Big Jim Lassiter’s Memorial….feel free to add your own memories of Jim at Estate Sale Friends on the sidebar of the website
Above; the wall-plague of Soph here at the Beach House
Rock building castles on the beach and view from wooden deck with shells collected in surf
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Best antique shop EVER owned by Bud and Esther Arrants in Plymouth N.C. outside views only sorry, the inside is about 100 times more packed and amazing but he was closed on the second visit when I had my camera ready to go….sad face
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Giant antique tractor bone-yard now owned by the late Reverend Murphy’s son Clyde the second
We are bringing you along on our journey by way of showing you photos and writing a bit about our wonderful experiences here in North Carolina and that area of the States.
The photos shown are of the best antique shop I have ever had the pleasure of walking through (unfortunately when I returned to photograph the inside the owner was out ‘pickin’ so we could only shoot the exterior of the store) the place is located in the center of Plymouth N.C. on hway 64… and the owner took us through every little room and footage including his own home upstairs. I can honestly say I have NEVER seen so many great antiques and collectibles in one place and cannot believe that we haven’t seen a documentary done on TV of this man and his life. Amazing would be a grand understatement.
Next was a short visit to the largest collections of antiques tractors and farm equipment I have yet to see that was the property of the late Reverend Clyde L. Murphy who was the district head of 25 African Methodist Episcopal Zion Churches in his time. His colorful son and wife showed us around the land they all shared with 7 other family members in Pollocksville NC and Highway 17 never looked more interesting. Sophie found great love in their little pooch and his incessant need to be pet. Overall, it was a great stopping point and very fun to get to talk to Murphy’s heirs.
Turtles Hatching And Hurricanes Brewing
If you’ve never been witness to a nest of baby sea turtles ‘boiling over’ I recommend you take a look at this youtube video that was posted by a nearby neighbor here on Holden Beach just last year. The only difference between the video and our treat late last evening was that for us; the turtles hatched during the evening and they made their way down to the ocean by way of battery operated lanterns vs the moon which normally would guide them to salvation and due to the nature of the beast, we were not allowed to use any flash photography so our videos and photos didn’t turn out well at all.
Last night marked the very first visit in over 20 years of coming to the North Carolina beaches that we have been blessed to see this event take place in person. Sure the ‘Turtle Nazis’ as Rocky fondly termed the local turtle-obsessed group of elderly people who protect and serve these tiny creatures, did their very best to cordon off the nests and keep the little guys safe from natural predators or curious man, but still no matter how hard we have tried, our timing has always been off by a couple of days or a couple of hours.
Last night however, we hit the lottery and got to witness this miracle occur in person. What a sight it was! 8 Little tiny paddlers, no big than baby mice, climbing clumsily out of their sand den that had held dozens and dozens of eggs only a couple of weeks ago (most of them hatching and abandoning the safe-haven at that time leaving these late bloomers to fend for themselves) and awkwardly shoveling through the fine-silt-sand to the foamy waters waiting below.
I found out this was taking place by the elated look on Sophie’s face as she raced up the wooden-deck from the sea, and begged Rocky to come join us even though the mosquitoes were as thick as thieves down on the windless shore and I knew we would each get eaten alive but only for a moment. Once you feast your eyes upon the once in a lifetime event taking place below, I knew it would be well-worth any of us scratching our bites later on when it all settled down.
Today the two of them; Rock and Soph, sit down on the beach with a family on holiday who have little ones sharing castle-making-buckets and shells to decorate their dream-homes built with accenting moats, bridges, towers and dragons all made from the white sand sifted by these God-given waves 24/7. The kids giggle and scream, running in and out of the waves. Sophie and Rocky dig deep to fill the buckets firmly and make their castles strong enough to withstand afternoon winds brought on by the upcoming Hurricane Irene, sure to travel up the coast while we make our way back to Ashebroro, and tourists who smoosh and smash small buildings under foot without noticing where they walk or whose kingdoms they destroy.
I love our time at this beach and have enjoyed it since the first year Rock invited me, long before Soph was ever a thought or even a twinkle in her Daddy’s eye. She has grown up here year after year and even has this little beach-house named after her with a plague in her memory that hangs on the wall year after year, being looked after guest after guest while we stay home in California doing our jobs and taking her classes, playing her soccer games as goalie and caring for our pets who have never had a chance to come all this way to enjoy the beach. Poor Misty!
The photos shown on the current sales page, depict our trip from the outer shores in Manteo at the yacht harbor where the hotel we stayed in was located; The Tranquil Inn to the broken down tractors marking the graveyard of so many old farm machines, getting ready to rust even more or maybe have a chance at being rebuilt by the late owner’s son, Clyde Murphy. The vision of all that rusted metal being surrounded by lush greenery and dogs barking, seagulls flocking and rain drizzling down, makes me feel homesick for the Remour property in Mount Shasta, where I first learned to ride a horse.
This trip marks the end of an era for Rocky, Soph and I and we all know the next time we visit it will be with more people; Soph will bring a guest or two. She has outgrown sitting on the couch with two old codgers, doing puzzles and watching vintage cartoons. She is past the point where body-surfing with her ‘old mom’ and Uncle Rock is as much fun as running full blast down the beach with a girlfriend, telling secrets to a pal in the surf, putting on makeup and comparing new school clothes with another girl her age that appreciates fashion and knows how to wear the latest makeup and teenage jewelry and can help her pick out a stylish bikini or two. We will enjoy this week for all it is worth, taking in the laughter, the smirks, rolling eyes and know-it-all attitude for the conclusion of her childhood. From now on she will be a young- lady with all implications that brings with it.
Both Rocky and I will have these memories; of her paddle-boarding alongside her Uncle Rock, grabbing huge hand-fulls of sand to pick out the shell-covered crabs to race each other with. We’ll miss the fondness she always had for collecting shells on the morning low-tide beach, the crumbs thrown for the seagulls, the wet bathing suite drenching the leather sofa in front of the t.v., the fashion shows to see which outfit we liked best and the awkwardness of a teenage girl trying to speak with a stranger her age on the beach or in the small towns surrounding us. Soon she will be more mature and ready to fend for herself and will give us all less to dwell on and more time to work and be with our own friends and hobbies.
I don’t look forward to the time when Soph is educated and gone from the house. I don’t smile at the thoughts of an empty upstairs, more closet space where her clothes are hanging now or an empty room to fill with ‘my own’ choices. I don’t long for quiet hours where she isn’t screaming down for a favor, extra hours in the day where once I hauled her to and from soccer, a movie, the mall or even a friend’s house. Soon she will go to college and start her own life; marry and have a family. Knowing this makes me sure to run down to the beach right now in my old-lady swimsuit with skirt attached and conservative cut. Something for her to tease me about and giggle at; what more could a mother ask for.
Next week if all goes well we will host a sale on Tuesday and also Thursday Friday and Saturday. We will be back in town to get you all set for the fall schedule which now houses sales all the way through November; from Rancho Cordova to Carmichael and Fair Oaks as well as near our own home in South Land Park. Thanks to all who wrote to tell me about Jim passing; his story is noted on ‘Estate Sale Friends’ page and you can read my thoughts on him as a friend and one of us in that column. My condolences to both Rene and his family as well as Rene’s own mother, who will surely miss his doting ways every second of the day.
Thanks for the read
Jen and Soph