Posts Tagged ‘Ocracoke’

Fall has definitely arrived and what better way to announce its arrival than to celebrate the spirited and goulish annual holiday Halloween. It is the one day where dressing up as pirates, ghosts, devils, drag queens and Madonna is acceptable and all for the bounty of chocolate and kernel korn.

Cheryl and I decided to take the ferry over to the island of Ocracoke and take advantage of the cool weather. The village was full of little pirates and costumed characters trick or treating. We could think of no better place to be on Halloween than the one place where the most infamous of all pirates, Blackbeard, sought refuge and was eventually captured and beheaded.

As history has recorded, Blackbeard (Edward Teach) roamed the Caribbean to the Virginia Capes robbing ships in 1717. In the fall of 1718 Teach returned from his piracy at sea to his favorite hideaway, the island of Ocracoke. He hosted a huge, wild pirate get-together with dancing, drinking, and bonfires. Other famous pirates sailed in for the days-long event. In November 1718, Lt. Robert Maynard of the British Navy, commanding a sloop sent by the Governor of Virginia, captured and killed Blackbeard in a bloody duel near Ocracoke. As a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard was beheaded, his body tossed to sea and his head suspended from the bow of Maynard’s sloop..

As we past through the heart of the village and Silver Lake Harbor came into view, a ship gave us cause to pause and reflect back on the history of the Island and the pirate Blackbeard. Moored out in the middle of the harbor, was a sleek but aging black sailboat sporting a pirate flag. For that brief moment we found ourselves wondering if the ghost of Blackbeard was back sailing the high seas and had returned to Ocracoke to reclaim his bounty. Happy Halloween!!

All photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase. If you have a corporate shoot upcoming , I am no further away then a phone call or email.

Best wishes ……….
~dK~

I hope that this week’s blog finds you and your love ones safe and sound. May we all find a moment to wish well to all that were affected by the severe storms over the weekend.

I write you on my way home from a stay in the Outer Banks, which is fast becoming my home away from home destination. My girlfriend thinks it is because of her that I make my way to the islands so often but, in reality, it is the beauty and the allure of the North Carolina coast and the endless photographic opportunities. But lets keep that a secret between you and I, shall we?

The Outer Banks, as I have said many times, is truly a paradise and one of the most well kept secrets to most that travel south to visit the “Redneck Riviera”.  As the season approaches the beach communities come alive with all the businesses dusting off their porches and putting out the “welcome mats!” In a few more weeks the population in the communities will begin to double or triple as the tourist begin to arrive. Signs of it were visible this weekend with so many different activities taking place – a motorcycle rally, an Indian Pow-Wow, a runners 10k and an angles fishing tournament.  Not forgotten are the many windsurfers, kite boarders and surfers that flocked to the coast to enjoy the wonderful winds.

One event that really caught my attention was the scheduled Homecoming for Portsmouth Island adjacent to Ocracoke. Established in 1753 by an act of the North Carolina Assembly, Portsmouth grew to be the largest settlement on the Outer Banks by 1770. In 1842, more than 1,400 vessels and two thirds of North Carolina’s exports passed through Ocracoke Inlet, and Portsmouth’s population grew to 685 residents by 1860.  Unfortunately, the coming of the Civil War and the shoaling up of Ocracoke Inlet was the beginning of the eventual demise of Portsmouth’s. The population dwindled to 14 in the 1950s and to three by 1971.  The last two residents finally moved, leaving behind the remnants of a once vibrant coastal community which today include a church, Life-Saving Station, post office and school. Although the weather may have precluded many from attending these weekends Homecoming, because it is only accessible by boat, it is a grand way to commemorate the history and individuals that once inhabited the thriving community.

We have made the trip, via the ferry, many times to Ocracoke and hope to one day soon find our way over to Portsmouth to take in the photographic journey. Until then I leave you with the beauty of a sunset from the Ocraccoke -Hatteras Ferry dock.

This image, like all my other North Carolina art can be found at either of two galleries that represent me on the Outer Banks. Roads End Gallery in Hatteras and Down Creek Gallery in Ocracoke. They can also be purchased through me directly.

As you might also know, if you have a photographic assignment I can assist you with I am no further away than a phone call (or email). Until then

Best regards …….
~dK~

It’s Monday and back to work you go. I hope you had a fabulous weekend. As I head home from the Outer Banks of North Carolina and paradise I’m looking forward to the week ahead. I am excited to be back home and have a full weeks schedule shooting for clients.

With all my travels, what I find most intriguing is when I happen upon something that makes me stop, look and go “HMMMMMMMM!?!?!?!” Such was the case on a recent trip to the island of Ocracoke. Having finished a days shoot and with a hour to kill before we were to catch the ferry back to Hatteras, we decided to take Ramp 59 which provides the closest vehicle access to the beach near the ferry docks. With the sun settling in the west, we drove out to the point and came across a series of pilings in a pool of seawater. How wonderfully mesmerizing and beautiful the formation was. It was as if the pilings were guardians of the coast, soldiers left behind from a time forgotten. For a moment, the historical significance of Black Beard’s adventures around the islands and his infamous capture and beheading on Ocracoke gave magical allure to the setting. Fantasy finally gave way to the reality of the moment. With the last fleeting rays of the sun, I realized it was time to head back to catch the ferry.

The pilings are actually the remains of a structure that was once part of the former dock for the Hatteras ferry’s, established in the 1950′s, coming to Ocracoke. A lasting tribute if you will to those early days and to those that heeded the call of island adventure.

For the record, any of the images you have seen in this or any or the previous blogs are available for corporate and private collection, as well as for stock use. Just contact me.

Best regards …….
~dK~