Abstract:
The author recalls family trips to visit his grandparents in Buxton. Goodwin's grandfather, James Oliver Casey, was a keeper of the lighthouse. Among his responsibilities was maintaining the light, which included carrying five gallons of kerosene to the top of the lighthouse each day. Goodwin remembers catching ferries across the inlet and driving across sand to Buxton. There were no roads at that time, and drivers were careful to avoid quicksand. If travelers were in trouble, the Coast Guard offered quick assistance. At his grandparent's home, Goodwin enjoyed large family meals that usually included seafood, such as fresh-caught fish, crabs, oysters, and scallops. The Outer Banks have changed since Goodwin's childhood. During the Great Depression, for instance, the Civilian Conservation Corps built dunes along the island and planted trees to stabilize the island's continuously shifting sands.