Opinion Page
THE BRUNSM
Edward M. Swealt and Carol;
Sweats...
Susan Usher
Terry Pope
Inhnnv Craiv
Mary Pott*
Orrlia Gore
Tammie Galloway
Steve Anderson
Bill McGowon
Clyde and Mnttie Stout. Jim I
Page 4-A
'Moth Svni
, - A
Safety f
Like moths drawn to th
sightseers can't seem to kee|
Apparently they're draw
mystery and power of the fii
have nothing better to do wit
The July 19 fire at Oyste
pie of what one local firema
forced to leave the immediat
without purpose, standing on
or darting in for a better loot
They got in the way o
vehicles clogged the entranc
lot. Their carelessly parked \
to get in position around the
Coming and going, resci
exhausted, dehydrated firefh
to fight their way through he
What's the price for play
When a moth gets too clos
rhpH
Maybe that is what it wou
at community fires?death 01
In the meantime, casual c
interfere with the job at hand
Fire chiefs have the auti
their volunteer rrews?to nro
ment as possible. The chief in i
firefighters on the scene, b
emergency personnel. In shor
Using his police powers,
sightseers?and any vehicle
operation?removed an d poss
Taking a tough stand on
departmental public relations
firefighters deserved support
If you have no business on
emergency is passed?or taki
'Bob' Wield'
Hurricane Bob proved a
winds wielding the final bio
had held sway over U.S. 17 f
The flag was the subject
Owners of a gas station t
to wave both night and day, i
poor treatment took its toll
ricane Diana last Septembei
Its tattered, faded condil
sion on those casually passir
those of us who passed unde
Its condition certainly n
of-county newspaper editor
way to a recent press a
Carolina. It was the only lata
Town of Shallotte.
The flan is gone. It wa;
before its shredded 13 stripe;
one newspaper phot og raphe
When?or if?it is replac
give the IJ.S. flag the respec
tional symbol into merely ai
I
KK&BEACON
yn II. Sweall Publisher*
Editor
iVeiti Editor
Staff Writer
Simrts Editor
Office Manager
Advertising Representative
Typesetter
Pressman
Photo Technician
lallou Circulation
Thursday, August 1.1985
rlrom<=>'
w* b e ? w
Hazard
e flickering of a candle, casual
p away from local fire scenes,
'n by the hint of danger and the
e itself. Or perhaps they simply
h their time.
r Bay clubhouse is a good examn
calls "moth syndrome." Until
e area, onlookers fluttered about
mounds of bleached oyster shells
t at the fire.
f firemen pulling hoses. Their
e to the facility and the parking
vehicles slowed fire trucks trying
building.
le ambulances that transported
;hters to Brunswick Hospital had
avy "let's take a look" traffic.
ing with fire?
e to a flame, it gets zapped, scorld
take to discourage sightseeing
serious injury of a sightseer,
mlookers shouldn't be allowed to
lority?and the responsibility to
vide as safe a working environeharge
has control of not only all
ut also law enforcement and
t, he's the boss,
the boss can have interfering
that impedes an emergency
iibiy cited.
the issue might temporarily dull
i, but it would also give volunteer
i a fire scene, stay away until the
i? a chance on getting zapped.
a.
ed Final Blow
blessing in disguise last week, its
vv to the once-grand old flag that
or several years.
; of a recent Beacon editorial,
had allowed a giant-size U.S. flag
n weather both fair and foul. Such
quickly, with a boost from Hurr
and a series of winter storms,
jon made a more obvious impresig
through town, perhaps, than on
r its stars and stripes daily.
1 I > i ?
mm- ji uau impression on one outwho
passed through here on the
ssociation conference in South
Amark In? could associate with the
> hauled down Thursday, but not
s had caught the eye of more than
r.
ed. the owners should take care to
t due it. rather than turning a naoother
business emblem.
Ringne
When Jody arrived home, Colin
was under the shed busily snapping
bits of wire, fasteners for an impromptu
and rather large tahleton
cage.
Off to one side her brother, Daniel,
held a box that was taped shut at the
top and had airholes in its sides. As
he watched his father's every move,
Daniel was on pins and needles, itching
to open the box and show us
what was inside. But wait he did.
From within came a fluttering
noise and a soft sound, such as the
murmur you hear in a henhouse near
dusk. It was a familiar, comforting
sound, unlike the harsher calls of a
brood of pheasants in a nearby pen.
The GA's had been baking cookies
at church, in preparation for a visit to
the nursing home. Jody McCoy's
house was the last stOD on the
deliver.' run home; it was tempting
to linger. The McCoys had been family
friends since childhood, their
house reachable through a soft sandy
road that ran through the woods from
behind our house on U.S. 17 to theirs
A
Jm
)n. , V??e".>\ iw?l , . ^- r? <
600"'
Ru
The name is descriptive of this
shorebird about the same size as the
sanderlings. The "ruddy" comes
from the rich chestnut color on the
shoulders and wings and the "turnstone"
comes from its habit of
pushing and flipping shells, stones
and debris in search of food. It is one
of our regular birds along the
Brunswick County coast and can be
easily overlooked because of its protective
coloration and feeding habits.
This chunkv. nlover-like bint is
about 8-10 inches tall with a wing
spread of 16-19 inches. Its orange colored
legs are probably its best mark
of identification because no other
bird of its sire has orange legs. In
summer its upperparts are rusty red
which makes a strong contrast between
the whitish underparts. Face
ami breast have conspicuous black
markings which become duller but
still visible in winter. In winter the
Care N<
Sometimes a busy street can be too
lighted for its own good, which may
be the case of Ocean Boulevard West
at Holden Beach
last week, a young woman was
struck by a car near the minature
golf course nest to the Holden Beach
Fishing Her Police Chief Raymond
Simpson said no charges will be filed
in the incident and blamed poor
visibility for the accident
It was not raining last Tuesday
night when the accident occurred
around 9 p m.. nor was there any fog
IT* car had its headlights on and the
girl probably saw the approaching
car and thought the driver could see
her
The only problem was. the driver's
visibility ts believed to have beer
altered by the surrounding lights
glaring onto the highway and wind
shield Unfortunately, the girl walk
ing on the edge of the highway wai
struck, but fortunately she was no!
seriously injured. Officer Gecrg<
Adkins said there was son* dispuU
over whether the girl was actually
eked Doves A/1
1 " r Susan
m '
% I I. L . .
"""
x \ST J
off Village Point Road. We'd grown
tin tni7pth#>r ririino hilrpc r?ir?lrino hor
ries and skating at the local roller
rink.
This was an exciting day to stay.
Janet filled us new arrivals in:
Daniel had been to Gilbert Grissett's
and didn't return empty-handed.
Gilbert raises pigeons and doves in
Grissettown?mostly for fun, but also
for a little profit.
Daniel was the proud owner of a
family of ringnecked doves: male,
female and baby. The baby was all
down and quills with a huge beak. It
sat in an old wren's nest Colin had appropriated
from the rafters of the shed.
The mother was all over herself
in this new situation, alternately sit
?. r'j
ddy Turnstone
"V
upper markings become brownish
and tile legs may also become duller.
In flying, the black and white patterns
on their wyigs and the three
white streaks dovfti their backs make
them appear larger.
Turnstones use their short, stout
bill wtiich ts slightly upturned at the
point to flick over hundreds of shells
and fragments to find eggs, worms,
and small mussels. When they are
feeding in an area and the surf is
calm, you can hear the soft clicks of
the stones or shells being flipped.
Their colors give them almost comseded
Alon<
%
M
walking on the highway.
She was rushed to the Brunswick
I Hospital for treatment and released.
It was the second time this year that
a pedestrian has been struck by a car
on CVean Boulevard West and rushed
to the hospital.
In an unrelated incident in June, a
Greensboro girl died from injuries
i received when a vehicle struck her
while she was walking along the
highway ?.! Hidden Beach. That acci
dent was during daylight hours
> last week's accident points out the
I real problem with Ocean Boulevard
( West, especially the stretch near the
! fishing pier after dart. As Police
r Chief Sunpson noted, a driver ap
late For Life,
ting on or near her baby and fluttering
up the walls of the cage.
Doves mate for life, Jan reminded
the children, recalling tlie wild mourning
doves that return each year to
nest in a nearby stand of pines.
Meanwhile, we were marveling at
the birds. If you've never seen
ringnecked doves, you can't imagine
the delicate beauty of these
creatures.
Averaging about eight inches in
length, their dusty rose feathers fade
to a pinkish-white on the underside
but are a blushing gray in the upper
wing area. They have red feet and
red eyes. A dark band circles the
neck, giving them their name. They
like taking long drinks of water,
swishing cracked corn and seeds
about their cages and cooing, cooing
unH pnnina cnmn mnro
At Daniel's and Jody's house, you
have to keep any new arrivals in
perspective. Their yard reminds me
of what it was like for us girls growing
up on McMilly Swamp. It's full of
animals for companionship? and to
love and learn to be responsible for
their care. They've got
fS
plete camouflage on an oyster bed or
along rip-rap or similar material.
These birds breed only in the Artie
areas on the coasts of Alaska to
Greenland. Four buff colored, olive
spotted eggs are laid in a shallow
hollow lined with grass and dead
leaves and concealed under low
bushes. Both birds attend the nest
and are territorial in defending their
nest and the offspring. Turnstones
winter along the coastal areas from
North Carolina to South America and
along the west coast. We have the
birds here all summer as well, but
out summer birds do not breed here.
If you are not familiar with the
Ruddy Turnstone, take time to look
for this little bird along our coast.
Sometimes called "calico back",
"calico plover", "chicken plover",
and "sea quail". Ruddy Turnstones
are one of our most interesting bird
species.
g Ocean Be
preaching the well-lighted area can
"make out shadows, but he can't
really tell what is on the road."
It's like standing on a stage before
an audience with lights glaring down
from various directions. The performers
can hear the audience and
see uie ugrns, dui they cannot make
out (aces and members in the crowd.
From on stage, one can't really tell if
the audience is waving or getting
ready to throw tomatoes
On the other hand, the audience
can always see the performers on
stage with no problem and they
always assume that those on stage
can see them as well.
There are some pedestrians who
assume every driver traveling down
Ocean Boulevard West has a clear
view of both the highway and the
pedestrians' Hawaiian designs as
they use the highway for a footpath
on their way to the pier or pavilion.
The assumption appears to be based
on the fact that while walking
along the shoulder of the road, it
looks like the place has enough lights
I i
Daniel
cats?including Frisky, who couldn't
take his eye off the doves; Sugar and
Shorty, the children's pet dogs that
stay in the yard: a brood of
pheasants, plus a little aquarium.
Off to the sides of the yard, in pens
of their own, are the black and tans
that are Colin's and the children's
pride: Duke, 11 years old but as
frisky as a three-year-old; and Jan,
10, a sedate mother figure. The first
mating of these senior citizens produced
two beautiful female pups;
Sheba and Tar Baby. Unlike many
black and tans bred today for color,
his haven't a trace of Doberman
blood. These pups had enormous long
ears. Duke's legacy, and perfectly
formed bodies, with tails made for
pointing.
They're not for sale, so don't ask.
When they're the right age, he'll be
looking to mate them with some
equally true-to-breed males. Colin
says he wants to re-establish the old
time black and tan line. After one
look at those puppies' gorgeous ears,
Jody thinks that's a ereat idea.
Watching Jody and Daniel brings
to mind some of the best moments of
childhood. Unlike some of their
friends, Daniel and Jody don't own
lots and lots of store-bought things.
The other kids should be envious,
though, because these two have
something much finer, something
that can't be bought: the whole outdoors
for a learning lab and
playground?and parents who
understand why that's important.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Follow Lead
Of Sunset, Says
Fire Chief
Tor the editor:
The Sunset Beach Volunteer Fire
Department would like to thank all
those who gave mutual aid at the recent
fire at Oyster Bay.
Our thanks to all fire departments,
police and rescue squads for their
assistance, and to all citizens who
answered our call for drinking
water?mostly brought in their personal
containers.
We would like to encourage all fire
departments to follow the lead of
Sunset Beach and form Fire Medic
Units. Their value was proven once
again at last Friday's fire?giving
care to firemen and ail persons at the
scene long before and after the arrival
of rescue units.
A First Responder course is being
held at the Ocean Isle Fire Department
for police, firemen and all those
interested in gaining knowledge of
first aid and CPR. This course is being
sponsored by Brunswick Tech
and will begin Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 7
p.m.
David Harrelson, Chief
Sunset Beach
Volunteer Fire Department
Fffnrfc U/ora
VI J ?? ? ? Vxl V>
Crucial At Fire
To the editor:
As an expression of appreciation.
Calabash Volunteer Rescue publicly
thanks Shallotte, Coastline and Waccamaw
rescue units for their
assistance at the Oyster Bay Golf
Club fire.
Their efforts were crucial to the
safety of all those involved in the fire.
Cora Phipps. Chief
Calabash Rescue Squad
>ulevard
for cars to pass even without their
headlights on. That's dangerously
putting the "stage syndrome" to
work.
The area with the most lights is not
necessarily the area that is safest
-hen using the boulevard as a foot
path to the pavilion, minature golf
cxirse or pier. Pedestrians may look
like distant shadows from the wheel
of a vehicle. There are now several
shops in the same lighted area, increasing
foot traffic along the
boulevard.
Without a doubt the lighted area is
a very popular spot for families and
teenagers, especially this time of
yJhr. Let's hope it continues to be a
popular area, but that those under
the lights will think more safely when
they consider walking along the
boulevard
The town of Holden Beach has applied
for a state grant that would be
used to construct and pave a bikepedestrian
path along Ocean
Boulevard. It would help tremendously.