Boob is a Weekend Word

Summer Vacation Part I

June 11th, 2011

We’re gonna take several trips this summer – its a big year for me aside from the cancer situation. I turn 40 this year!

We’ve been coming to Ocean Isle for about three years now with Buck’s brother’s family. It’s quite a spectacle actually. We have four girls between us, so it’s a house full of estrogen. We are also going to Litchfield by the Sea in July – it will be our first visit there. There will be 14 of us going on that trip – and we’ll be celebrating my 40th birthday early.

Anyways, being kind of a history buff, I like to research the history of places I visit – i’m always amazed at how cities get built and evolve. So I thought I would share some things I have learned about Ocean Isle during the time we’ve been coming.

Ocean Isle kind of made it to the map through a recent tragedy. In late October of 2007, Ocean Isle found itself in worldwide news as an early Sunday morning four-alarm fire at a three-story beach house occupied by 13 college students claimed seven lives, injuring six more.

Ocean Isle is a very tiny town, boasting only 530 residents. The island is about 7 miles long – i’m pretty sure i’ve walked the whole length of it, at least my legs feel like it. Odell Williamson wanted to create a family vacation island and over several years and with other partners started acquiring property on the island. He bought the beach in 1953 for $218,000 – thats $1,789,780 in today’s dollars. I’d say that’s one hell of a deal! Odell, considered the father of Brunswick County, died in 2010 at 90 years old.

By 1954 there were 17 properties on the island, but Hurricane Hazel took out 15 of them that year. Rebuilding began shortly thereafter and has continued ever since. If you want to read some really old history of the island, there are some great details on The Brunswick Beacon.

If you want to find out more about Ocean Isle visit their web site at http://www.oibgov.com/.

Time at Ocean Isle this year was particularly meaningful. Spent a lot of time thinking, resting, walking, playing, and enjoying time with family. Oh and I shaved my head. It will be the memory of a lifetime!