When I moved to Buffalo, New York to attend grad school I was fresh off a summer of windsurfing in Ocean City, Maryland and Aruba. That was probably when I started turning into a beach guy. Buffalo quickly tried to crush my spirits with cold and snow. Here's the thing about living in Buffalo. The weather will put you in a deep funk. In retaliation, I put on an armor-plated layer of Jimmy Buffett. I'm not sure what I would have done without him. Together, we survived Buffalo. Buffett's songs seemed to know exactly where I needed to go and the lyrics took my mind to tropical places. I clung to those songs as if they were a life ring holding me up until a passing ship could take me to a warm-water port.
Yes, my exile in Buffalo was self-induced, but I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Three months of summer (at best) has never been enough for me. After two years of school, I went straight to the Outer Banks to defrost for an entire summer. That's when the Outer Banks got in my blood and it's never left.
If one song spoke to me the most during my time in Buffalo, it was definitely Boat Drinks. The song talks about 20-degree weather and a hockey game being on TV. The final verse summed up my dreams and desires while living in Buffalo.
"I gotta go where there ain't any snow
Where there ain't any blow,
'cause my fin sinks so low
I gotta go where it's warm"
Thank you, Jimmy Buffett, for keeping me sane and motivating me to get to the place where I belong.
P.S.- On occasion, Jimmy Buffett enjoyed visiting the Outer Banks. You can read about some of his adventures in this link.
Boat Drinks
Fair winds and following seas,
John Van Lunen
Stay connected with stories and updates!
If you love the Outer Banks you'll enjoy our weekly posts containing local information, things to do, and observations.
In appreciation you'll receive a list of highly recommended books that are set on the Outer Banks.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
Categories
All Categories #bus252 10k 158 bypass 5k 80's music acorns investing activities airstream ipa alligator river alligators american tune amy glass angel khoury anker anker car charger anker charging cords anker charging cube anker power bank apple magic keyboard archaeology artrageous asheville aviation park bad blogs bald eagle bangkok thai sushi barry manilow bars bbq beach chairs beach conditions beach destinations beach driving beach fossils beach pollution beach road bears beer best beach towel best grills best sunscreen between tides bikes black bear blackbeard blackbeard's treasure blue 42's brewing barn blue crabs blueberry picking bluegrass island music festival boat drinks boat winterization bobcats on the outer banks bodie island light station bodie island lighthouse bonefish grill book stores books boring sports brenda joyce holland bruce springsteen buffalo buffalo city bugs bus252 buxton buxton beach by-pass caitlin clark camping cape hatteras national seashore cape point chesapeake bay chili cicadas clark twiddy clean beaches click bait cocaine coffee coleman cooler college columbia shirts concerts consumer reports coolers coquina beach corolla corolla cantina corolla wild horse fund cosmo's pizza country deli crabdaddy crabs crimes croatoan cuisinart fire pit cumberland currishuck currituck dancing dare arts dare days david mccullough dead whale death diesel beach dogs dowdy park duck duck donuts duck jazz festival eating healthy edenton el nino elizabeth city elizabethan gardens embrace optimism environment equipment ernie bowden events evernote facebook fake money fall farm market father's day fire pit fire worms first flight basketball first flight soccer first friday first friday in downtown manteo fish heads fishing fishing rods flat top cottages food freedmen's colony frisco funeral homes funfair george costanza ghost town goats good help graveyard of the atlantic growlers to go halloween hannah bunn-west harpoon brewery hats hatteras hatteras island hatteras lighthouse hatteras markets headlines heating hello fresh highland brewing hiking hoka holiday hometown hype hot dogs hurricane hurricane idalia hydro flask i got your crabs ipad jackie koenig jason alexander jbl xtreme 3 jet-skis jimmy buffett jk's restaurant john railey joni mitchell jumpmasters juneteenth kayaking kc and the sunshine band kill devil grill kill devil hills killer whales kite boarding kites lacrosse lacrosse championships ladles larabar laundry detergent sheets lighthouse 5k like a hurricane lincoln financial field local news locals summer logging camp lost colony lost jewelry lost pig lu ann jones manteo manteo christmas marathon mcdonald's meg rubino memorial day weekend memorial day weekend traffic memorial weekend merchandise mike leach mile post miss helen's biscuits mosquito repeller movies mozart music nags head nags head woods national beach day national geographic national park service day national parks native americans nc12 ncaa neanderthals neil young new year's eve newsletter niagara falls obx obx boat butler ocracoke ocracoke pirate festival ocrafolk off-shore fishing oifc old christmas oliver anthony oregon inlet oregon inlet campground oregon inlet fishing center osprey outdoor pizza ovens outdoors outer banks outer banks seafood festival outer banks triatholon outside magazine oysters paddleboarding parade parent of the year parks pea island pea island life saving peaches peter king philadelphia philly pork loin sandwich phone chargers photography day pickleball picnic pizza podcast portsmouth island powwow pro wrestling pumpkins race ranch water recycling remarkable women rental cars restaurants ripley's riverview cafe road trip rodanthe running of the leprechauns sanctuary vineyards scammers scarbough faire shopping village scott dawson sea bags seafood shade shark shelta hats shipwrecks shopify shoulder season shuck hatteras snakes soft shell crabs soundside event center soundside market soundside spring market spam speeding spelling bee splash pad sports illustrated sports writers spring break squatters st. patrick's day st. patrick's day parade stanley travel mug star gazing stevie van zandt stitcher stories storm preparation strawberries streaming tv summer sun protection sup surfing surfing dogs syracuse lacrosse t-shirts tangelos taste of the beach ted lasso the art of possibility the beach boys the breakers the e street band the hero the leopard man the lost colony throwdown surf classic tiktok tim ferriss tom glynn toodles tourism town of duck traffic trampoline park travel traveling debt tri village tri villages trio turtles twiddy twitter u.s. life-saving station united states life-saving station vacation vacation philosophy vandelay industries vermont village table and tavern vineyard visionaries voting vusic vusic obx vusicobx walking tours wanchese washington commanders waterfowl festival waterspouts wawa waze weather weddings whalehead club whip poor wills white zombie wildlife willie nelson wilmington wind speed wine winery wings over water wooden boat show worrell 1000 race worst employer worst job wright brothers wright brothers national memorial yard sale yart sale yoga youtube
