Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday from my Atlantic Life in Hatteras 😊
So, why do I choose to live on a sandbar 30 miles off the North Carolina coast in the Atlantic Ocean...?
Quite simply.... because I feel "at home" here - like I "belong". For anyone who has ever read any of my early blogs, you'll know that I've always had an incredibly restless spirit, even as a child....when others that grew up around me in my hometown (which I still think incredibly beautiful 💗), were happy to stay in the same community that we had been born into, often marrying their childhood sweethearts and living in the same area as their parents, grandparents and friends - I always longed for something more....faraway places and exciting adventures, and I was always dreaming of ways to make that happen! Although I'm not quite sure I imagined I would have travelled to so many wonderful (and some not so wonderful....) places, all over the world.
Now, before I proceed any further, I do want to make it super clear that……I am absolutely not from a wealthy family, I didn’t inherit any riches, I’ve never won the lottery…..and I’m still not wealthy from a financial perspective (although I think I’m super rich in lots of other ways, which I think is cool, although I think JB would prefer us to be a little financially rich too 😉)
But I have managed to travel extensively…. either through clever, inexpensive and innovative planning, but more often, through work.
I’ve been super fortunate in many of the adventures I’ve had whilst travelling - although looking back on some of my earlier travel exploits…. perhaps a little too naïve for my own good….
On studying a world atlas - (yes, a real atlas, not an online one) whilst hanging out in our inn library during the rather stormy weekend, I realized how many different cities I actually had visited all over the globe.
Atlantic Inn Library
From breakfasting on beignets and fresh coffee in the French Quarter in New Orleans, to lunching next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Dinner in Athens under the wonderfully illuminated Acropolis at night, to riding thoroughbred horses on a Jamaican beach, from celebrating New Years Eve on the Southbank in London, to shopping on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, I could go on …..so many different places….so many countries….
France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Portugal, Lanzarote, The Canary Islands, The Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Tortola, The Cayman Islands, China, India, Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia….and a few others :o) As for the US, I have flown into most major cities in the continental US at some point in time!
Not only did my extensive travels give me an incredible insight into so many other cultures and their way of life…. but it was an awesome way to check out if a country or city made such an impression on me, that I would want to consider living there.
And although for many of the places I mentioned, I may only have stayed there a few days – quite often it was enough for me to cross it off my list of potential places that I may want to call home 😊
Travelling back and forward to the US when I still lived in the UK so many times on business, was a wonderful way of seeing many of the different States – before Duke University moved me to North Carolina, I worked for a couple of different US companies, and would travel to the US several times a month.
Duke University, Durham, NC
So, I finally decided the US was the place I wanted to call home…. but although I enjoyed living firstly in Chapel Hill, and then on our horse farm just north of Hillsborough…I didn’t feel like I “belonged” in either of those towns. I began to think that maybe I’d just always be “restless” …. I didn’t feel like I “belonged” back in my hometown, but was unsure as to whether I would ever find that “special” place in the US either….
That was until I found the Outer Banks – an often wild and windswept place (well at least in the winter anyways🌊 ) collection of sandbar islands... and from the moment I entered Hatteras Village, I knew I’d found my "home".
It’s hard to say exactly what gives me the feeling of “belonging” it could be one of so many things…or a combination of these:
The incredible beaches
Being completely surrounded by water - the ocean and the Pamlico Sound
The absolutely awesome wildlife - so many different kinds animals, mammals, birds and fish....
Our century-old inn
The unbelievably rich history that surrounds me
The amazing people that choose to make this place their all year round home
The spectacular sunrises and sunsets.....and the awesome bits in between 😁
The outdoor activities - surfing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, kayaking, cycling...
The awesome restaurants (and complete lack of fast food chains)
The many privately owned small businesses.....I so don't miss large chain stores
My list could go on and on, there are so many reasons...
....And yes, there are downsides - living in Hatteras all year round is not for the faint-hearted, and it's most definitely not like having a year long summer vacation....there is very real potential for storm damage, our beaches are eroding, the cost of living on small islands off the coast of the mainland is much higher than you may think, you have to travel for medical care, on some parts of the islands it gets super busy in the summer, in winter many businesses close down for the season, it also gets super, super quiet in the winter and that may make some people feel isolated (although for me this makes it one of the reasons I love it!)....again I could go on, but you get the picture
All I know for sure is that I love my Atlantic Life here in Hatteras.....and for the first time ever, I feel "at home" like I really "belong" 💗
On driving back from Avon last night, the dusk sky was so incredibly beautiful, JB and I just had to stop at Kite Point.....simply stunning - the Sound, NC12 and the lighthouse in the distance....my road home...need I say more!
Until Next Time,
Take care, Stay safe......and please remember, for some of us it takes a lot of living before you feel like you belong
Love and Hugs,
Pam
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