A Month in a Little Village by the Sea

[SawyerTed]

We spent our first two days at Portsmouth this week catching up on cleaning buildings and doing repairs to the volunteer housing.  

It turns out the off grid solar/batteries/generator electrical system is not yet repaired.   So we went over yesterday and swept three buildings and serviced the restrooms.   In the afternoon we started scraping the inside of the volunteer housing in preparation for painting.  The inside is painted bead board paneling.  Much of it is peeling somewhat. 

This morning we went back to scraping.  Emily suggested that I install a new screen door so the bugs can't get in.  So I spent most of my morning doing that.  



The new screen door is installed.  Screen doors here require reinforcing or the weather and use break them apart.  It's not painted yet.  After the inside is painted, I'll be painting all the exterior trim.  



Here is the bedroom Emily has been scraping and preparing for caulk. LOTS of caulk.  



This is part of the kitchen partially scraped.  

Among this work, I spoke to 39 visitors yesterday and Emily spoke to 33 today.  We give a short historical timeline of the village and answer questions about the village then the visitors tour on their own.  

[GRANITEstateMP]

Ted,

You should put a paint scraper into the visitors hands as payment forgiving them a historical rundown!

[SawyerTed]

I've thought of Tom Sawyer many times the last two days.  

If each visitor scraped for 5 minutes that would be over 5 hours of scraping!  Then if I could just get $1 a minute!  

[SawyerTed]

It's been a busy week in the village.  

There have been close to 150 visitors who we talked with about the village.  Yesterday was a rain out for visitors but we went over to work.   

Our major project is updating the housing for volunteers.  

Emily and I have worked several hours each prepping and painting.  We still have several hours more to go on this one room.  Then there's the other room with cabinets and glass doors.  It will not require quite the same prep as the bedroom.  There's a line between restoring/refreshing a historic building and modernizing (which we aren't allowed and don't want to do).  The condition of the interior wasn't conducive to attracting new volunteers.  



Out hope is this refresh will be inviting enough to fix our shortage.   

Our routine is more less be on the water by 8:00 am.  It's a 20-25 minute boat ride from Ocracoke to Portsmouth   It's only 4.5 miles over but we have a squiggly route to avoid the shoals and bars between here and there.  My boat draws 30" or so and I try to run in 5' or more of water.   It takes a little bit to be able to see the deeper water.   There are locally installed markers but a boater has to learn what they mean.  

Once we arrive at the Haulover Dock, we start our duties.  Sometimes we fish a few minutes before we start.  We clean the restroom in the visitor center, sweep and tidy up there.  If the water pressure is down, we run a generator to power the well pump.  Then we check the other open buildings (4 of them) sweep if needed and tidy up.  

Then we work on the project(s) for the day until the Captain of the ferry lets us know he's bringing visitors.  One or both of us meet the visitors and inform them about the village. We try to stick around in case there's a need for us. 

The last few days we've worked until 3:30 or 4 pm.  Then we boat back over to Ocracoke.  

Other than the rain yesterday, the weather has been pretty mild. Most days are mid to upper 70s and nights are upper 60s to low 70s.  Probably not more than 10 degrees difference.  That's going to start changing soon. 

Tomorrow I'm on my own.  Emily is working at the "Ocrafolk Festival", a folk festival that has music, storytelling, square dancing, art vendors and so forth.  She's representing the Friends of Portsmouth Island and NPS as a Volunteer.  

Fishing has been fair.  So far Emily has caught a speckled trout, very small and I've caught three flounder.  They were 16"-18" long.  Only thing is the season for keeping them is currently closed.  I've seen red fish caught on the beach, some blue fish and a few black drum.  The red fish are mostly slot fish, 18"-27" with a few big ones around.  Bobbins are 46" plus.

[red]

I believe more fishing is required 

[SawyerTed]

It's always fun to see folks who come back year after year.   This morning when I got to the dock, George and his son, Hunter, were here.   

They were fishing.  Not much luck but they were having a good time.  

Saturday and Sunday are the rental "turn around" days.  They spread over two days because housekeeping staff are spread thin anyway.  

So today will be quiet in the village.  

[SawyerTed]

The OcraFolk Festival Saturday Night Celebration

Squaher Dancin'!  Yes, try to say it "squawER" like they say it here! 

Still fun!

https://youtube.com/shorts/nTO6wcCWqEo?si=Jz9EiXqxeTDkrv-d

[doc henderson]

Ooops, it said video unavailable.  I wanted to see it.   

[SawyerTed]

@doc henderson try again.   I so rarely make and share videos I forget how.  

https://youtube.com/shorts/nTO6wcCWqEo?si=4rZoh2b2EjsOyyQ-

[Old Greenhorn]

Them ain't squaher dancers! Them are cloggers doing a squaher dance!

[SawyerTed]

There was technically clogging, flat footing and square dancing all evening.   The group in the video were performing artists but there was crowd square dancing with a caller and the whole nine yards. 

This morning there is gospel music and traditional spiritual music.  We can hear most from our campsite.   

The vendor booths took a big hit early this morning.  We had a severe storm with gusts above 60 mph.  Of course their popup canopies were mangled some were in a multiple tent mangled mess in a corner.   

[Old Greenhorn]

Yes, I could tell that they were pros right off. Too many of their flare steps were well practiced and used for them to be amateurs and there were obvious long time dance pairs in that group, for them to be just casual dancers. We have cloggers over at the Ashokan Center all the time, many are touring pros and instructors some are just very good well practiced amateurs. My friend Ruth, who is a touring musician that I mention sometimes is quite the clogger since about age 6 but she doesn't bring her shoes to the game much anymore, she's usually in the band or calling squares. I once watched her call a dance with about 600 people on the floor at once, almost all of them first timers. It was amazing how she taught and organized them. Quite the sight to watch. Fun to watch her take a turn though. It's like riding a bike they say, when you hit 'that level'.

[SawyerTed]

Monday was our day off.  We took a boat ride over to the beach on North Core Banks.  This was the view looking from the beach back toward the inlet.  We had a strong 25 kt wind from the SW.  It's no wonder the Outer Banks is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.  Those breakers are more than a mile off.  



Here's a wall in the Post Office indicating the water levels from several named storms that hit Portsmouth Village.  Isabel was high, about mid thigh inside the building.  Dorian was even higher!  

 Dorian's water level was about 60" from the ground and about 24" above Isabel's level.  


For reference Sandy did not really come ashore here but pushed water into the village.  Of course Sandy did differently in NJ and NY.