Wahini's Bites the Dust

One of the best places on the island for live music is no more. Wahini's Surf Grill in Buxton closed its doors for good in late October 2007. Ruth Wyand, one of our favorites, was the last featured musical artist.

Rick's favorite Wahini's story is the one where a young waitress asked him if he wanted dessert. He said "I'd like to hear what you have, but then we're going to Uncle Eddy's for ice cream." The waitress said "I'm not going to waste my time then." Rick was, uncharacteristically, speechless. A few minutes later, the waitress walked by our table with a very large piece of chocolate cake that would make any food stylist proud. "See what you could have had?" she asked him. Boy, did she have his number.

Speaking of Uncle Eddy's ... Isaac, the owner, has opened a coffee shop called Island Perks in the Wahini's location. He features coffee drinks and all kinds of freshly baked goodies. I was in there around 3 pm today and the white chocolate raspberry scones had just come out of the oven. I didn't have one, but I certainly was tempted.

Rumor has it that some of the Wahini's folks are going to start a mobile catering business that tracks along with the surfing competitions along the East Coast. Keep an eye out for them. – Shelby Kinnaird

Another Day, another Wonderful Mystery

Another Day, Another Wonderful Mystery

September 4, 2007

Yesterday was another fabulous sunset over the Pamlico Sound here on Hatteras Island. The sun could be seen as a big red ball as it began its rapid descent into the water to the west. Through the old oaks we could see the shimmering trail of orange and pink on the dimpled water.

Slightly to the south the water was still, almost glassy, then: What was that?- something jumped. Something disturbed the surface of the water, then again, and again. There were no birds flying - no ducks or seagulls on the surface of the water. But the water was alive with ripples and splashes. We had to investigate. We walked over to the bulkhead of our rental house, Sound Mind and Body. We stood near the edge and watched. Forty feet out for the length of the bulkhead and extending to the water in front of either neighbor’s house the water was alive with random splashes and ripples. Generally, it was a quick little movement and set of ripples, as if a fish had come to the surface, turned on its side, and plunged back into the water. Once or twice we heard the slap of what we thought was something bigger, only to turn to see a large rippling disturbance of water where we had not been looking.

The sun had set; but the horizon was still light in horizontal bands of gray and orange and darkening blue. You could see the silver look of the water to the horizon, shimmering. There were a few paths of still water through that shimmering dimpled water that cut diagonally to the horizon. I could see the curve of the earth on the horizon and lines shooting diagonally to meet it. It looked like a giant exercise in illustrating the vanishing point.

All the while the water was disturbed in front of us. It was quiet except for the random plop from whatever was moving under the surface of the water. The jet skis and the birds had called it a day. Every minute or so a disturbance would emanate from a spot and there would be trails shooting in four or six directions; often in a narrow field, as if a bottle rocket had been set off and exploded just under the surface hurtling its flames in the same general direction. Were we watching one group of fish being chased by some bigger ones? Did a big fish move into a group of little ones and did the little ones all jump at once?

We didn’t know. But in the quiet and the cool of the evening it was quite a show and one that had no doubt been repeated for years and years before. Every sunset is different. Every morning brings new surprises. When I was younger I didn’t realize this. I didn’t appreciate it. Now, thank goodness, I do.

Rick Kinnaird

Craving Bath and Beauty Products?

My stepdaughter, Katie, came for a visit a few weeks ago and we did some shopping. We discovered a cute little shop in Hatteras Village called Crave Beauty Boutique. Their motto is "helping to make Hatteras Island beautiful...one pair of glossy lips at a time" and they invite folks to come in and browse their collection of "lotions and potions, cosmetics, creams, scents, gifts and all things girly."

Katie sings with an a cappella group at Wellesley called the Widows. She was looking for dark eyeshadow (the Widows, you see, wear all black during performances) and little gifts for her secret Widow. Katie mentioned a chocolate-flavored lip balm product she had found on the West Coast called Ganache for Lips. She told Crave owner, Cherry Moskalik, that she hadn't been able to find it anywhere except California. Cherry made a note and asked for my email address.

A couple of weeks later while vacationing in Maine, I got an email from Cherry saying Ganache for Lips was now available at Crave. Talk about customer service!

Around the same time, I got an email from someone who had picked up one of my business cards at Ugli Mugs in Avon. Linda Gardner, co-owner of Nantucket Skin Care, wanted an update to her web site, www.nantucketskincare.com. Would you believe her products are featured at Crave? Well, it IS a small island.

If you're into "all things girly," I suggest you visit Crave in the Stowe on Twelve shopping center or online at www.cravebeautyonline.com. Tell Cherry that Shelby sent you. - Shelby Kinnaird

OBX® Marathon Set for November 11

The second annual OBX® Marathon, Gateway Bank Half Marathon and Kelly's Hospitality Group Fun Run will be held on Sunday, November 11, 2007. The range of running events is offered for everyone from serious competitors to novices.

The 26.2 mile event will be a USA Track & Field Association certified and sanctioned qualifying race for the Olympic Trials and the Boston Marathon. USATF has named the OBX Marathon as its North Carolina Association Championship event.

Proceeds from the event will benefit two local charities – the Dare Education Foundation and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

For more information, visit www.obxmarathon.org. – Shelby Kinnaird

Bodie Island Lighthouse Reopens to Public

The base of the Bodie Island Lighthouse will reopen to the public on Tuesday, July 31, at 10 a.m. The base has not been open since pieces of cast iron fell from a balcony and upper window in 2004. The National Park Service recently completed an emergency stabilization project to improve safety at the lighthouse. The base will be open for public viewing, but the tower will not be available for climbing.

The lighthouse, built in 1873, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Volunteers will be on hand to tell stories about the lighthouse and about future restoration projects.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse visitor center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during summer months. The base of the lighthouse will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Labor Day. The lighthouse is located just north of Hatteras Island and Oregon Inlet. – Shelby Kinnaird

Coastal Blue Opens in Avon

Rick and I tried the newest restaurant in Avon last night - Coastal Blue. It took over the space vacated by Blue Parrot and is in the same shopping center with Ocean Air (formerly Windsurfing Hatteras).

This was a "date night" for us and we've been looking for a new special occasion restaurant on the island ever since Austin Creek Grill closed. The closest we'd found up to this point was Mack Daddy's. Ocean Blue, while not quite up to Austin Creek standards, was very, very nice. We sat by the windows and had a great view of kitesurfers practicing their aerials in the waters of the sound.

The first thing to arrive at our table was warm rosemary bread with soft butter. It was delicious. I was very sorry I have to monitor my carb intake (diabetic, you know) when they offered us a second round.

Rick ordered a goat cheese and roasted garlic appetizer ($8); I went with shrimp and grits ($10). Rick's appetizer came with some crispy seasoned bread, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. All were very good when smeared and stacked on top of the bread. As far as the shrimp and grits were concerned, the grits were well-seasoned and very tasty (and I'm not a big grits fan). The shrimp and accompanying broth were fine, but kind of bland. The shrimp and grits would be a complete winner if they could find a way to perk up the shrimp.

One really nice thing about Coastal Blue is that they offer regular sized entrees and "small plates." Many of the entrees sounded really good. As soon as I saw the menu I told Rick I knew what he was going to order. He, of course, ordered the pork tenderloin with figs ($18). He has this thing for fresh figs, you see. I ordered a small plate of the crabcakes ($10), which is a big step for me outside of Maryland. Living near Baltimore for more than 15 years spoiled me. Most of the crabcakes I've had on the island tend to be too much filler and too little crab for my taste. Also, the crab in them is usually finely shredded. I like my crabcakes with jumbo lump crab, no filler and a nice crust. Coastal Blue did not disappoint. My small plate included one perfect crabcake that had a crispy crust made with ... potato chips! I also had some very tender asparagus and a nice pineapple salsa. It was definitely the best crabcake I've had on the island and may very well have been the best one I've ever had outside of Maryland.

For dessert, we split some tiramisu, made on the premises by none other than our waitress. Thank goodness we didn't have to lie when she asked if we liked it.

All in all, we were pleased with the food, service and atmosphere. We'll definitely go back. – Shelby Kinnaird

Piping Plover Controversy Heats Up Again

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed closing a significant portion of Hatteras Island beaches in order to supply an appropriate habitat for the wintering population of the piping plover, an endangered species. "Wintering" can run from July to May.

The three closures would be:
- a significant part of Pea Island
- from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse jetties to ramp 49 (Frisco airport)
- the southern part of the Hatteras Inlet

Closures would mean no driving on the beach and no fishing. Walking along the beach would also be prohibited in the designated areas.

The piping plover is a small shorebird that winters along the coast of the U.S. from North Carolina to Texas, along the coast of eastern Mexico and on some of the Caribbean islands. We wrote an article about the piping plover in our March 2006 e-zine: http://www.halfvastenterprises.com/ezine/2006_mar/feat2.shtml.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting comments on their proposal. You have until July 30, 2007 to make your voice heard. For more details about the proposal, please visit http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/piplch/piplch.html. Send your comments about the proposal to ncplovercomments@fws.gov. - Shelby Kinnaird