By GAIL FOWLER

There are some places that change so much in a season that they are worth a return visit. Lake Mattamuskeet is one of them. Most of the crabbers are gone, replaced by birders. And the beautiful, iridescent blue crabs of the summer have been replaced by the vibrant tundra swans. These are snowbirds, and eastern Carolina is where they “summer.” They are tourists of the waterfowl variety, and they attract thousands of other tourists, the human kind.

When I visited on an unseasonably warm day in early December, the first thing I noticed was the noise. Mattamuskeet was no longer the quiet sanctuary of summer. Tundra swans — unlike their mute European cousins that glide across the lake’s surface — bugle, bark and hiss. Their wings whistle, and their feet slap the surface of the water. They pose and they posture. They are a spectacle.

Every year, the tundra swans attract birders, naturalists, photographers, and well, people like me, who just want to see these magnificent creatures in their summer quarters.
To be fair, I could have gone to see the tundra swans a bit closer to home — in Pungo Lake, which I understand is just as spectacular. But I had another motive for going back to Mattamuskeet. Like a crab lured to the surface with a chicken bone, I’m thinking that a day at Mattamuskeet would be better with fried chicken from Outta Da Box Restaurant (in Engelhard). I was also thinking that maybe Miss Hilda would share her secret ingredient this visit.

I told Miss Hilda that I had brought a guest all the way from Italy to sample her soul food and hear her sing. Mostly true. She was flattered enough, or ready enough, to come out of the kitchen. She surprised her patrons, who put down their forks to show respect. Her voice is a local legend. Without introduction or accompaniment, Miss Hilda brought us into her magical sphere — alternating between soft, feathery tones and raise-the-rafters gospel, punctuated with occasional hand clapping. She was the great equalizer, balancing out the cacophony of the day. The black swan event, stunningly unexpected and transformative.

She thanked us for coming back and showed me a letter she received from my friend Tyler Beasley, who introduced us. She said that Tyler told her she should do more to let people know about Outta Da Box. “I know he means well, but I’m doing just fine,” she said. “I’ve got enough here, just making people happy.”

By all means, go see the tundra swans, but add another 10 miles to your trip for home cooking worth the extra distance. Food with a dose of spirit. Food that makes people happy. Food with an attraction as strong as the tundra swans.

Gail Fowler is the owner of Between Water & Main Bed and Breakfast in Belhaven and also runs her own yoga studio, YoGail.