Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Jeep Seat

Here is a quintessential island story from Ann Ehringhaus' book Ten thousand Breakfasts, A Tale of Wonder, pp 121-122:

"One summer the passenger seat on my old jeep finally collapsed. It was rusted, broken, and had to be taken to the dump. People had been teasing me for awhile about taking folks for rides, saying they all needed a massage afterwards. Since I'm a bodyworker, among other professions, this sure looked like a sneaky way to get business! But this is a story about synchronicity and recycling.

"An old friend of mine, an engineer, was visiting the island and saw my jeep with no passenger seat at Oscar's House.

Ann on Beach with her Jeep













 "Later when he and his son were kayaking in Pamlico sound, my friend Phill spotted a floating Adirondack chair, at least part of one. To him it looked like just the part my jeep needed. His son was confused. He couldn't really see how the broken chair part would work, plus he thought the old jeep was already strange. He called me 'lady with the car with no doors.' At dad's insistence, they lashed the chair part to their kayak and paddled it to shore.

"I loved the wonder on the son's face when dad inserted the old chair part into the jeep's empty front seat. Wow! Perfect fit! He really couldn't believe my delight, but of course he hasn't lived for decades on a small barrier island with only a few stores. The salvaging of a working part, and that becoming the surprise solution to my jeep's seating, were cause for great celebration! With a wave and a bit of lingering confusion, the boy and his dad rode off on their bikes. An unusual job well done!"

Click here to read more about Ann's Bed and Breakfast, Oscar's House.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter highlights several noteworthy staircases in historic island homes. To read the newsletter, and see photos, click here: www.villagecraftsmen.com/news092117.html.

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