It will be a tragic 4th on Ocracoke.  It's reported that the truck with the fireworks for tonight's display exploded this morning, causing some serious injuries.  Emergency medical services are on their way.

        

Beautiful morning in the ocean at Nags Head.  There were a couple of stand up paddleboarders near the Huron wreck.  The figure in the center of the pic is one of them ona wave, with Nags Head pier in the background.

Clear water, little chop from the north wind.

It's been a great week to play in the ocean, clear water, nice waves, warm.  As good as it gets!


 

        

A very perceptive blog post from Tom Campbell at NC Spin - http://www.ncspin.com/spin/articles/2009_05_13_2917.php

He makes a good case that North Carolina should support its small businesses more, and give away less money to the big corporations.  I am biased - I have two small businesses in NC, and it infuriates me that the legislature takes my tax dollars and gives them away to huge corporations.  Small business bears a lot of expense to comply with state regulations and taxation.  For example, the state changed the sales tax collection method a few years ago to require that business pay sales tax twice a month, based on prior tax collection.  They doubled the cost of compliance for a small business, with no net improvement in the overall tax collected, just better cashflow for the state.  People see business owners as wealthy individuals, but the business owner is the one who signs personally for his business debt, and for many years, is usually reinvesting in the company to make it grow.

Another example, on the federal regulation level, is the restrictions on 401K contributions by anyone who owns more than 5% of a small business.  All my employees can contribute up to 20% of their salary to the 401K plan the company created, but the owners are restricted to the company average(usually around 6-7%) plus 2 %.

Anyway, Mr. Campbell's post is very perceptive, and recognizes that small businesses are much more rooted in the community, and should be encouraged by our tax system. 

        

One of my property owners has written a piece that is rich with information.  He has accomplished an unprecedented change in the flood map on a select portion of the oceanfront in Kill Devil Hills.  Follow to http://croatansurfclub.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/x-marks-the-spot/ 

This makes the oceanfront condominium properties more attractive to a purchaser, but the real long term value is in the cost of insurance for the condominium association.  I would not be surprised if this lowered their cost of insurance by a couple of hundred thousand dollars per year.

They've done a lovely job on the ladnscaping, and it's a first class project.  I'm proud that Village Realty will be managing the condominium association and representing many of the properties for rent. 

        

There was a stir from the public a few months ago when one of the older cottages near Jockeys Ridge, and the cottage to the south changed hands, and the plan to tear down one of the two cottages came out.  Every community hates to lose its past - unfortunately, it sounded like the old oceanfront cottage would have been very difficult and expensive to update, and it was close to unsafe.

A couple of pictures below show the beginnings of a new cottage on the same site, and the current state of construction.  It looks like a very nice reconstruction with a double porch and L shape, and fits in well with the neighborhood.  Give a couple of years on the cedar shakes and it'll have that weathered look.  The building in the foreground of the 3rd pic is the garage, not attached to the cottage.

In the last picture, even the cottage next door gets some new shakes, and a new roof.  It's nice to see the owner reinvesting in the property.

Still chilly here in Nags Head, warmer weather on the way for the weekend!

        

It was a slightly damp, cool day for a parade, but the crowd turned out, and the marchers were troopers! 

It was the 20th annual parade, and Mike Kelly honored his parents and grandson as grand marshalls.  Thanks Mike, for another great parade! 

This year, Kelly added an 8 K run for the leprechauns, through Nags Head Woods.  I was out run once again by Dorie Fuller, and Myers too.  Oh well, great morning for a run.

http://www.kellysrestaurant.com/

        

It is still blowing (not as hard) from the northwest, the coldest wind for the Outer Banks.  I had to get the dog a little exercise yesterday at sunset, so we went tot he edge of Jockeys Ridge.  Yes, she should be on a leash - no, I saw nary a soul.




This photo looks across the Roanoke Sound from Jockeys Ridge. That's the north end of Roanoke Island (home of the Lost Colony) on the left, and Durant's Island towards the right, next to the sunset.

        

Only one track on the beach this morning.  The sandbar looks like it shifted north.


A juvenile humpback whale was washed up on the beach yesterday morning.  About 25 feet long.  The Marine Stranding team was there when I took photos yesterday afternoon. Check out the baleen, the mouth strainer.  It's like a huge brush, and i'd never seen one up close.  The smell really knocked you off your feet.

        

It's hard to show the incredible number of birds working the ocean today.  And fishing boats out during the day and night.

        

It's a breezy morning in Nags Head.  Lots of birds working, but spread out.







And it is probably close to 60, warm and breezy.