The little yellow cottage

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As a young lieutenant with a dog, I received orders to Naval Facility Cape Hatteras in 1976. I always rented a place to live and planned the same for this tour of duty.I discovered the Lighthouse Café in Buxton for good food and pristine, empty beaches, but no place would rent year-round and allow a pet.

Reluctantly, I looked at homes to buy. My stomach churned at the thought of debt. I found a little cottage close to the beach and work that I could afford. Sleepless nights followed signing the papers, but soon that house became a home. For 21/2 years I loved my little home and my dog loved the beach.

Twenty-eight years later, I still own that little cottage. It now has central heat and air. The house has been the honeymoon cottage for my brother, my brother-in-law, my nephew (in the picture from 1978), and most recently my goddaughter.

The little yellow cottage that turned blue and gray and later dark brown shake cost me less than my current truck and is worth far more than its appreciation. It’s still a refuge and holds 28 years of memories for me and my extended family who have spent time there.

Leslie Skowronek
Buxton, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative

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