Category Archives: People

Why I Live Here

People ask, how’s the photography going? My answer can vary, but it depends what I’m working on. Nowadays I’ve cut back shooting, to spend more time editing and archiving what’s accumulated. I’m a photographic hoarder. I maintain and store what I shoot in a reasonably categorized fashion, so when looking for particular images, I can almost always find them. There are a few missing in action, others may have been inadvertently tossed. I just do the best I can.

I have boxes of saved work prints. Many shot with film, others taken with digital cameras that I began using in 2003. For the above image I spread some 10 inch prints across my work table and photographed them from above.

They show some of the reasons why I live here. So to answer that first question, it’s good!

The Return of Old Buck

Locally, the tradition of celebrating Old Christmas continues. A throwback from the Julian Calendar, it’s ongoing today. When the Gregorian Calendar was put into effect sometime in the 18th century, folks here were late to change. In the isolated village of Chicamacomico, they kept Christmas celebration at the old date. Nowadays this community must be one of very few in the country celebrating Christmas twice. 

Going for a couple hundred years, Old Christmas has morphed into what it is today, most recently this past January 10th. My favorite part is feasting on roasted oysters and waiting for the arrival of Old Buck, the legendary steer that comes out of Trent Woods to join celebrants.

There are plenty of oysters. These were roasted in the same homemade cooker as mentioned in my previous post.

The community skatepark was as popular as ever!

The weather was great. Lots of people were outside for oysters and others indoors for chicken and pastry.

Oyster shucking is an art unto itself, requiring care and concentration.

Owen O’Neal arrives with Old Buck. Caretaking of the symbolic creature has been passed down for generations through family members or relatives.

Old Buck is led into the community building greeted by excited revelers. At times it seems chaotic.

I had to watch myself as Old Buck got a bit rambunctious.

It’s good luck to touch Old Buck. Before you know it, he’s out the door and gone another year!

This year, Old Buck’s appearance was expedited by his handlers. Thanks to Owen O’Neal, Willy Smith and Andrew Midgett.

The Art of Roasting

As autumn transcends to winter, folks here think about oysters. Community oyster roasts are as popular as ever. It seems there’s always one happening somewhere nearby. They are usually fundraisers for nonprofits. 

This year in Rodanthe the 4th annual Shuck Hatteras was celebrated December 20th to benefit Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue. Lots of people pitched in to help prepare and serve wild caught oysters from Swan Quarter.

They started with 75 bushels.

Owen O’Neal began cleaning them with a power washer.

Ronnie and Tyler Jarvis worked fire pits, made from stacked cinder blocks and sheet metal shelves to spread out the oysters. Wet towels hold in the heat, to steam them nicely.

With a couple hundred indulging people waiting, roasting is closely monitored and quickly moved to the tables.

A homemade barbecue oven does a great job. Here Eric Anglin and Ronnie unload a heavy sheet pan for delivery to some hungry connoisseurs.

Like all community roasts, it’s a feeding frenzy that brings people together for a great time.

Until next time… Bon Appétit!

 

Happy Halloween

This time of year, skeletons are everywhere. In 2019 during a regional 4-city concert tour, I followed Lord Huron. In each show, frontman Ben Schneider performed his song Wait by the River behind a larger-than-life puppet. I made this shot from the pit, at their performance in Richmond, Virginia’s National Theater.

 

Jimmy Buffett

 Mike Genger was one of my best friends in high school and college. We shared similar interests, most notably surfing and music. We learned to surf on 10-foot longboards, and attended rock concerts in the DC area. As fate would have it, we eventually went our separate ways. I moved to Hatteras and continued to surf. Mike went on to become a roadie for some touring bands. He worked with the likes of Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

In July of 1981, Mike called to say he’d be in Virginia on the 14th at Hampton Coliseum with Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band . The Coconut Telegraph Tour was in full swing. My roommate BJ, and I headed north to get treated with backstage passes. 

Before the concert, we hung out on the tour bus. I was taken by this graphic on the exterior.

I had no experience shooting concerts, but used a roll of Kodak Tri-X black & white film.

Mike led us back stage in the wings, where I was immediately mistaken for singer-songwriter,   JD Souther. Like him, I had long brown hair, and reddish beard. He was a huge influence in the California music scene. I was merely a doppelgänger taking pictures.

My camera was in manual mode. Shutter speed, f-stop and focus, all hit or miss.

This picture intrigued me. Thinking the negative was scratched, I took a closer look. The white mark going down Buffett’s left side is a broken guitar string.

These have never been seen or published before. After I developed the film, I filed it with all my other negatives. It was a memorable, not-to-be-missed opportunity. What a great show, exactly 44 years ago!