patient are often rewarded.

Fish like to hang out in deeper holes near the surf, and low tide can be a great time to find these holes. After you find the primo spots, start fishing them an hour before the incoming high tide, when the water and (hopefully) fish should start to fill in.

SCOUT THE SURF FOR HOLES.

SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING RIGHT. While on the pier or in the surf, if you see someone out-catching everybody, take some time to observe their technique, bait being used, etc. Heck, you can even introduce yourself and ask for a few pointers.

I’ve seen shelves at the tackle store get cleared out of a certain color lure by the observant.

PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. Just because you can keep 15 bluefish a day doesn’t mean you should. Us anglers should be conservationists of the sea and practice moderation. Keep what you will eat, and release the rest to live another day.

TOTAL LENGTH VERSUS FORK LENGTH. When measuring a fish and adhering to N.C. Fishing Regulations, make sure you do it correctly. Some fish, like speckled trout, have minimal total length requirements, which is measured from the head to a pinched tail. Other fish, like Spanish mackerel, are covered by a minimum fork length, a measurement from the head to the apex of the fork of the tail.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 27

A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

THE STROKE OF A Hatteras Island artist Randi O’Sullivan captures a world of color on the canvas

T

Brus Photos by Ryan Moser Story by Fran Marler

here are moments in time A path that’s led her to the Outer Banks. that have an effect like First, however, she returned to Baltimore no other. An explosion of from Wilmington, where she found that the colors – cobalt, an array community wasn’t as welcoming of new artists of pinks, purples and gold as she would have liked. After talking it over dance along the horizon, with her then-boyfriend (now husband), Blake, beckoning skyward to what lies beyond – a they decided that their next move would either sort of stillness that offers an embrace like the be to the mountains or the beach. comfort of an old family quilt.

And so it literally came down to a coin toss.

“This is the golden hour,” 32-year-old One side was Asheville, N.C., the other, the Hatteras Island artist Randi O’Sullivan says Outer Banks. of the period of time that occurs just before The Outer Banks won. sunset. “And it’s my favorite part of the day.”

“When we moved here in the dead of Intricately patterned and colorful mandalas have long been part of Randi Known by many as a self-described winter from Baltimore in 2012, I literally had no O’Sullivan’s oeuvre (above). Randi at home on Hatteras Island (right). “mermaid with a paintbrush” (the local post plan,” she says good-naturedly. “So I thought office workers like to joke that they rarely see that since I had nothing else to lose, what her without a brush tucked absentmindedly better time to give being a fulltime artist a behind her ear), Randi has made it her life’s shot?” work to take those moments and translate that experience into a passionate array of With nature and the ocean at her fingertips, Randi quickly found herself embracing images that are firmly rooted in her life here on the Outer Banks. an endless source of inspiration.

“I’ve always been into super vivid, saturated colors,” she says about her distinctive “Being here, as opposed to a bustling city, has allowed me the time to really slow (and often instinctive) artwork, which tends to feature bold hues and striking patterns. down,” Randi says. “I enjoy experimenting with a variety of mediums, but I find that I “Sometimes it seems as though the color just oozes out of me!” mostly work with acrylics. The main point, in the end, is just to get it out of my system From being a part of the artistic honor society at her high school in Baltimore to and onto something.” studying art education at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, Randi has And she’s done exactly that. With seascapes that draw one’s gaze immediately into a been honing her eye for as long as she can remember. “During my college days I painted kaleidoscope of rich colors, along with a growing number of creations that include sea anything I could get my hands on,” she explains with a laugh. “Cardboard, beer boxes, creatures, native flowers such as jobells, mermaids and Buddhist-inspired mandalas, it you name it. I even hung and sold a few along the way.” didn’t take long for Randi’s art to gain a following.

With an artistic father who uses a chain saw to carve tikis and is also equally adept at “The process hasn’t been without its challenges though,” Randi says thoughtfully. creating delicate sterling silver jewelry, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Randi has allowed During her early days on the island, she wanted to create and sell only originally crafted her creative drive to take the front seat and trust the path she’s on. pieces – but while that’s a noble concept, it isn’t necessarily the easiest strategy to pull

2 8 | SU M M ER 2021

sh

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 2 9

Though Randi’s artwork takes many forms, her first love is original acrylic paintings – and capturing images of the natural world and other more fantastical sea creatures (pictured above and right).

off. “Now I have prints available,” she adds, “so everyone can have a piece of my art!”

In order to showcase her work, Randi also spent years frequenting numerous local art shows with a tent in tow – which later led her to organize and participate in the annual Rodanthe-based Island Art Shows for six years before becoming the president of the Dare County Arts Council for an additional two years.

And other circumstances – both large and small – have shaped her artistic process along the way. From the birth of her son, Huxley, in 2019, to the need to adapt to a post-pandemic world and the arrival of her daughter, Juniper, this past winter, Randi’s working life has continued to evolve.

“It can be really hard to find balance with kids,” Randi confides. “But now, when I get to paint, it makes it even more special.” And as for her answer to having less canvas time? Digital art.

“As a mom I don’t always have time to pull out all my painting supplies,” she explains.

“With the ability to simply open my computer, I can now create art and do my mom thing at the same time. This has been the best challenge of my life, and I love it – though there was definitely a learning curve!”

With an ever-growing online presence, Randi’s website features a bit of everything, including greeting cards, jewelry, clothing, hats, bags, stickers and home goods – and, of course, her signature paintings can be found in a number of local galleries on Hatteras Island and the more northern beaches. She even recently started a collaboration with Kitty Hawk Kites that’s led to her designs being printed on a variety of one-of-a-kind kites and flags.

Pursuing any new career is never easy, especially in the world of art – but with the right approach and the drive to follow a dream, it certainly seems as though the sky is the limit.

“You have to get your art out there,” Randi advises. “You have to always keep creating and sharing – your art will attract those who love it, and, in return, it’s important to show gratitude to those who support you.

“One of the things I love most about this place is the community,” Randi adds about what’s kept her artwork going. “We were welcomed with open arms, and given a push in the right direction – so we instantly felt at home here.”

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 31

town report R E A L E STAT E

What’s happening in your town?

Here’s a report from all over the Outer Banks.

Currituck County A long-debated conditional rezoning request for Flora Farm, a proposed subdivision in Moyock, was approved in March by the Currituck Board of Commissioners, authorizing the designation on the 202-acre property to change from agricultural to mixed commercial residential. In a smaller version of the original proposal, North South Development, LLC has plans for 277 single-family units and 7,500 feet of commercial space. The project will be built in five phases, and will include additional stormwater protections, according to the developer. With those conditions, a 5-2 majority of the board voted to approve with the assurance that it would include adequate drainage capacity and that work would coincide with the anticipated expansion of the Moyock schools. The first phase will begin no sooner than June 1, 2022, and will be limited to 55 lots.

Duck A new rain garden at the northern entrance of the Town of Duck Park near the playground was added in late April in order to address issues with standing water. Acting as a type of constructed wetland, the rain garden is a natural stormwater management tactic that’s engineered to improve drainage and infiltration and to attract natural pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

The project’s construction was awarded to Emerald Forest, LLC.

Southern Shores On April 13, the Southern Shores Town Council approved an ordinance establishing two Municipal Service Districts to help fund the proposed 32 | SU M M ER 2021

2022 beach nourishment project, and a required second vote approval was issued at a follow-up meeting on May 4.

The ordinance is a separate issue from approval of the town-wide tax which would be required to pay for the project.

According to language in the ordinance, District 1 encompasses all properties along the ocean with an eastern boundary that’s equal to or greater than 25 feet, while District 2 adds all properties located east of Ocean Blvd/N.C. 12 and Duck Road/N.C. 12, properties located west of Ocean Boulevard from the southern town line to 137 Ocean Boulevard, and properties abutting Duck Road beginning at 139 Duck Road, north to 149 Duck Road.

Kitty Hawk Work on the Kitty Hawk Park to Birch Lane Trail connecter path is expected to be complete by June 2021, according to the town’s official website. With grants from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation trails program and the Dare County Tourism Board providing 100% of project costs, LSI Marine Construction, LLC submitted a bid of $129,912.

The project plan calls for 490 linear feet of elevated boardwalk to connect to the 1.8-mile Birch Lane Trail located in the Kitty Hawk Reserve. Pedestrians, mountain bikers and horseback riders who have registered horses with the Town of Kitty Hawk will be welcome to enjoy the trail.

The town has worked cooperatively with the N.C. Coastal Reserve on the planning and construction of the trail, and will continue to ensure that the reserve’s natural resources are protected.

Guidelines and other trail signage will be provided for all visitors to follow.

COM PIL ED BY C ATH ERI N E KOZ A K

Kill Devil Hills In March, the Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners approved three zoning amendments in an effort to start encouraging more affordable housing and to provide more flexibility for parking areas.

One ordinance added Accessory Dwelling Units in certain districts that allows residents to add one single-family dwelling unit to their property that can be attached or detached from the main dwelling – including restrictions stating that it can be no larger than 800 square feet, or 50% of the size of the main unit, whichever is smaller. Another amendment reduces the lot size for duplex dwellings from 20,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet, allowing for more housing options. The third amendment reduces the size requirement for some parking spaces and reduces specific parking requirements for certain uses.

Nags Head The town of Nags Head is one of 11 communities that has been chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s nationwide Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP).

The project will harness the data, knowledge and expertise of partners at the Coastal Studies Institute and others – in addition to tapping on the local community in order to seek practical and effective solutions for recovering from power disruptions and various impacts from storms, intense weather and other disasters. By incorporating more efficient and renewable energy measures into the town infrastructure, the goal is to expand Nags Head’s ability to withstand and respond to disruptions, and also to rapidly recover without prolonged damage to the economic and environmental health of the wider community.

The ETIPP is expected to last 12 to 18 months.

Manteo The town’s nearly 80-year-old pump station near the downtown Manteo waterfront is slated to be replaced by a new facility. In April, the town’s planning and zoning board approved plans for the Shallowbag Bay sewer pump, which will have its own generator and be designed to be flood resistant. The $1.1 million project is expected to be under contract by this November, and the new pump station could be operating by late summer 2022.

Dare County On March 31, the new $6.6 million Outer Banks SPCA animal shelter officially opened on Roanoke Island’s Airport Road. The 8,700-square-foot building replaces the former facility on Driftwood Drive that lacked adequate space and was subject to frequent flooding. The new shelter, located across from the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island and the county’s regional airport, features playrooms off the lobby for the public to view a selection of adoptable dogs and cats, while a new fenced-in dog park is located in front of the shelter.

In other news, Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard also recently announced that representatives of local, state and federal entities have formed the N.C. 12 Task Force to collaborate on the development of a long-term plan to address transportation issues on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands’ only highway. In response to continued challenges from changing climate impacts, the task force will include members from Dare County, Hyde County, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Service and the N.C. Department of Transportation, as well as stakeholders from the community and other nonprofit organizations.

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R E A L E STAT E

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Rodanthe Pier Restored Power Line Upgrade

The storm-battered and aging Rodanthe Pier reopened on March 27 after a major restoration over the winter.

Deteriorated pilings, bolts and structural timbers were replaced, according to the pier’s Facebook page, and additional benches along the length of the pier will be installed by summer. To celebrate the reopening, the pier will continue to host its annual Youth Fishing Tournament on May 29, and seasonal live music is expected to resume after Memorial Day.

A “grid hardening” project intended to improve electric service reliability in Nags Head and on Roanoke Island is scheduled to be completed before Memorial Day, according to Paula Miller, a communication specialist with Dominion Energy. The project, which is situated along the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, replaces 42 wooden power poles with 37 galvanized steel poles that are stronger and more resilient in storms – and will also include more “aesthetically Real Estate appealing” circuits to replace the old circuits on the poles. Numerous utility poles along the causeway, which crosses Roanoke Sound, have snapped during storms, including two dozen during Hurricane Dorian. Five poles As the busy summer season approaches, the Outer Banks’ removed along Pond Island will not be white-hot real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down replaced.

– with month-to-month sales up 86%, yearly sales up 80%, and total inventory down 55%, according to the Outer Banks Association of Realtors’ March 2021 MLS Statistical Report.

Woman’s Club Still Sales were up in every Outer Banks community, but Corolla’s Going Strong eye-popping 210% spike in sales, from 20 sales in March 2020 to 62 sales in March 2021, topped the list. Roanoke Island, On April 21, the Outer Banks Woman’s however, had the largest increase over the same period in median Club celebrated 50 years of service sale prices at 51%, from $354,925 in March 2020 to $537,500 just and support for the local community a year later.

– which has included many hours of volunteering and brainstorming Overall, the upward trend is strong. Residential sales are creative ways to meet unmet needs up 87%, and land/lot sales are up 74%. The number of through programs such as student properties under contract in March 2021 (883) doubled the scholarships. Over the years, the number under contract in March 2020. The median residential Woman’s Club was also instrumental sale price during that time period jumped 37%, from $347,900 to in helping to establish the Outer $475,000. For land/lot sales, the median price jumped 43%, from Banks Health Center, the Dare County $77,000 in March 2020 to $110,250 in March 2021.

Youth Center and the annual Angel Gift Project held during the Christmas Meanwhile, residential inventory is down 72% and land season. Current projects include inventory is down 26% compared to last March. As a result, volunteer work at Hotline and Food the average number of days on the market is down 43%, from 121 for Thought, as well as participating to 69 days. in beach clean-ups and grass planting efforts.

market snapshot

3 4 | SU M M ER 2021

A Fishing Primer A new online guide, A Primer on North Carolina Seafood, is a valuable resource for anyone who’s interested in fish – whether eating them, catching them or conserving them. Released in April by North Carolina Sea Grant, the guide is focused on the commercial seafood industry, but it also provides enormous amounts of interesting data and research that touches on the cultural heritage, history, science and economic impact of the industry.

According to the study, North Carolina’s wild-caught seafood contributes about $300 million in value and 5,500 jobs to the state economy. From 2016 to 2019, the volume of all species landed commercially ranged from about 46 million pounds to 53 million pounds. The state’s most valuable wild-caught commercial fisheries in 2019 were live Atlantic blue crabs, shrimp, flounder and shellfish, including clams and oysters.

The most popular seafood in the U.S. since 2013 are shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, tilapia and Alaskan pollock – which together equal nearly three-quarters of all the seafood consumed nationally. Shrimp – a huge fishery on the Outer Banks – has also topped the list since 2006.

Funds for Buxton Beach A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant for $5,782,866 has been awarded to help restore the beach and stabilize the dunes in Buxton that were damaged in 2018 by Hurricane Florence, according to a May announcement by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Other state grants were announced in October to cover the cost of beach renourishment along Buxton.

Dare County will be reimbursed by FEMA’s public assistance program funds for the cost of depositing 303,732 cubic yards of engineered dune beach sand and 5,000 feet of sand fencing along three miles of the north and south ends of the beaches in Buxton, according to a press release. The state’s cost share for the project is $1,445,716.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 35

N AGS H E A D ’ S STO R I E D B UC HAN AN COT TAG E

Time A T E S TA M E N T T O

P H OTO S BY CO RY GO DW I N / STORY BY H A N N A H L E E L E IDY

T

he term “old Nags Head-style cottage” immediately brings to mind a very specific image: a stately cedarshake house, rich brown in color, with shuttered windows and a sprawling porch. This image, and such homes, harkens back to earlier times when people first began to flock to the Outer Banks for vacations – and summer homes subsequently started to dot the oceanfront in Nags Head.

Affluent families from Edenton, Elizabeth City and Raleigh built a significant number of these cedar-shake cottages during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The beachfront homes lining the corridor of N.C. Highway 12 in Nags Head rapidly earned the nickname “the unpainted aristocracy,” referring to their bare, cedar-shake splendor.

3 6 | SU M M ER 2021

That same stretch of road then became the more formal Nags Head Beach Cottage Row Historic District after joining the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 – though for many it’s still known more simply as Cottage Row. These homes are now some of the oldest coastal cottages in the Unites States, and many remain heirlooms of the families who originally built them – preserving an image of yesteryear’s Outer Banks and brimming with stories from the generations of vacations they’ve housed over the years.

Within this distinguished neighborhood, the Buchanan Cottage in particular has set itself apart since day one. John and Mattie Buchanan of Durham, N.C., had the cottage built in 1936 by Stephen J. Twine, the Elizabeth City architect responsible for many of the old

Nags Head cottages. He coined the structures’ iconic L-shape design (with the bend positioned to ward off the northeast wind), and embraced other features such as outward-leaning porch seating and slanted hip roofs.

But while Twine’s influence was certainly felt in the plans for the Buchanan Cottage, the original designs for what would become the largest oceanfront house on the Outer Banks were actually first drawn up by a Durhambased architect named George Watts Carr – with Twine coming in afterward in order to bring Carr’s vision to life.

And to this day, this nine-bedroom house remains the largest home on Cottage Row, complete with a covered wraparound porch and 63 windows. “It was terrible to hang curtains,” quipped Mary Frances Buchanan Flowers, the eldest of the Buchanan family’s five daughters and one of the home’s first residents.

HOME SPOTLIGHT

Historic photos line the walls of the Buchanan Cottage (far left). The Buchanan Cottage remains the largest oceanfront home on Nags Head’s historic Cottage Row (above).

Though much has changed on the Outer Banks over the intervening decades, Mary Francis and her sisters spent their first memorable summer at the cottage in 1937. To add to the home’s immense majesty during that inaugural season, the Buchanan family also arrived with their own maid, nurse, cook and a driver in tow – each of whom reportedly wore crisp uniforms every day.

But not everything was quite as luxurious. For starters, the cottage initially had no electricity, so power was sourced from a generator and water was hauled from a pump system. That also meant that meals were cooked with a woodstove all summer long – no matter how high temperatures soared in August!

In true Outer Banks fashion, the Buchanans and their employees were swiftly welcomed into the local community as well. Jim Holley, the family’s driver,

endeared himself to the neighboring cottages’ children, taking them and the Buchanan girls on regular excursions to the Wright Brothers National Monument, Fort Raleigh and Oregon Inlet to hunt for hermit crabs. In addition to this, the family’s nurse also became the neighborhood’s go-to source for treating burns, cuts and stings.

The Buchanan Cottage’s popularity and distinction even caught the attention of the White House not long after it was built. On August 18, 1937, Mattie received a rather extraordinary phone call: President Franklin Roosevelt intended to travel to the Outer Banks to commemorate Virginia Dare’s 350th birthday and see a production of The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island. Might he come to the Buchanan Cottage for lunch afterward?

The Buchanans had no political nor personal connections to Roosevelt, but the president’s upcoming

visit sparked excitement in the Cottage Row neighborhood nonetheless.

To prepare for the historic visit, the White House sent a crew to the cottage to construct a ramp for the president’s wheelchair well ahead of time. On the day of the luncheon, Secret Servicemen lined the Buchanan Cottage from front to back, and Marines created a perimeter around the house. Neighbors waited patiently on the porches of their homes, too, craning their necks to watch the motorcade and hopefully catch a glimpse of the illustrious guest.

When the president finally arrived at the cottage in a Packard convertible, he immediately made himself at home in the company of Mattie, John, a then-18-year-old Mary Frances and the North Carolina Governor, Clyde Hoey. Roosevelt went on to express his interest in N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 37

Clockwise, from top left: The wooden desk that President Roosevelt gifted the Buchanan family after his historic visit in 1937; One of the most distinguishing architectural features of the Cottage Row homes includes their outward-leaning porch seats; The Buchanan Cottage presides over a commanding stretch of the beach in Nags Head; With a total of 63 windows, even diners at the Buchanan Cottage can enjoy the oceanfront view from the comfort of their seats.

enjoying a toddy before lunch, but Mattie, a teetotaler, didn’t normally allow alcohol in the house. In light of the circumstances, however, an exception was quickly made – even though it required a last-minute visit to the neighbors in order to procure the necessary ingredients.

Afterward, a grand luncheon for 50 guests – plus 37 members of the president’s security detail – was served. The menu included generous servings of ham, rolls, summer vegetables and Mattie’s special recipe for baked crabmeat casserole – plus blueberry cobbler for dessert. When the meal was complete, Roosevelt retired to the cottage’s generous porch, where he took in the views and continued conversing pleasantly with the Buchanans. Before the president took his final leave, he also rested for a while in the downstairs bedroom, signed the cottage’s guest book and personally shook hands with all of the workers who had helped put together the day’s activities. To further underscore his thanks, the president later gifted the family with a wooden desk that still remains a fixture in the cottage to this day.

38 | SU M M ER 2021

“He entertained us,” Mary Frances recalled many years later. “He was so gracious, and a charming man.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the cottage continued to remain a crucial meeting point within the Nags Head community long after the president’s visit. According to Mary Frances, young folks from the neighborhood went dancing at the legendary Nags Head Casino every Saturday night during the summer season. It was a weekly tradition that wasn’t complete until everyone retired for the evening to the Buchanan Cottage, where Mattie always had a midnight pancake breakfast waiting for them. The whole family – including the women – were also avidly interested in fishing, so they welcomed scores of recreational fishermen for visits over the years, many of whom relished the unparalleled oceanfront access.

Over the decades, that prime location did subject the Buchanan Cottage to a number of storms, however. The family had the structure moved back twice as erosion brought the ocean closer and closer, and during the historic Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, the ocean rushed

in and knocked out the cottage’s dining room wall.

During that same storm, window panes were also lost in waves that reached 30 feet high…although they were later found about a mile away – still intact! Despite it all, the structure remained sturdy.

The Buchanan girls grew up and continued returning to the house for summers and family gatherings, eventually bringing their own children and grandchildren with them over the next few decades. By 1990, they established a limited partnership to maintain the cottage for a number of years, which included 25 people across three generations.

“We had so much fun here,” Mary Frances remembered fondly during her last interview in 2002.

At the age of 83, she sat comfortably on the sofa in the cottage’s main room, surrounded by the original juniper paneling while the late morning light shone brightly through the windows – just as it continues to do today, nearly a century since this remarkable home first graced these shores.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 39

R E A L E STAT E

The Life-Changing Magic of (Un)Tidying Up

BY AMANDA MCDANEL

E

ach year the MerriamWebster dictionary updates its volumes by adding new words. During 2020, in particular, many new words (or at least, new meanings for old ones) were added to our vernacular – pod or bubble and social distancing, for example – and when we need new ways to express our current world, it’s the dictionary’s job to track and document that.

Not every word winds up in the dictionary, however – but that doesn’t mean that its use isn’t influential. This past year, in fact, many homebound Americans reflected back to a phrase that made a big splash back in 2015: KonMari or the Marie Kondo method.

In 2014, Marie Kondo wrote The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up in which she outlines her process for decluttering your home once and for all. The book became an international sensation, hitting The New York Times bestseller list and inspiring thousands to dump their dresser contents onto their bed, throw three quarters of their clothes away and then fold the remaining ones into tidy dumpling-like packets.

CNN declared her manuscript “One of the Most Influential Books of the Decade.” Being a good consumer of high-quality literature, I purchased it (according to my Amazon.com records) on December 29, 2015, just two months after giving birth to my second daughter. It arrived, and I promptly put it on my nightstand beside the other 13 books I planned to read that month.

To its credit, I do believe that at some point I not only picked it up, but may have even read a few chapters… while doing early morning feedings, while hiding in the bathroom pretending to be showering, and maybe even in the 1.7 seconds between my head hitting the pillow and my eyes drawing their blinds.

The overwhelming thought of washing the clothing, let alone folding it into neat little squares to put away felt completely insurmountable during those early days of motherhood. Hell, if I had even put a clean shirt on or washed my hair in the past five days, I was feeling accomplished.

4 0 | SU M M ER 2021

Add to that a mountain of plastic toys, an overflowing dress-up trunk, a shared bedroom and a too-small house filled with too much love, reading Marie’s book just made me feel “less than” at the time – and like a terrible housekeeper and mother. I heard the petty comments, including “you’ll miss this messy house when they’re gone” or “I can’t sleep when my house isn’t picked up, but not everyone is like that,” and they clouded my mind.

I quit Marie.

Then I pulled another worn book out of my stack. It was a red paperback entitled The Evolving Self by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It had been a reading assignment my junior year of college by my professor of positive psychology, Dr. Germana. While many people can’t remember what their professors looked like, let alone their names, Joe Germana, was a tall bald man who sported tapestry vests and beaded wooden necklaces.

He would saunter out of the classroom 15 minutes into a lecture on “theory of expectations” and not return. We would be told to gather on a hill near the main street of campus only to watch him walk down the street, enter

Carol Lee Donuts and perch on a stool with a cup of coffee to peer at us. At one point, I believe we had to climb a tree to meet him on a branch and tell him our self-assigned course grade.

Picking up the book, I thumbed to Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow: a state of concentration and engagement that can be achieved when completing a task that challenges one’s skills to maximize happiness and productivity. Getting into this state requires a sense of absorption into a task so complete that you ignore other cues while doing deep and meaningful work – and whether that means playing on the floor with the children while ignoring the dog hair or listening to their belly laughs while reading a book under a dusty lamp, it’s a way to find order amongst clutter and chaos.

This was the life manual I decided to dive into. Yes, a few years later as my infant turned into a toddler and then a preschooler, I would work on sorting the toys, labeling bins and bribing my girls by letting them use the “gobble machine” (a.k.a. the vacuum) to practice Marie’s tidying up. And while we may never “change our lives” through decluttering and organizing, I’m finding peace in our home with yet another 2021 addition to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: hygge.

Hygge: Noun. A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.

It’s a quality I’ve managed to embrace in a number of meaningful ways: Vases filled with flowers are set alongside ones filled with rainbow building blocks.

Artwork plasters the front of our refrigerator while the dishwasher remains bare. The dining room table is a place for both puzzles and pierogies. There are enough beach towels for everyone, even visiting friends, but they may tumble out of the cabinet when you open it because they aren’t all folded alike. The pantry is always stocked, but you may have to sift through several cereal boxes to find the one you like. The beers are always cold, but not arranged alphabetically. I make my bed every day, but have stopped even bothering with a top sheet on both children’s beds – after all, they’ll become civilized soon enough, why try to tame their wild spirits now?

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 41

R E A L E STAT E In the four-wheel-drive area of Carova, professional land surveyor Jamie Furr spends a lot of time playing in the sand (i.e., digging holes) in order to capture the precise measurements that are crucial to his job. Photo courtesy of Helen Furr.

Survey says?

Pirates, snakes and wild horses are all part of a day’s work for local land surveyors.

The Lay of the

Land

BY STEVE HANF

WHEN JAMIE FURR SETS UP HIS SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS to dial in those precise measurements and mark property boundaries, he’s completing painstaking and exacting work.

But just how painful and exactly how crazy the work will be depends on the day and the location, especially when he finds himself in the four-wheel-drive area of Carova.

Sometimes, it’s an inquisitive homeowner wanting to know what he’s doing on their property.

“Our favorite joke as a surveyor is to say, ‘This is where the tunnel from Norfolk’s coming through,’” Jamie says with a laugh. “Their response immediately tells you who you’re dealing with – the person either laughs and you share a few giggles and move on, or the person gets quite irate, like you’re the worst person in the world.”

For those who can laugh it off, the next question often involves pirate lore: Is Jamie getting any closer to finding that X on the treasure map?

“Yeah, I’ve been looking for 25 years, and I haven’t seen any buried treasure yet,” Jamie says goodnaturedly. “I did find an old fiberglass pirate like you would see at Jolly Roger or a putt-putt course one time while I was doing a survey in Corolla. It looked like it had been there for at least 30 years.”

42 | SU M M ER 2021

When Jamie made that discovery on a vacant lot near the Whalehead Club, he took several photos, and then took it home – where the pirate continues to scare visitors to this day.

“That’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever found,” Jamie says.

“I’m still waiting for somebody to accuse me of stealing it!”

Treasure aside, the job of a professional land surveyor is mainly supposed to be pretty tame and straightforward: Using landmarks, GPS, maps and other instruments, Eastern Geomatics, PLLC – Jamie’s company – and a number of local land surveyors mark boundaries for construction sites, make sure people aren’t putting their pools or fences on their neighbors’ property, and ensure that the myriad of ordinances for every local municipality are being followed before projects begin.

It’s still the type of work that can come with its own unique set of challenges, however. By way of example, Jamie recalls one story of a surveyor who missed the mark on a relatively nondescript sandy lot in Carova. The lot was staked. The house was built. The proud owners came to see their new house – and promptly told the surveyor that it wasn’t on their lot.

Luckily, surveyors have insurance for that kind of thing.

But despite curious people, and the discovery of unusual property markers like gun barrels and car axles, the biggest challenges local surveyors tend to face come from the resident wildlife…especially in Carova.

Everybody loves Currituck’s famed wild horses, right? Not so much for Jamie, whose expensive equipment seems to draw members of the herd faster than a visitor with a forbidden carrot.

“One time I was 300 yards away from my instruments, and next thing I knew I had six horses jumping up and kicking each other as they ran around my equipment,” Jamie says. “Sometimes you just have to stand and watch it go down – and hold your breath hoping nothing else happens.”

Jamie will not, however, stand by idly when the water moccasins come out to play. He’s had days when the snakes were so bad they forced him to leave a job site…and other days when he’s tromped through marshy waist-high weeds in snake chaps.

“I always say, ‘Well, at least I won’t die from a snake bite – I’ll just die from the heart attack when I see a snake attached to my chap,’” Jamie explains ruefully.

Countless ticks, wildlife encounters and disgruntled residents – there are some good things about being a land surveyor, right?

Luckily, for Jamie, the answer is a clear yes. Jamie graduated from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington with an environmental science degree before eventually training to become a surveyor. For more than a dozen years now, he’s worked for others and for himself, dealt with building booms and busts, and put in the long, hard hours to learn the lay of the land all over the Outer Banks.

It’s a profession that’s hard to get into thanks to the need for a bachelor’s degree and years of experience before being allowed to sit for the state exams. Jamie jokes that surveyor conferences filled with guys in their 60s and 70s only make him realize that he’s doomed to never retire. And yet...

“I’m just not cut out to sit in a cubicle, that’s for sure,” Jamie says. “I tell people all the time that the best thing about my job is that I’m in a different location every day, and every day is different.

“If I’m driving up the beach on a nice sunny morning, it can be bumper to bumper even up there, but it’s not like being bumper to bumper in Chesapeake,” he adds with a smile. “Some people have it a hell of a lot worse when it comes to commutes.”

it’s all in the details!

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R E A L E STAT E

AHEAD OF THE Sometimes we all need a little lift – and when it comes to houses on the Outer Banks, higher is often better.

BY CATHERINE KOZAK THESE DAYS A LOT MORE HOUSES HAVE BEEN – OR POSSIBLY SOON

And it’s not just the increasingly unpredictable degree and frequency of flooding that’s been worrying folks, it’s also the pending updates in the National Flood Insurance Program that’s spurring urgency to get structures up above potential flood waters.

“The demand is high,” says Jason DeVooght, an owner of DeVooght House Lifters, based in Bridgeton, North Carolina. “In this market, in North and South Carolina, we bid about 40 home elevations every month.”

Jason, whose company has been in business since 1964, says nearly all its work on the Outer Banks is done during the fall, and the vast majority of the jobs in recent years relate to getting safely above base flood elevation in order to meet flood insurance standards.

“What we’re seeing is a shift in the whole industry since 1990,” Jason says.

“Ninety percent of our work used to be moving houses down the road. Now, ninety percent of our work is raising houses.”

A lot of calls for work in North Carolina, he explains, come from owners with houses in flood zones that have experienced 51 percent damage during a flood. To get flood insurance premiums down, the house has to be raised two feet or more above base flood levels.

“It’s the only thing that ever protects houses in flood zones,” DeVooght says about lifting.

WILL BE – LIFTED.

Ti

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced in April that under a new rating system – the first major update in 50 years – price changes for flood insurance will start being implemented this October.

According to FEMA, the first phase of the new rating methodology will kick in for new policies on October 1, and existing policyholders who renew will see an immediate decrease in premiums. In Phase II, which starts in April 2022, all remaining policies will be subject to the new ratings. The agency asserts that most property owners will see decreases, while estimating that four percent of properties will see increases.

It’s not yet clear what impact the new rating system will have on the Outer Banks, but it is clear that rising sea levels and a higher water table, as well as increasingly intense rain events and tropical storms, means that flooding is a concern that isn’t going away.

“It’s cheaper to FEMA mitigation grants are also available, build up than however, for primary residences in a flood zone that aren’t on pilings, covering anywhere from out.” $30,000 or more of the costs to elevate houses -Steve Bray, above the base flood level.

“People are being more proactive than they Bray’s House Moving, Inc. were in recent years,” says Steve Bray, an owner of Bray’s House Moving, Inc. “People seem to be paying more attention to the weather.”

When Steve’s 80-year-old father, Julian, started the family business in 1972, most of the work was house moving. And until the late 1990s, most house lifting jobs only involved raising structures around eight to 10 feet. Now about sixty percent are lifted at least 12 feet, with the rest going up closer to 14 or 20 feet…and sometimes more.

Recently, says Steve, who is also president of the N.C. House Moving Association, a house in Frisco was lifted 26 feet – his highest job yet.

THE HOUSE RAISING PROCESS Stilt homes with enclosed ground floor spaces are typically the ideal candidates for raising.

4 4 | SU M M ER 2021

STEP 1 Remove decks, remove power and water services, and demolish any ground-level structures.

STEP 2 Use hydraulic jacks to raise the home inch by inch while stacking wooden cribbing blocks to take the weight of the home.

STEP 3 Continue raising the home and adding cribbing blocks until reaching a desired height.

STEP 4 Install new pilings and any necessary structural lumber.

STEP 5 Lower the home onto the new structure and remove cribbing.

ide

“If you have to raise your house anyway, why not raise it just a few more feet?”

Steve says, explaining the homeowners’ thinking – many of whom want to build under the first floor and still be above the base flood elevation. “It’s cheaper to build up than out.”

There’s also been a big improvement over the years in the engineering and equipment used in lifting. Steve’s company, for instance, uses the same advanced hydraulic technology used to lift and move the 4,830-ton Cape Hatteras Lighthouse back in 1999.

Mike Blake, an estimator with Wolfe House and Building Movers, started out in the industry at age 13 by helping his father and grandfather with Greensboro-based Blake Moving Company, which has been in business for 55 years. Over the years, Mike has seen the various scenarios of erosion and flooding that property owners so often contend with.

“They either lift, or they leave it as long as possible,” he says. “Some houses are being eroded on the shoreline, and they’re in the surf right now. Some of them have to be torn down because there’s not a good way to get them to a new lot.”

Cost can be a factor, depending on the size of the house and whether it’s wood, brick or mason. A 600 to 700-square-foot house might cost $18,000 to $20,000 to lift, not including the foundation, roof and other parts of the job, Mike reports. But surprisingly, weather permitting, the main work – the lifting and placing down on the foundation – can be completed in a matter of days.

But buyer beware, Mike warns. With more demand, there are more contractors.

“Some of these guys coming from out-of-state work cheap, and they don’t have the right insurance,” he says. The professional companies that have stayed for years in the business, on the other hand, have adapted over time to modern tactics and engineering standards.

“And it’s always a good feeling when you lift a house without any damage,” Mike adds.

STEP 6 Build and enclose any new living spaces and reconnect power and water.

2 7

Y E A R S

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STEP 7 Finish with new decking and exterior stairs for a more floodfriendly home.

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sales@carolinadesigns.com 800-368-3825 N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 45

R E A L E STAT E

sun salutations Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Beach Realty & Construction Beach Realty Welcomes New Sales Associates Beach Realty & Construction welcomes Samantha Lauric Foxwell to the sales team. With a background in the local rental industry, Samantha is wellequipped to assist both buyers and sellers in the purchase or sale of vacation rental properties.

Samantha works from the Kitty Hawk office and can be reached at samantha@beachrealtync.com.

Heather Sakers, along with team members Charles Gill and Ann Taylor Lusk, earned the prestigious International President’s Circle award in 2020. This award is presented to the top 20% of all Coldwell Banker teams of three in the United States and Canada. The Sakers Team is a consistent top three producer in the firm. Heather can be reached at heather@cbseaside.com or (252) 599-6814.

Jason Woodard joined the Beach Realty sales team this spring. Jason graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Old Dominion University with graduate work in environmental health. He worked for the government for 10 years before relocating to the Outer Banks. As a small business owner with an outgoing personality, a career in real estate sales was the natural next step. Jason can be reached at jasonwoodard@beachrealtync.com.

Emily Bray Earns Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award

Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales

Chelsea Jordan has earned the prestigious International Diamond Society award. This award is based on adjusted gross commission income for 2020 and is awarded to the top 15% of all agents worldwide. Chelsea can be reached at chelsea@cbseaside.com or (252) 207-6659.

Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales Announces Top Two 2021 Sales Agents, Year to Date

4 6 | SU M M ER 2021

The Heather Sakers Team Earns Coldwell Banker International Award for 2020 Sales

Emily Bray has earned the prestigious International President’s Circle award. This award is based on adjusted gross commission income for 2020 and is awarded to the top 8% of all agents worldwide. Ranked #2 in the firm for sales volume, Emily is also ranked in the top 50 of Coldwell Banker agents in North Carolina for units sold. Emily can be reached at emily@cbseaside.com or (252) 412-5991.

Chelsea Jordan Earns Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society Award

Edith Rowe has earned the Top Sales Agent Award for the last four years. This award is based on closed sales volume. She holds a broker’s license and has been in sales on the Outer Banks since 2000. In addition to a thorough knowledge of real estate and construction, she brings to the table a degree of local sales acumen and familiarity with the area found in few agents. Contact Edith at (252) 202-6165, toll free at (877) 642-3224 or by email at edithroweobx@gmail.com.

Jeff Kluger Earns Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award

Catherine Strachan has worked on both the listing and selling side of several foreclosures and short sale transactions, a valuable skill in today’s volatile market. She is a designated Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource Specialist, as well as a Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist, specializing in the vacation home market. Contact Catherine at (252) 489-9540, toll free at (877) 642-3224 or by email at obxproperty@gmail.com

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Welcomes the Mausteller Team

Jeff Kluger, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty, has earned membership in the Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle award, a level achieved by only the top 8% of all sales associates worldwide. This is the sixth consecutive year Jeff has earned an International Award. A top five producer for the firm, Jeff can be reached at (252) 903-1738 or jkluger@cbseaside.com.

John Mausteller and Katie Kennis have joined Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty at the Kitty Hawk location. John grew up in Williamsburg, VA, in a successful commercial real estate family, and Katie is the former owner of a successful yoga studio in Duck. Team leader John Mausteller can be reached at jmausteller@cbseaside.com or (727) 876-9273.

G

ESC A

at

S PE

AT E R

DUCK, NC Vacation Rentals & Sales

NN OO RTRT H HB EBACH E ACHSU SU NN | | 47 7

Great Escapes

Sun Realty

Great Escapes Announces Top Two Agents in Duck

Sun Realty Announces Agents of the Month for February and March

Great Escapes Vacations & Sales is proud to announce that Leslie Gilmore and Connie Mason were their top two agents in Duck for 2020. Leslie had 54 closed transactions, landing her in first position, and Connie followed closely with 40 transactions, landing her in second. Connie and Leslie have both specialized in Duck and Corolla real estate for more than 20 years. They have helped clients buy and sell homes, condos and co-ownerships. Contact Leslie and Connie for the latest Duck and Corolla real estate information by emailing DuckandCorolla@GreatEscapesOBX.com.

SAGA Realty & Construction SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Meg Minetree SAGA Realty & Construction is excited to welcome Meg Minetree to the growing sales team. Meg has an MBA from the University of Mary Washington, specializing in project management, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech. Meg has been an Outer Banks real estate investor for nearly 20 years and has spent many years traveling the globe brokering luxury sailing catamarans. Meg can be reached at (252) 564-4744.

SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Mark Evans SAGA Realty & Construction also welcomes Mark Evans to the sales team. Mark has always had a passion for real estate – he studied business law in college at the same time he was studying for the Virginia real estate exam. Mark then began a career in aviation as a flight dispatcher and often worked part-time as a realtor simultaneously. Mark can be reached at (817) 637-2453.

SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Shellie Leete SAGA Realty & Construction is pleased to announce that Shellie Leete has joined the marketing team. Shellie was born and raised in San Diego, California, then enjoyed a stint abroad after marrying her Aussie husband and working in public health in Sydney. Her journey took her from Sydney to building a home in Seattle, and then into the Blue Ridge Mountains where she was a successful small business owner and entrepreneur. Shellie now calls the Outer Banks home and enjoys creating new content in her dream job working for SAGA.

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February’s Agent of the Month is no stranger to these accolades: Michael Davenport was the company’s top sales agent. With more than 35 years of real estate experience, Michael provides extensive area knowledge and local expertise of the current market conditions. Michael has closed more than a thousand real estate transactions to-date, representing both buyers and sellers. Contact Michael at (252) 441-8011.

The Willey team of Hugh (Scooter) and Gerri Willey took top honors in March. The Willey Real Estate Group is an experienced, top-producing sales group.

Hugh has been in real estate on the Outer Banks since 1985, with Gerri coming onboard in 2006. Both pride themselves in providing excellent customer service to both buyers and sellers, and on using the latest technology to find the right fit for their clients’ goals. Contact the Willey Real Estate Group at (252) 489-8491.

Twiddy Premier Sales The OBX Homes Team Welcomes Crystal Swain The OBX Homes Team is thrilled to announce their newest team member, Crystal Swain. Crystal joined Twiddy Premier Sales in the summer of 2020 and found the perfect match with Heather McLay, Ashley Ladd and Mandi Jones.

Rob Ladd Celebrates 22 Years with Twiddy Rob Ladd, broker in charge of the Duck sales office, is celebrating his 22nd Twiddy-versary this year. Twiddy Premier Sales thanks him for his dedication to the firm and its agents.

Bill Hogan Celebrates 30 Years with Twiddy Twiddy Premier Sales is honored to celebrate Bill Hogan’s 30-year Twiddy-versary. Since 1991, Bill has been a successful and dedicated realtor on the Outer Banks and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, he’s had more than $6 million in sales since January 1st of this year.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 49

An original acrylic painting of John’s Drive-In, courtesy of artist Dawn Gray Moraga/Red Dawn Designs.

F I V E FACT S

John’s Drive-In

B Y HA N N A H LE E LE I D Y

– has maintained a following of locals and seasonal visitors for nearly a half-century now. Families, children and even puppies return every summer to the old-school, window service drive-in for specialties such as dolphin boats, where hot, battered fish turns hands sticky from the grease, and milkshakes thick enough for a straw to stand up on its own. But above all, they mostly come for the ritual of John’s: driving down the beach road in Kitty Hawk, soaking up the sun as they wait in line, and ordering a meal that’s consistently delicious – whether they first tried it four days or 40 years ago.

JOHN’S DRIVE-IN – KNOWN BY MOST SIMPLY AS JOHN’S

1

The Original Work from Home

Before John Tice Sr. bought the building that would become John’s in 1977, the structure served Kitty Hawk as a Dairy Mart. No stranger to the industry, Tice had already spent 30-some years in the restaurant business up north, where he mostly managed drive-thrus. Seizing the opportunity to relocate his growing family to the Outer Banks and strike out on his own, the location had the added appeal of including an onsite home – which was a big perk for a businessman who was also a consummate family man. The residence, which has since been removed, made it easy for the whole family to stay hands-on from the start.

2

A Family Affair

Every member of the Tice family played a part in the daily operations of John’s from day one. Originally open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tice Sr. steered the ship with his decades of restaurant experience, while his wife, Pat, demonstrated her prowess in the kitchen by cooking and working on recipe development. Though still school-aged in the late ‘70s, the Tice children – John Jr., Mona and Tina – were also expected to lend a hand in the afternoons – which often meant manning the counter, prepping food and taking turns doing their homework on top of the freezer. John’s remained in the Tice family for 43 years before it sold to Outer Banks residents Chelsea and Jason Jordan in 2020.

50 | SU M M ER 2021

3

Desperately Seeking Southern

Although the dolphin boats, crab cakes and Cajun sauce have long been mainstays on John’s menu, that Southern flair wasn’t something that the Tice family knew much about when they first relocated to the Outer Banks.

Hailing from Pittsburgh, the Tices were newcomers to Southern food, but they knew they needed to learn – and fast – in order to appeal to the local clientele. In order to expand their repertoire, Pat started visiting some of the small eateries on Hatteras Island, where old-timers taught her how to fry and smoke fish and make proper North Carolina barbecue. Mrs. Ellis at Frisco Pier even taught Pat her secret tartar sauce recipe – which had been around for generations, and is still on John’s menu today!

4

Must Love Dogs

As hardworking as they were, when the Tices did take vacations, a meal out always meant buying a hotdog for their four-legged family member, too – which spurred Tice Sr. to make sure that at John’s all dogs ate for free. An instant hit, John’s famous Pup Cups – which consist of a chopped-up burger or hotdog, free of charge – became a staple for families eating out with their canine companions. And while the Pup Cups have largely been served to dogs since they first graced the menu, they’ve also attracted many other visiting animals over the years, including horses, weasels, monkeys and once – perhaps most famously – a penguin.

5

Picture This

While “family first” was a big motto for the Tices, how they defined family wound up extending well beyond their immediate unit of five to all the people (and animals) who came to visit the drive-in over the decades. To commemorate that bond, Pat started a tradition of snapping pics of their customers with her Polaroid camera during the ‘80s. These pictures eventually came to be displayed collage-like on boards that earned a permanent space in John’s windows – sometimes capturing several generations of a family over a number of years – in a sort of communal scrapbook that continues to tell the story of this much-loved Outer Banks eatery.

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 53

L I F E ST Y L E

Frosted Finds PHOTO BY KATI WILKINS COMPILED BY CATHY BALDWIN BEACH GLASS IS TRULY TRASH TURNED INTO

Waves and sand can turn what was once a discarded Coke bottle or broken ship lantern into a beautifully frosted gem. We caught up with a few local beach glass hunters and they shared some of their most prized pieces, along with their favorite memories and gems of knowledge about treasure hunting.

TREASURE.

st learning to ughter was ju dy, look!”

When my da ad “D , id , she sa walk and talk y piece of tin a g in ld ho and she was and it was it, g in tt n was hi green. The su emerald. I was blown glowing like an und her first piece e fo away that sh oment, and a beautiful m rself. as w It y. ad alre r proud of he she was supe es – Ryan Rhod

As a kid, I once went on a walk with my older brothers. The shell banks were extremely dense and all right at the water line. They were constantly getting overturned. The trip was about a mile each way, and in that time we found so many pieces of glass that we had to start leaving some behind. Our hands and pockets were all filled to the brim.

– Dave Rollins

5 4 | SU M M ER 2021

daughter of the beach glass we I started a small collection for my in a jar with her name on it. find when she’s with me. I keep them – Kati Wilkins

My favorite find w Island, even thou as an aqua heart from Pea gh the red piec e I fo sound beach at Kitty Hawk Land und at the ing is rarer.

– Janell Downi ng

I found t lavende hree beautiful r p when I Island a was ta ieces of frost b a row, a out ten years a king a walk on ed nd pic go. T Pea feel like king each of hey were right them u I’d hit th in pm e beach glass lo ade me – Cathy t tery.

Baldwin HOURLY / HALF DAY / FULL DAY RENTALS FOR

from the e insulator is The turquois ought it was a sippy I th early 1900s. n I picked it up. It was he w h as tr cup or d. I’d love to e I ever foun the biggest on hy pieces like a bottle find some trop ct cobalt medicine ta stopper, an in 1900s or a marble. e th om fr le bott song – Kristin His

My favorite find was the first piec e of glass my daughter and I found together two weeks after she was born and we went on our adventure. Searching for sea glas first shelling s is a tradition for the women in my family—and my daughter Ashlyn already seems to have acquire d a taste for it!

– Johanna Stickley

want to do Certainly, the rare shards make us ct can usually colle who us of e thos but els, whe cart personally us with on g goin is tie something that embossed ular into our finds—whether it be a sing ghter or dau our of us inds rem letter and color that one. To d love a of something that evokes a memory rb the distu ’t don who s ctor colle the traditionalist , we generally them for ch sear ely activ to s bed l shel meant for us. feel as if our finds were somehow – Pem Bryant

I mostly hu happen a lo nt during my routin e be t in and yellow the off-season! I’d lo ach walks—which pieces. I’ve ve never foun to find some red d either of – Molly Sh those. irley

My favorite finds are my sky-blue old medicine bot tle and any of my old Pepsi bottles . That wa drink, and I always think of s my grandad’s favorite him when I find one.

– Krista Barkley

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F OU R I F BY S E A

the big

e z o o n s

after laying low for more than a year, what’s important seems clearer than before. by amanda mcdanel

market. The pumps were traded for flip-flops, the blazers An actor for beach cover ups. I composed the music of my life using became a governor. A reality star became president. the recorder, the tambourine, the hammer dulcimer, the A friend swears by the combination of a melted bongos and the steel drum. It was harmonious, original marshmallow and a Kraft single on a saltine cracker. My and beautiful.

11-year-old knows all of the words to “Get your Freak On” I believe the “great snooze of 2020” was similar to

by Missy Elliot, as well as the entire Hamilton production. that cosmic nudge I once received, where everyone was That according to Yahoo Finance, the Outer Banks is the forced to take a collective pause, look around and think third most popular vacation destination. In. The. Country. about what exactly they wanted to wake up to when the And, to be honest, this whole past year just didn’t world righted itself, and the alarm clock rang its rousing make sense either. It’s been a crazy 365 (plus) days of bell. homeschooling, breakfasts for dinners, banana bread For my family, that became clearest when we began baking, Zoom and Google meets, attempts at deciphering planning a celebration for my daughter’s 11th birthday common core math logic, rising this past February. After a tough 11 months of social media consumption, and uncertainty, unsettlement and unfamiliar just generally living in what’s felt We needed that territory, her one request was to go to more than a bit like the real-life time together Disney World, a place we had visited on version of Groundhog Day. previous birthdays. In the aftermath of in one of our But, to be fair, it’s also been a 2020, however, it seemed to make NO year of unplugging, decluttering, favorite places sense. pitching the alarm clock, even if it was a Besides dealing with vaccinations, snuggling in the sheets, binge wisp of what it safety precautions and travel dilemmas, watching The Amazing Race, the operational details of the parks were camping in the backyard, trading used to be. less than ideal – and that’s putting it buttons for elastic waistbands, mildly. Park admissions were limited to shelving the high heels for slip-on 50 percent capacity, so you needed to flats, and celebrating each and every Tuesday with tacos. make reservations to enter any of the parks on It’s like the universe rolled over and hit the snooze any given day. There were no Fast Passes, no button to help us realize that maybe we weren’t doing it dining reservations, no parades, no shows, no right after all. character meet and greets, and you even had to Since I was a little girl, I’ve been searching for the make an appointment to walk up and purchase “Instruction Manual” to life. Wondering if I was doing a hot dog. it “right,” making the “correct” choices, following all The only thing that remained the same was the “rules.” Around 12 years ago, though, I picked that the prices. Makes perfect sense, right? manual up one morning, and it was as if it was written in The funny thing is, though, that for us, it an entirely different language. It was heavy and foreign, did. We needed that time together in one of and I finally realized – as I had likely known instinctively our favorite places even if it was a wisp of what all along – that this was not my story. So, I shelved that it used to be. Just being able to get out of our book, picked up a blank one and began to write. Making house and experience a new environment, to that single decision may have been the most important breathe fresh air, to feel the sunshine on our moment of my life. shoulders, and to enjoy the primal childhood Freed from the “shoulds,” the universe opened up for joy of laughter. me to let my freak flag fly. My home no longer looked We split the initial 12-hour drive into like a Pottery Barn catalog and more like an eclectic flea two days, spending the first night at the I OFTEN FEEL AS THOUGH I’VE SEEN A LOT OF

THINGS THAT JUST DO NOT MAKE SENSE.

56 | SU M M ER 2021

Hampton Inn in South Carolina where we celebrated Valentine’s Day by eating Cracker Barrell in bed. (While not the traditional romantic Valentine’s meal, if you haven’t experienced the joy of eating Cracker Barrell in bed, especially if it’s not your bed, I highly recommend it.)

The next day we drove the additional six hours through cold and rainy weather until we reached Orlando, where we caught our first glimpse of sunlight in more than three weeks.

With the windows rolled down and the music turned up, we arrived at our accommodations with huge smiles on our faces. Before even checking in, all four of us changed into bathing suits and belly flopped into the large pool, elated by the warm weather. The girls splashed and laughed, while I drank a giant frozen beverage out of a plastic palm tree-shaped glass. Before the day was over, I turned to my husband and said: If we leave tomorrow, it all would have been worth it. Disney World was just the icing on the cake.

While my family jetted away from our home on the Outer Banks, many of you have just made the reverse trip to wind up on these shores seeking solace, connection and the natural beauty of the outdoors. So why did my family leave these islands, when it seems to be exactly the place to go to get away from it all? It may defy all logic, but I bet you understand deep down because the vacation you’re on right now makes precisely the same sort of sense to you.

May we sit with these kinds of gut feelings and let them root all of our decisions in 2021 and beyond – because the way the universe unfolds is often right…we may just have to listen to that small voice inside ourselves in order to fully understand it.

The McDanel clan pause for a selfie on their trip to the Magic Kingdom.

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The Whalehead Club Corolla, North Carolina

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What better place for borthers to take a pic than the spot made famous by a pair of brothers? (Pictured here: Holden and Easton Hudspeth)

Ben Franklin

Nags Head, North Carolina

worth a thousand

The view from above is exactly what it’s cracked up to be on the wooden footbridge beside the Whalehead Club in Corolla. Built by the Knight family in the 1920s, this bridge commands a panoramic view of Historic Corolla Park, and also comes complete with a few stories of its own – according to legend, a kiss at the apex of the bridge is said to bestow good luck. (Pictured here: Moira Furr)

words, but in some cases

The North Carolina Aquarium

A picture might be

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

it can be invaluable. While hitting the beach for a photo session to commemorate your vacation is often the easiest route to take – especially at sunset – it

Have a whale of a good time in front of the storefront mural at Ben Franklin in Nags Head. This longtime roadside attraction isn’t only colorful, it also captures the majesty of the deep blue sea – all while you keep your flip-flops planted firmly on solid ground. (Pictured here: Harbor McDanel) Jennette’s Pier

Nags Head, North Carolina

definitely isn’t your only option. Though it may take a bit more planning, certain locales along the Outer Banks virtually beg for a

Swim with the fishes (on dry land) at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. The indoor attractions aren’t the only reason to plan a visit – and basking in some natural light near their outdoor sound-side pier, fossil pit or this sculpture pond, is the best way to nab a picture-perfect memory. (Pictured here: Denise Carrico and Oliver Boldaji Lewis)

hashtag the moment you arrive – so go ahead and strike a pose. We tried it, and there’s nothing to it.

Dowdy Park

Nags Head, North Carolina

Switch it up, and start at the end…the end of the pier, that is. While it might be tempting to snap a family portrait at the foot of a local pier, the real photo op lies farther from shore – and may even include a glimpse of the day’s freshest catch. (Pictured here, from left to right: William, Amy, Brian and Natalie Boutin) The Whalehead Club

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Corolla, North Carolina

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The view and the natural environment are second to none.

Put all of that together and you’ll find yourself in one of the beach’s most iconic spots.

The place to be if you want to capture some fun in the sun.

If you go there, you’re sure to have a good time.

The Waterfront Shops Duck, North Carolina

Hang gliders can appreciated for their graphic appeal as much as their graceful flight. Pop by Jockey’s Ridge to take advantage of one of these colorful backdrops (no flight time required).

Dowdy Park

Nags Head, North Carolina

Seagreen Gallery

Nags Head, North Carolina

Take a peek around (the bend) at the Duck Waterfront Shops. This shopping center hugs the sound-side shoreline of Duck – which allows you to capture a unique image of the intersection between water, earth and sky.

(Pictured here, left to right: Braylin Taylor, Natalie Rollins and Camdyn Sawyer) Wright Brothers Memorial Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

The line starts here at Dowdy Park in Nags Head.

Once the site of a much-beloved amusement park – complete with crowd favorites such as a Ferris wheel and a Tilt-O-Whirl – this recently revamped park is perfectly family-friendly right out of the gate. (Pictured here: Hannah Buckley and Théo Buckley Prado) Catch a wave beside the Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head.

This 3D, multi-media work of art is fittingly situated near the heart of the Outer Banks’ iconic gallery row – so no one would blame you for taking the opportunity to snap a selfie before scooping up a few locally sourced mementos.

(Pictured here, left to right: Heather and Nolan Rollins)

The Futuro House

Frisco, North Carolina

Monument to a Century of Flight Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

All’s clear on the runway at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Getting up close and personal isn’t the only way to showcase your visit to this historic site – for the best view in the house you might want to venture a bit farther down the (flight) path in order to take it all in.

(Pictured here: Holden Hudspeth) Elizabethan Gardens

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

Celebrate a century at the Monument to a Century of Flight in Kitty Hawk. A grand total of 14 wing-shaped pylons symbolizes mankind’s journey from first flight to the Moon and beyond – and you can place yourself at the center of the action by perching on the bronze dome that depicts all of Earth’s continents. (Pictured here: Charlotte Baldwin)

Go far out at the Futuro House in Frisco. Modeled after a quintessential UFO, this house was designed in the 1960s and is one of about 90-some others that similarly dot the international landscape – but it’s the only one on the Outer Banks, so you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to say “cheese”…and maybe even phone home. (Pictured here: Matt and Tonya Baldwin)

North Carolina Aquarium

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

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F O O D & B E V E R AG E

Beekeeping is not for the faint of heart. Despite working in our tempermental coastal environment, local beekeepers still find success

photos by ryan moser story by hannah lee leidy

in their pursuit of liquid gold.

B

ees – a keystone species – build and maintain the vegetation in our natural environments. Without their pollination, around one-third of plant life – including fruits, vegetables and flowers – would go extinct. But as astounding as that is, bees are also revered for a much simpler reason: their honey.

That rich, sweet elixir has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Prehistoric cave paintings even show that humans foraged for honey at least 8,000 years ago – if not longer. For centuries it’s been utilized as everything from a sweetener to a topical ointment loaded with antimicrobial properties, and the ancient Egyptians famously used it for embalming purposes and to pay taxes.

With such a rich history, it’s perhaps unsurprising that beekeeping has evolved over the centuries and across continents as people have sated their taste for honey. Today, beekeeping primarily occurs in inland locations, where rich soil supports diverse and plentiful plant life. But a small, yet enthusiastic, number of people also cultivate and tend to bees right here on the Outer Banks.

“We’re not considered a big agricultural center on the Outer Banks,” says Hatteras Island resident Don Babin. “But, for a lot of reasons, our floral vegetation still relies on bees.”

Among the Outer Banks beekeeping community, Don’s considered a sort of godfather. He’s been in the game for 60 years, and people often come to him when they have trouble with their hives. His beekeeping career began in New Hampshire, where he studied entomology in college, apprenticed with beekeepers, and at one point ran a part-time business

Honeybees toil away at one of Don Babin’s hives here on the Outer Banks.

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Don Babin with his hive in Rodanthe (top). A bee alights on the comb (center). Ever the busy pollinators, bees rely on clover, along with countless other wildflowers, for pollen (bottom).

with around 150 hives. They provided a source of to the local environment. Once he’s located and honey, and he also rented them out to local fruit captured a wild swarm, he can safely transfer it to farmers in order to increase pollinations. one of his apiaries.

Don keeps the most hives of any beekeeper on the Wild bee swarms tend to seek out hollow Outer Banks, totaling around 20 or so. This number locations – such as logs or tree branches – in order may not seem large to a mainland beekeeper, who to reproduce. When they find a suitable home, can easily keep 20 to 30 hives in one location, but the scouts return to their original hive and bring the Outer Banks’ island environment and shrubby the queen and a few worker bees back to the new vegetation make it a less hospitable territory for location. Matthew mimics this process by setting bees. A local lack of nectar-yielding vegetation limits up a swarm trap (which is essentially a framed box) Don to keeping around two hives (at most) in a single inside a hollow. He smears the inside of the box with location. lemongrass essential oil and propolis – a resinous “I find that if I’m going to be able to harvest any mixture honeybees produce to seal gaps in their honey, I have to travel a lot,” Don explains. He scatters hives – and waits for a swarm to find it. his bee hives across the area, dotting Once the trap catches a Hatteras, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, swarm, Matthew can close its small Duck, Currituck and in relatively entrances and move the box (“very far-flung places such as Edenton. carefully!”) to one of his beehives.

“Location is like real estate,” he adds.

His beekeeping also differs in his “I find that if I’m Don tries out a few new spots style of hive boxes. Wild beehives each year. To introduce a new hive, going to be able to have one chamber, which can help the he extracts frames containing young bees control their climate conditions larvae from a current hive and places harvest any honey, better. Inspired by beekeeping styles them in a fresh box along with a queen in Europe, particularly in Spain, bee. Like many beekeepers, he orders Matthew uses one-chambered I have to travel a a package of honeybees (which layens hives – developed by French includes a queen with workers) or just botanist and apiculturist Georges de lot. Location is a queen bee from a supplier in Rocky Layens – who believed beekeeping Mount. A queen is then introduced to should be done with local bees and like real estate.” a hive with the larvae frames, and a hives that are as close to the bees’ new colony begins. natural habitats as possible.

Don stays on the go, jetting up “It’s a really complicated thing -Don Babin and down the islands to visit his hives you’re doing to go in and modify a and scout out different locations. bee’s environment, and you don’t He checks his hives every 10 to 14 want to get in the way of nature,” days, spending around three to five Matthew explains. “It makes me minutes assessing each one. The think: What’s my role? What can bees are busiest during the spring, and Don usually a human being do for bees? Well, I can build them plans his first honey extraction around late May to a box, a habitat to live in…but it better be a good early June, waiting for the frames to fill to at least 98 habitat.” percent with capped honey.

Both Matthew and Don depend on their hives for But while Don’s method is fairly conventional, it honey production, which they then extract and sell isn’t the only way beekeeping occurs on the Outer locally under the labels of The Real McCoy and Babin Banks. Kitty Hawk native Matthew McCoy also Apiary, respectively. started forging a different way to keep bees locally in “Getting quality honey is difficult,” Matthew adds, the summer of 2020, striving to replicate as much of however. “The Outer Banks isn’t necessarily the best the bees’ natural environment as possible. place for bees.”

Matthew studied the craft extensively for about “An off-island beekeeper could probably harvest five years before starting his own hives in Manteo 100 to 125 pounds of honey per hive. Here, 50 and Pitt County. He was a member of the Five County pounds is a good harvest,” Don says in agreement.

Beekeepers Association (covering Wake, Johnston, Despite these challenges, he sells Babin Apiary’s raw Wilson, Nash and Franklin counties) and also did honey with minimal production. He filters it, bottles some independent research, which gravitated it and even handwrites his own labels in order to toward traditional European practices. keep everything as natural as possible.

“I saw what people were doing, and learned what “A bee colony is a pretty powerful thing, and to they were having problems with,” he says. “After that, go and collect their honey is amazing,” Matthew adds I thought I’d give the old ways a try.” while describing the process behind his Real McCoy For starters, Matthew catches his own bees in line, which features an equally natural whipped order to avoid ordering packages of honeybees that honey. “It’s such a wonderful product – and it’s truly can often come from different states unadapted the best medicine you can find.”

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 65

F O O D & B E V E R AG E

Oh, Honey, Honey STYLED BY CHEF DAN LEWIS PHOTO BY ELIZABETH NEAL

HONEY BUNS HAVE LONG BEEN A

SWEET-TOOTH STAPLE – particularly in the South, where comfort cravings and a dash of nostalgia combine to keep these delicacies on offer everywhere from specialty bakeries to corner-stop vending machines. What many don’t know, however, is that these tasty treats originated in Greensboro, North Carolina, nearly seven decades ago – thanks to one Howard Griffin, owner of the now-defunct Griffin Pie Company.

Legend has it that Griffin’s wife began frying pies to sell in local drug stores during the 1920s – and a version of that initial concoction resulted in the first official production of honey buns by 1954. Though they’re typically deep-fried in classic Southern recipes, you can also home-bake them sans the hot oil – but regardless of how you make them, most aficionados agree: If you want the real deal, you need to put in the time to make them hot and fresh.

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Clockwise from bottom left: A classic deepfried honey bun and a layered sticky bun (both courtesy of Proof Bakery), plus the homebaked version found in this recipe.

Honey Bun Dough (Adapted from a recipe that originally appeared in Martha Stewart Living.)

2 tablespoons dry yeast ¼ cup warm water 1 cup buttermilk 8 oz unsalted butter, softened 3 eggs ¹⁄₃ cup locally sourced honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional) 6 cups all-purpose flour Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

Mix buttermilk, butter, eggs, honey, vanilla and yeast mixture for 1 minute – then mix the salt and cardamom with 5 cups of the flour separately.

Combine all, and add more of the remaining 1 cup of flour as necessary while mixing everything with a dough hook until a ball forms. Continue to knead the dough in a mixer for 10 minutes, or by hand for 15.

Remove the dough, knead it briefly again into a ball, and return it to a bowl that’s been sprayed with a bit of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a slightly warm spot for about an hour.

Honey Bun Glaze

& the Finishing Touches 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter ½ cup locally sourced honey ½ cup sugar ½ cup corn syrup ½ cup sour cream 1 cup chopped pecans Melt the butter on low heat in small saucepan. Add honey, sugar and corn syrup, and mix until all the ingredients are dissolved and fully incorporated. Set aside.

Divide the dough into thirds. Roll out each piece into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle – roughly 9x12 inches.

Brush all but the bottom inch of the 12-inch length with the honey glaze, then add a thin layer of sour cream, plus half of the chopped pecans.

Roll the dough into pinwheels and pinch the dry end closed. Cut the rolls into 1-inch-thick pieces, and place each one into a glass baking dish that’s been lined with a thin layer of the honey glaze and the remaining chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, then flip the buns over with a spatula so that the glazed side is up. Drizzle the remaining glaze over the warm buns, and serve as soon as possible!

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THE LOCAL LIFE

Zoe Simpkins INSTRUCTOR, REAL WATERSPORTS Story by Amelia Boldaji / Photo by Ryan Moser BETWEEN PERSONAL SESSIONS AND HER DAY JOB TEACHING

in Rodanthe, 25-year-old Zoe Simpkins is in the water almost every day – and that’s exactly how she likes it. Taking virtually the polar opposite postgrad route than the rest of her college peers, Zoe chose riding waves over writing reports and hit the road for Hatteras Island, where she feels most inspired and challenged by a life lived off the beaten path.

WATERSPORTS

How did you wind up here on the Outer Banks?

I’m from Raleigh, but I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and I met a group of friends in college who made regular weekend trips down to the tri-villages [on Hatteras Island] to surf. I wanted to learn, so I got a restaurant job and moved down for the summer during my sophomore year [in 2015] – once I graduated, I moved down fulltime. My parents got married here, too, so I also have a little bit of family history with this area.

Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to learn to kiteboard?

Not really! [Laughs] When I came down here in the summer of 2017, I worked at a restaurant in Avon that was right next to OceanAir Sports, and I got to be friends with some of the guys there. They ended up giving me one lesson, and it was all over from there! I already had some board sports experience, so it wasn’t very hard for me to pick it up – but I didn’t really have many formal opportunities to learn, so I pretty much taught myself.

What about teaching?

I don’t know that I ever thought of myself as a “teacher,” but I wanted to have the ability to work seasonally and travel in the winter, so I went to REAL and applied as an instructor [in 2018] – even though I’d only been kiteboarding maybe 10 times. [Laughs] I didn’t end up coaching at first because I didn’t have enough experience, so I worked as a repair manager in the rental shop for two seasons to begin with, and kept kiting in a lot of different conditions. I finally started coaching last summer, and it turns out that I really enjoy working with people – particularly because it allows me to help them conceptualize goals and fulfill them in a tangible way.

As a woman in what can be perceived as a predominantly male sport, do you feel as though you have a different perspective about kiteboarding?

We’re definitely a minority, but I think we’re at the cusp of a big turning point in watersports, and the visibility for women is increasing.

The World Surf League is offering equal pay in competitions now, and REAL is also doing pay equity for men and women during the Patagonia-sponsored Cape Hatteras Wave Classic in the fall. But when it comes down to it, I don’t really feel a gender divide – at the end of the day I see more similarities than differences, and the community of friends I’ve made all share a passion for being in the water. It’s why I’ve made my life here.

6 8 | SU M M ER 2021

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