A penny for your thoughts! Some days I don’t think mine are worth that much. But the phrase does make me think of those charming old-fashioned things called letters. Remember them? They used to come in the mail with the bills and grocery store coupons. Oh well, I’m sure you’ve seen one in a movie.
It was a way of sharing your thoughts and feelings with a friend for only a few pennies. Fast forward to today and those same ideas are shared instantly with friends and strangers alike for free! Why waste pennies on that “Welcome to the Outer Banks! Wish You Were Here!” postcard when you can post a selfie on the beach for free? I admit the dramatic decline in handwritten notes breaks my heart, I proudly admit to being a card-box owning stationary addict, but watching people pose for five minutes trying to capture the perfect picture is hilarious!
While crafting a picture with the hopes that it goes viral or gets more likes really says “Thinking of Me!” rather than “Thinking of You!” the core principle remains the same: the desire to share the pleasure of an experience with others. So leaving aside outdated post cards and vainglorious selfies, what are real vacation memories that are honestly worth preserving and sharing? I’d say fun times with family and friends, but those are pretty hard to recreate four hundred miles away from the beach. Unless your memories were shared around a table, in which case we’ve got you covered at Weeping Radish!
For over thirty years we have been making outstanding micro-brewed beer. Fact. But what we’ve inadvertently been crafting at the same time are memories; unique vacation memories for all of our customers that extend far beyond the doors of our restaurant. Basking in the sunshine sipping on an OBX Shandy while reading on the beach, grilling Weeping Radish sausages on the deco of your cottage while drinking a Black Radish, or enjoying a cool Corolla Gold in the shadow of the Corolla Lighthouse. It is a real thrill to meet tourists stocking up on their way to the beach and then again on their way back home.
The beers and charcuterie that became a part of their vacation are going home with them as gifts and mementos. A heartfelt way of reliving and sharing the joys of your vacation. Pretty delicious too!
But this shouldn’t be confined to tourists. I get it; the summer season is cranking up, traffic is getting heavy, and locals are stressed. It’s easy for us to take for granted the majesty of the Atlantic, the breathtaking views from a lighthouse, or the whimsical joy of flying a kite. We live in a remarkable place that combines natural beauty, history, and quirky attractions that is worth bragging about.
As one of those quirky attractions, I’d like to remind year-round residents to appreciate where they live. We do. We’re grateful to be a part of this unique community and it’s why we are proud to have our beers linked to two local charities. Our OBX Shandy, basically summer in a glass, is made with pink lemonade and supports the Outer Banks Hospital’s Get Pinked! breast cancer charity. And more recently a portion of the sales from our Corolla Gold Beer is donated to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
We’re happy to do our part to support the human and animal Outer Banks residents. Just our way of saying “Thinking of You!”