Ocracoke Island Vacation Journal: Part 3

Well, yesterday didn’t go quite as planned.

But that’s okay.

We’re on Ocracoke.

We had been looking forward to hearing Katy Mitchell sing at “Dajio’s” last night, but unfortunately, she canceled at the last minute.  We still had an excellent meal that seals Dajio’s place, along with “Jason’s” and “The Flying Melon” as one of the top three restaurants on Ocracoke- and on the whole Outer Banks.  I’ve never eaten anywhere else on the Outer Banks that could touch these three…

Hopefully, we’ll get to hear Katy Mitchell someday.  Her CD is really excellent.  This just give us something to continue to look forward to….

I just finished Michael Parker’s brand new book, “The Watery Part of the World.”  Anyone who loves Ocracoke and the Outer Banks should read it.  It is a work of fiction set on fictional Islands on the Outer Banks, but you will readily recognize Portsmouth Island, Ocracoke and their history as being an inspiration.

Speaking of history, there is a lot of it on Ocracoke.  Blackbeard, the pirate, was killed here.  There is a great historical museum on Ocracoke, run by the Ocracoke Preservation Society, that gives you a lot of other local history and a real feel for how life used to be on the Island.

For more history, visit Philip Howard at  “The Village Craftsmen” and take one of his Ghost Walks.  They may touch on the supernatural, but they really offer a great deal of fascinating local history.  Philip also publishes a great blog at the Village Craftsmen’s Website.  http://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/

Speaking of the Village Craftsman, this is one of several great shops on Ocracoke.  A lot of the art in our house- and we have a lot of art- came from these shops and Orcracoke and Outer Banks artists and potters.  Kathleen O’Neal’s shop- Island Artworks- is another stand out shop.  Just take the time to roam through them all…

We had a great walk down the Ocracoke Nature Trail, across from the Campground, this morning.  In all the years we’ve been coming to Ocracoke, we had never done that before..  It’s nice to know we still have more to discover here as we intend to keep coming back.

We also had another lovely walk on the beach…

Tonight it’s off to the wine tasting at “Zillie’s Pantry” with our friends Lee and Michael.  Then we will try to pull together dinner at their cottage.  But who knows?  Anything can happen on Ocraoke and those wine tastings can always lead to a change in plans!
More to come…..