A Goal to Reach

We are thinking about another trip to the Outer Banks, possibly for next Summer, because of a personal goal in the family.


My Mom had two heart attacks at the end of June and through cardiac rehab, she has been doing much better. When I went with her to a cardiac rehab session, I noticed a photo hanging up on one wall. I was told that it was of a previous patient at the cardiac rehab center, and that the photo marked a goal he had reached.


In the photo, he was standing in the chilly environment at Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire. A few days before, I was watching something on the Weather Channel about the observatory and its surrounding climate. So I pointed the photo out to my Mom and told her about the conditions there, and then she suddenly had a goal in mind.


"I know," my Mom said, "my goal will be to climb to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse!" When we went to the Outer Banks in June 2004, neither her nor I climbed it even though it was open to do so.




I hope that we will be able to make the trip, because now it represents more than just going on vacation. If things work out and we find ourselves back in the Outer Banks, I plan to record our climb up the winding red stairs of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on video. Then, I will capture some video of the view from the top. We should share the video with the cardiac rehab workers who helped my Mom during her sessions there.


One thing is for sure...they will be as glad as we will be if her goal becomes reality, just as the patient who reached his Mount Washington Observatory goal. It will be great to reach the top of the lighthouse, and in doing so, beating her heart scare.


It depends on a few other factors as to whether or not we can arrange the trip for next year. However, after what happened this Summer, being able to join other tourists to view the ocean from the top of the lighthouse will make for a very happy moment.




As time goes by, I'll update on here about the plans to help my Mom reach her goal at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

An Outer Banks Rental

This week, I tagged two of my Facebook friends associated with the Outer Banks in this beach house photo (above) which I took during June 2004. It was one of my favorites that I only saw in passing on the way to the Cape Hatteras Motel, and again to head for home. So I didn't catch the name of it anywhere at the time and wondered about it whenever I look back at my vacation photos. All I did remember was that it was near the original location of the Serendipity beach house (in my photo below), which is known for use in the film "Nights in Rodanthe." Particularly, it was slightly north of that spot and on the sound side of Highway 12.

It didn't take long at all to find out the name of the very unique beach rental. Someone saw my photo on one of my tagged friend's pages and sent me an email about it. The beach house is called the Green Lantern and is rented out by Midgett Realty. Midgett, by the way, is apparently one of the surnames on my mother's side and through her father. We have a lot of Outer Banks ancestry, which explains my family's great interest in the popular travel destination.

Back to the beach rental, one I'd love to rent if I could get enough family members together at the same time. I'm hoping to find out some reviews on it by former renters as more people see my photo of the Green Lantern. Reviews, as well as more detailed photos of the property on the Midgett Realty Web site would be very helpful in getting family interested. It's just a matter of our varied schedules of course. That's why my family's Outer Banks visits have been very spaced out.

I first went there with my family when I was very young, five or a little older. We ran into tropical storm Dennis. At one point when the storm had calmed down a bit, we were out on a sand dune. The wind was still blowing enough to make the sand feel like it was stinging! I also remember the wind's ghostly howl around our relative's Hatteras Village house.

The next time I visited the Outer Banks was not until June 2004, what with work and school schedules. The original plan was to visit in September 2003, yet a variety of things came up. It was a vacation worth a little bit more of a wait in the end. It was the first chance I had to really use the new camera I had at the time. I took a mix of b/w and color photos of scenery, boats, waves, the lighthouses, and even the cemetery stones of ancestors. The 2004 trip was party for ancestry research purposes anyway.

My cousins and I wanted to go to the Outer Banks as a first-time vacation together. Plans were a little too last minute for 2009, and money has been tight of course with this economy since then. But maybe sometime in the near future, it'll work out. I wonder if in some way, I can make it sort of a journalism adventure. I am definitely more into this path than during my 2004 Outer Banks vacation. I only took photos at the time, no writing about the experience. Also, I didn't capture certain aspects of the time spent there...documenting the restaurants, noting any opinions on them, taking photos of them. So I want to do that as well next time...full coverage of dining out, taking in the attractions, capturing images both in photos and videos. I want to do the same for the ancestry angle of the next visit as well.

I think it will be a fun experience whenever we finally get to the Outer Banks again. At least three of us going will be taking a lot of photos, so there will be plenty of great memories no matter where we stay!

Outer Banks Dreamin'

In June 2004, I was taking in the warm-welcoming scenes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks for the first time since I was five years old. Below is a slideshow I created which reveals the many moments captured through the lens of my Minolta film camera; from lighthouses and marinas, to beach houses and natural scenery. Is it any wonder why the Outer Banks is such a beloved place?

By the way, just in case the slideshow doesn't play on here, you can also check it out on my youtube channel which is caroldfotojrn247. It is my most recent video upload on there as well, entitled "Outer Banks 2004."

The only regret was not writing about that trip to the Outer Banks while there, so that words and photos could work together in capturing memories.

However, there is the possibility of returning to the relaxing Outer Banks sometime soon with a few of my cousins. Although the plans are still just within the phase of talking about going, there is a great desire to make the trip happen. Between me and at least one of my cousins, we will definitely take a lot of photos throughout our stay. Not only that, but I hope to have learned more about video and will also be blogging about each day spent in the Outer Banks.

That reminds me…I need a new wireless device for my laptop as soon as possible; the internet does not work when I leave the house. Not good for anyone interested in travel writing and travel photography, that’s for sure.

Anyway, through our common grandfather, my cousins and I have many ancestral ties to the Outer Banks and we plan to meet up with relatives when we go. My mother has been in contact via email with some relatives since before the 2004 trip and also met with them at the time. That particular trip to the Outer Banks happened partly for the sake of family history as well having the chance to return after so many years.

The most interesting thing found out so far through my mother’s family history research is that one ancestor was a keeper at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It would be interesting to see what else my cousins and I could find out on a future trip.

I am not sure yet how many of us will be going, however there was a particular beach house I noticed the last time there. It was called, “Six Cousins Cottage,” located near the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, and I have six cousins on my mom’s side of the family. If only we could all stay at that beach house for a big family gathering with all of our ancestral ties to the Outer Banks.

Until that next visit, I am sure that I will not be the only one Outer Banks dreamin’.