Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The British are Here!

Hi, all! Since this is my first post on Stitches Thru Time, do you mind if I take a second to introduce myself? I’m Jodie Bailey, and I live in the great state of North Carolina. When I was growing up, I was not the kid who wanted to get out of town. I always thought I’d live and die right near my tiny little hometown. (Well, unless I married one of the New Kids on the Block and moved to Boston, but that’s a whole other story that we’ll never, ever talk about.) As it turned out, I married a soldier and moved far, far away… came home… moved far, far away again… came home… moved far, far away yet again… You get the picture. It happened so often, I figured we’d settle somewhere far, far away and yet, here we are in my grandmother’s home, which we bought from my uncle after she died. I could not be happier to be really and truly home.

Since that was sort of a long rattle, I’ll keep this little tidbit rather short. One of my very favorite places on earth—next to my own backyard—is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Ocracoke Island is only accessible by plane or boat and boasts wild ponies descended from horses marooned on the island after Spanish exploration and shipwrecks. Out there is more history than you’d think possible for a tiny little square of land floating between the Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. For instance, one of my favorite bits of trivia is the fact that there is a part of the island that is British soil.

Few people know that the British sent ships to help America patrol the coast against Nazi U-boats during World War II. On May 11, 1942, the HMS Bedfordshire was sunk by a U-boat, resulting in the loss of the entire crew. Four sailors were buried on what is now called British Cemetery Road on Ocracoke. The land where the graves lie was leased in perpetuity to the British government so that the sailors can be at rest on British soil. There is an additional set of graves on Hatteras Island as well.

The more I type, the more I realize I could talk all day about my favorite place. We’ll have to do this again soon!

Comment on this post or any post this week to get your name in the drawing for for a free ebook by author Amber Schamel!



Jodie Bailey's latest novel Crossfire is available now from Love Inspired Suspense. She is definitely ready to get back to the beach this spring!
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8 comments:

  1. Melanie BackusApril 22, 2014 at 12:46 AM

    Welcome, Jodie! Thank you for the most interesting post. I love the Outer Banks as well. The beauty, the sound, the constant movement of the sea...it is definitely a memorable place.

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  2. Dora WagnerApril 22, 2014 at 10:13 AM

    Thank you for that bit of trivia regarding the Outer Banks. I have never visited that location, but your information has made wish I had. We generally travel to Myrtle Beach or if we are lucky Hilton Head. I think I might want to visit the Outer Banks, very soon.

    I always enjoy interesting nuggets about my vacation locations and having "British" soil on the islands is quite intriguing.

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  3. stitchesthrutimeApril 22, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    Thank you for these tidbits about yourself and the outer banks. I love the ocean anywhere and have vacationed at Myrtle Beach many times. You make me want to visit Orcacoke Island. Much success with Crossfire.

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  4. Crystal L BarnesApril 22, 2014 at 6:19 PM

    Ooo, Jodie, that's sounds like a marvelous place to visit! =D Thanks for sharing those interesting tidbits. So glad you're now a part of our clan here on Stitches Thru Time. :) Look forward to hearing more of what you have to share.

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  5. Patricia BradleyApril 22, 2014 at 9:36 PM

    Really enjoyed getting to know you, Jodi and you make me want to visit Orcacoke Island!

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  6. Linda Shenton MatchettApril 23, 2014 at 7:38 AM

    Welcome aboard Stitches Thru Time! You're right - the Outer Banks are beautiful. I grew up visiting there each summer till my folks discovered Cape Cod.

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  7. Jodie BaileyApril 23, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    Thanks, all! Glad to be here. Sadly, I don't get to the island as much as I wish I did, but it's something I definitely want to remedy. :-)

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  8. Britney AdamsApril 23, 2014 at 3:06 PM

    Hi, Jodie! So glad you are joining this wonderful blog! We visited the Outer Banks a few years ago and loved the area! How interesting to learn about the land on Ocracoke being leased in perpetuity to the British government so that the sailors can be at rest on British soil. Thank you for sharing!

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