Father's Day 2013: 'One More Day' ... with Dad

Shenandoah National Park as the mountain laurel blooms. My dad had two places on earth he loved more than anywhere else: the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

[My annual Father's Day remembrance of my dad....]

It's Father's Day and, once again, my dad is not here to be with us. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 51.

There's a country song by Diamond Rio called "One More Day" ... and every time I hear that song I think of my dad. It has been years since cancer took him from us and, yet, a word or song or thought can bring me to my knees as I continue to feel the loss of a man I admired and respected and miss to this day.

He was a simple man, the oldest of five children growing up in Amelia County, Virginia ... a child of the Depression who quit school after eighth grade to help support his financially-strapped family.

According to many pundits today, he should have felt sorry for himself and given up on life or blamed society. But he didn't. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, traveling to exotic places in the South Pacific as a gunner on the USS Wisconsin. He came home to Chesterfield County, Virginia, after the war, settled down, married, and raised three daughters. He wasn't the CEO of some company ... but to us he was more.

He was funny, easy-going, and hard to anger ... but when he angered, look out. He was a stern disciplinarian who had a thundering velvet hand when we had misbehaved. He was a deacon in our church and a Sunday school teacher for most of his adult life. He played baseball on his company's team, and he taught us the game.

My dad loved to camp in the Shenandoah National Park along the Skyline Drive. Because my parents couldn't afford pricey vacations, they took us to the mountains from the time we were young. Dad was a naturalist before it became fashionable. He was mindful of nature, teaching his girls to leave the flowers for others to enjoy. He taught us to pack out our trash, be respectful of the animals that lived there, and enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia.

We still enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia. At the age of one, my parents took me for my first camping trip to Big Meadows Campground ... and we've been at it ever since ... and living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a dream come true.

Though not physically with me, I carry Dad's memory and honor him by remembering and practicing what he taught all those years ago.

And that's why the Diamond Rio song can bring me to tears in a heartbeat ... if I could have just one more day with him it would be sitting around a campfire in Shenandoah National Park ... one more time.

"One More Day"
By Diamond Rio

Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything.
I didn't ask for money or a mansion in Malibu,
I simply wished for one more day with you.

One more day, one more time...
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.

First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl,
I'd unplug the telephone, keep the TV off,
I'd hold you every second and say a million "I love you's"...
That's what I'd do with one more day with you.

One more day, one more time...
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.

Originally posted on Father's Day 2007.

Girl in critical condition after shark bite off Ocracoke Island

Update 7/26/11: The little shark attack girl is recovering and appeared on CBS "The Morning Show."

In what is the first shark attack along the Outer Banks' Cape Hatteras National Seashore since 2001, a five-year-old girl was bitten Tuesday afternoon off Ocracoke Island and is hospitalized in critical condition.

According to NBC-12 out of Richmond:

Cyndy Holda of the National Park Service told WNCT-TV that the child was bitten on her lower portion of her right leg and a foot around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on Ocracoke Island.

Holda says the girl she was swimming with a boogie board in shallow water with her parents when she was bitten. The girl was flown to Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

A park service spokesman says the last shark bite on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was off Avon in 2001 when a man died from his injuries.

Such a beautiful area of North Carolina, Ocracoke has swimming beaches along its shores surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Prayers to this family and for the recovery of this little girl.

Carolina on my mind....

Tonight I'm thinking of the dunes of the Outer Banks ...

... thinking of the surfers near Hatteras' lighthouse ...

... and remembering watching a sailboat in the Atlantic beyond the breakers ... watching while kicked back on the deck enjoying the sun and surf.
In my mind I'm going to Carolina....

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
2010

Pea Island Lifesaving Station ... OBX

Pea Island Lifesaving Station ... Outer Banks

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
2010

Ocracoke under mandatory evacuation for Hurricane Earl

Weather forecasters are anxiously watching Hurricane Earl but it is looking more and more likely this dangerous Category 4 storm will track very near the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for the barrier island of Ocracoke (part of Hyde County) south of Hatteras beginning at 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. All visitors and residents will be evacuated.

North Carolina emergency services have issued the following:

A state of emergency has been declared for Hyde County effective 9 PM Tuesday. A mandatory evacuation has been issued for all visitors and residents of Ocracoke beginning at 5 AM on Wednesday, September 1.

The NC Ferry system will be on a first-come, first-serve basis for all vehicles open to Hatteras, Swan Quarter, and Cedar Island pending road conditions in those receiving counties. Schedules and toll collections are suspended during the evacuation order.

Emergency services, government agencies, commercial vendors delivering essential groceries and supplies, and permanent residential traffic as indicated by purple and green stickers will be allowed on the island via air and marine traffic. The State Highway Patrol may restrict access without appropriate credentials.

Before leaving, residents and guests in this area should take precautions such as moving cars and equipment to higher ground. Please pick up potential debris that could become unsecured during the storm.

People with medical needs and unique situations are urged to consider their options. Hyde County public safety services will cease after winds reach 50 mph sustained.

Those seeking shelter may travel to North Pitt High School, 5659 N. Highway 11, Bethel, NC. This shelter will be open at 9 AM on Wednesday, September 1.

Tune in to local radio 90.1 FM on the island, the National Weather Service, and local television reports.

As seen in the past, hurricanes are unpredictable and can change with little notice. Residents and visitors need to remain vigilant and not let their guard down.

Hyde County Emergency Services continues to review the latest weather forecasts, is coordinating with the State and nearby counties, and advising citizens on possible actions to protect themselves and their property. Further updates will be issued after the 6 PM meeting.

Please make yourselves aware of the state ferry system's schedule and road conditions before making travel plans during this time and after the storm has passed.

We were there in May, the usual trek across the ferry to the island while staying at Hatteras. There is no where on that island I would feel comfortable riding out a hurricane....

OBX 2010

Outer Banks ... Waves, NC

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
2010

Change is constant at OBX

SWAC Daughter searches for shells in front of beach house at OBX.

May 2010.

With a good many friends vacationing this week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, today's article by Andy Thompson in the Richmond Times-Dispatch caught my eye ... and the eye of my parents who emailed to be sure I had seen it. Andy talks about going to OBX for 25 years ... well, I can top him because my family started vacationing there in the 1960s.

Both of us have seen many changes over the years and, thus, today's article:

Time is the one currency in which we all trade. We spend it for memories, and if we spend wisely, those memories become more valuable with the years, compounding upon the recounting.

My parents brought me and my sister to the Outer Banks for the first time more than 25 years ago. My first vacation memories, first memories of the beach, the ocean, sand castles and fly ing a kite all come from those early trips.

We went to Corolla, the Outer Banks' northern terminus (in terms of pavement), when there were just two roads: U.S. Route 12 into the area and the dirt road behind the first row of dunes. Only a handful of houses were scattered along it.

I've written previously about my childhood on the beaches of NC and, like Andy, we took my now-grown children there to make memories of their own.

I still haven't posted leftover photos of the trip in May when we stayed at Waves. Maybe one slow day I'll get to it...

OBX. A jewel along the eastern coast.

OBX: Sunset from Oregon Inlet

Sunset behind the fishing boats at Oregon Inlet,
Cape Hatteras, NC.

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
18 May 2010

Sand in my shoes

This morning's sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean at Kitty Hawk.
Photo by Fishersville Mike.

I put on my espadrilles today for the first time since returning from the Outer Banks ... and they were still sandy from my time at the beach. Memories flooded my mind as I debated whether to shake out the sand ... or leave it there to remember climbing sand dunes and dodging waves.

I left it.

Fishersville Mike woke up at the beach today for the long weekend. Sunrise was at 5:48 this morning ... just a week ago it was shortly after 6:00 a.m. Summer is fast approaching.

Life is moving so fast I've not had time to post many photos from our OBX time. Since we're home for the weekend, maybe I'll find time even as others travel for the holiday.

I loved my time at the beach ... but I'm a Mountain Girl at heart. It's nice to be back in the shadow of the Blue Ridge and Appalachians....

Outer Banks offer world-class surfing

Paddle surfers hunt for the right wave at Cape Hatteras, within sight of the famous lighthouse. Stand up surfing (SUP), an ancient form of Hawaiian surfing known as Hoe he'e nalu, is an emerging global sport.

You expect to find world-class surfing in Hawaii ... Northern California ... Baja Mexico ... Australia ... Tahiti. But the Outer Banks of North Carolina?

Surfers are always looking for perfect conditions and big waves, and in their list of the best, Talk Surfing included a location closer than most on the East Coast would expect:

Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A. Outer Banks is generally considered to be the best surfing location on the East Coast of America. The largest swells of the year generally take place during North Carolina's hurricane season, between August and November. Hatteras Island and Coquina Beach are amongst the most popular spots. The water is chilly, to say the least, and you will definitely need a wet-suit. You should also be wary of the rip tides which are common along most of the coast.

The Outer Banks are included with heavy hitters such as Maverick's at Half Moon Bay in Northern California; Pipeline, Northern Oahu, Hawaii; Todos Santos, Baja California, Mexico; Jaws, Maui, Hawaii; Teahupo's, Tahiti, French Polynesia; The Wedge, Newport Beach, California; Kirra Point, Queensland, Australia; and, Cribbar, Newquay, UK.

Check out this video ... Riding an Outer Banks Barrel from the Inside Out (h/t to Stand Up Paddle Surfing blog).

Paddle surfers were seen Wednesday in the waters off Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks near the former sight of the famous lighthouse. Surfers along Hatteras are a frequent sight and will become more so next week when Memorial Day signals the offical start of summer.

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
May 2010

OBX

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the deck.

Hatteras Lighthouse.

Searching for shells.


Sailing the Atlantic. The sea is powerful and the Outer Banks are especially known for their rip currents.

The perfect place to watch the sunrise, read, relax....

Sunset over the Pamlico Sound as seen from Oregon Inlet.

Barrier islands ... wild horses grazing by the sea, drives on the beach, searching for shells, the history of ship wrecks and pirates and WW II submarines.

Solitude. This is what makes the Outer Banks special to so many.

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
May 2010

Off to the Outer Banks ...

Unfortunately, it's not me going to the Outer Banks ... Fishersville Mike and his family are heading that way. I'd love to smuggle into his vehicle and go, too. It makes me remember many childhood (and adult) memories of spending family vacations at Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Duck, Pea Island, Hatteras....

Those sand dunes are oh-so-familiar and in August there will be sand-hot-enough-to-burn-your-feet ... sea oats waving in the breeze ... sea gulls circling overhead with their high-pitched screeches ... waves crashing on the beach as hermit crabs scurry here and there in the sand ... a blue horizon with puffy white clouds ... far-off ships at sea barely visible from shore ... and bright, bright sunshine along with hot "like-summer-at-the-beach-should-be" temperatures.

Throughout our years of vacationing at the beach, evenings would often find us climbing THE sand dune ... Jockey Ridge ... followed with ice cream at one of the local stands.

Or we would plan a day trip to Ocracoke Island and ride the ferry from Hatteras with the wind in our faces as we stood on deck while our vehicle was ferried across the waterway ... then we would roam the sandy lanes of the island, something we knew like the back of our hand because it's not that big, and we would have lunch at a local eatery or picnic at the beach. When at Hatteras, we always climbed the light house steps to look out over the sea from the deck at the top.

On rainy days we might wander over to Manteo, always making a stop at The Christmas Shop ... or stop in at the Wright Brothers museum at Kill Devil Hills. Evenings sometimes meant going to Manteo to see The Lost Colony, the famous outdoor drama about Virginia Dare and the lost colonists.

For groceries or forgotten items or fishing bait there was Calhoun's and Wink's along the beach highway but for the past 20 years there have been "real" grocery stores such as Harris-Teeter and Food Lion.

One summer our church youth group from Richmond was invited to sing at an entertainment facility known as The Circus Tent, a huge tent that served all kinds of ice cream treats while offering wholesome family entertainment. I believe it was a project of some of the churches in Kitty Hawk and the surrounding area. Our group of 100 teenagers that made up the "Good News" Christian musical entourage sang and entertained guests in the summer of whatever-year-it-was, a special memory to me. Not only did we get to spend our evenings singing ... but we got to spend our days on the beach. It was a wonderful opportunity that we remember to this day.

Now grown with children of my own, we have backtracked many times the paths of my childhood so my kids would know and love the Outer Banks.

So Fishersville Mike is off to the beach, leaving me behind in a sea of memories. I know he and his family will have a wonderful time ... there are no hurricanes on the horizon ... just the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. I can almost smell the Coppertone from here....

Update: Heard from Mike Saturday night (see comments) and he has wireless at the beach. That's perfect! He can keep blogging and maybe -- just maybe -- he will post photos of his surroundings.