John Deal spent the weekend learning contemporary boat building techniques at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and sent the photo of a boat currently under construction. Who can resist the beauty of a boat under construction, or the fascinating shop in which it is being made?John passed along a regional saying, "By the rack of the eye." Which means to be guided solely by the eye without line or rule. --judgement by eye of accuracy, alignment, length, etc. (rather than by the use of a ruler or other instrument). Norse in origin, Usually heard only in the dialect expression "..bi t'rack o' t'ee" ("..by the rack of the eye"). cf Swedish rak (straight) and Norwegian rak (direct, straight, erect).
How the heck the Vikings got to North Carolina, we will never know, (maybe by boat?) but it might explain the local interest in stitch and seam.
Doug,
ReplyDeleteI would say that a very good possibility behind the Nordic influence in North Carolina came indirectly from the western Scottish islands. Without much doubt, Vikings had a profound presence and influence there and then may have been transferred here by the large Scottish population that chose North Carolina as their new home.