In the 1970s, 19 families made their homes on Bald Head Island, one of North Carolina’s barrier islands:
“They went for jogs and spotted sunning alligators and foxes that seemed to wonder who they were and why they were there. They watched loggerhead sea turtles trudge up onto the sand to lay their eggs and then used mesh wire to protect the nests from hungry raccoons. They picked up the prettiest shells.
“They gathered frequently for cocktails, cherishing ice cubes, calling them ‘Bald Head diamonds.’
“They played golf in spikes and nothing else just because they could.
“Or so goes the story.
“So many stories.”
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