In November of 2021, I had the privilege to have some prints accepted into the permanent collection of the Gregg Museum of Art and Design in Raleigh. I submitted 70 images, then museum staff narrowed it to 12.
A 12×17 print of Nacie Peele fishing his pound net is among those in the collection.
You can see all the images and descriptions at:
http://searchgreggcollection.arts.ncsu.edu/mResults.aspx?pS=Michael%20Halminski&db=objects&dir=GALLERY%20OF%20ART#
Plans to attend a Lord Huron show at Red Rocks in June of 2020 were stymied by the pandemic. A rescheduled concert for 2021 was also canceled. Then in 2022, as pandemic conditions improved, we were still determined to see Lord Huron at this legendary Colorado venue. We arrived for two sold-out shows on June 1st and 2nd.
On the first day, we arrived at Red Rocks early for the band’s sound check.
It’s great fun watching them prepare for a show.
Situated between walls of red sandstone, the natural amphitheater is spectacular.
With sound check over, a distant parking lot began to fill up.
As the crowd assembled, Erin Rae with her band from Nashville opened up the show.
Minutes before Lord Huron’s appearance, I scanned a capacity crowd from the Pit.
To be continued…
Christmas on Hatteras is a stark contrast to Summer, when our resort area is so busy. Things quiet down substantially in the Fall. But the days leading up to Christmas are the most peaceful. Neighbors leave to visit families elsewhere, and traffic becomes nearly nonexistent.
At the Hatteras Village Christmas Parade, Santa Claus comes to town.
The community revels and comes together.
Even man’s best friends celebrate.
The critter from the Froggy Dog Restaurant was a crowd pleaser.
Kids especially love the parade.
All of the island’s volunteer fire departments show up to spread some holiday cheer.
There’s no shortage of candy for the kids.
Suddenly Santa’s gone, and we rewind into another new year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
A few months ago, the Ocracoke Preservation Society invited me to hang an exhibit in their museum on Ocracoke. It needed a Portsmouth Island theme, and would open to coincide with the bi-annual Portsmouth Village Homecoming.
Both Portsmouth and Ocracoke have long been among my favorite places. And I took the opportunity to mount a show of 14 images selected from photographs taken over the last 15 years. The exhibit called “Portsmouth Beckons”, opened with a reception on April 27th. The pictures represent my yearning to go back repeatedly, since my first visit in the Summer of 1980. Seven prints in the show were taken with film, and the other seven were taken with digital cameras.
One of the photographs in the exhibit was taken in 1998 at Doctor’s Creek. During that time, I was shooting with a Pentax medium format camera. Another picture was taken out on the expansive beach near the historic district. “Portsmouth Beckons” will be shown all Summer.
If you’re visiting Ocracoke this season, please stop in at the museum. You won’t be disappointed.
There are lots of exhibits explaining the history and culture of Ocracoke Island.
Portsmouth Village also has a rich and interesting history. As it stands today, it is an exhibit in itself.
The Henry Pigott house has been recently restored, including period furnishings inside.
The Methodist Church at the center of town is still used for a service at every homecoming celebration.
Inside the Portsmouth Lifesaving Station is a beautifully crafted replica of a surfboat.
The culmination of each homecoming is the covered dish dinner, enough for 400 people. The next homecoming is scheduled for April of 2014.
Next I’m mounting a group show at Glen Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery in Nags Head. It will feature 3 other photographers and opens with a reception on June 3rd.
The post storm recovery has been a unique experience. In many ways, it’s much more stressful than the storm itself. Hurricane Irene feels like it was just last week, pummeling the villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo. The time of day and the day of the week are remote concepts. It is not business as usual. For me personally, I have experienced emotional highs and lows. One moment I see the devastation of my neighbors’ flooded homes, and then next, I’m witnessing people coming together with incredible support.
Right after the storm, I D Midgett was reunited with his grand-daughter, Bryanna. Both of their homes were inundated with sound tide, and are unlivable. Neighbors have opened up their homes to accommodate them, while they rebuild.
The Volunteer Fire Departments have been instrumental in maintaining everyone’s safety. Hours after the storm’s exit, they were out doing things like checking leaking gas tanks, and later, righting headstones in family cemeteries. Here, Tom Murphy and Jim Shimpach discuss recovery with a rescue squad worker.
Tombstones lay flat on the ground at the ravaged cemetery in the Salvo Day Use Area.
Then there are the volunteers from communities to our south. They came in droves offering a tremendous amount of manpower, stripping houses of water damaged materials, furniture, appliances and cleaning up tons of debris. Russell, Mole and Wolfie (above) drove up from Buxton to lend a hand. They were at my house tearing down plywood underpinning and wet insulation. Then they went on helping many others in need, for several days.
The Salvation Army was here almost immediately, bringing in food and supplies so desperately needed. Not only that but they always greeted us with smiles and uplifting spirits.
The North Carolina Baptist Men brought in portable laundromats and hot showers. And with the Salvation Army scaling back, the Baptist Men are preparing our hot meals every day. Yesterday two of them drove up to my neighbor’s house and offered to spray the underside of her floor to kill any mold that had started. Then they came over to treat the underside of my house, and after that to my other neighbor’s house.
All these selfless people are heros in my book. I could go on and on. From the Dare County Health Department giving out tetanus shots, to Tilghman Gray bringing up a load of fresh bluefish and putting on the best fish fry ever.
The vegetation that would normally be green this time of year, has turned a golden brown from harsh salt spray.
The rack line in the marsh behind my house is deep in washed-up debris.
The landfill at the day use area is enormous, and many of the rental homes have not even been dealt with yet.
A pile of lost hopes and dreams continues to grow.
And the battle for the S-Curve continues to be waged.
Building a line of large sand bags is a first line of defense.
Will man ever be able to tame Hatteras Island?
Weather permitting, the sand dike gets higher and higher.
One load gets dumped, and another empty truck runs to Avon for more sand. They must have trucked over 3,000 loads by now.
Meanwhile at Mirlo Beach, the future looks mighty grim.
