“I call myself a mermaid, but I’m much more of a siren,” Sherry tells me. “What do you mean?” I ask. “Well, if you upset me… I’m not afraid to bite you!” Conversations with Sherry always remind me of her complexity; a lover of crystals, seashells, sunsets, and essentials oils, her soul is wild fire. Physics tells us that fire and water are mutually magnificent AND destructive. On the stove, fire will boil water. If a house is on fire, water will extinguish it. Maybe the blue that Sherry wears so excellently is actually just her bioluminescent glow?
Island In The Sun by Weezer blasts from a blue Jeep named Lua. I’ve never met a 57 year old so relaxed and fun, but make no mistake— Sherry is as deep as the ocean. After a major life change, she moved to Swansboro and bought her dream Jeep. Sherry’s dashboard, (known to Jeep owners as “ the duck pond”) is full of little colorful rubber ducks. On the internet, Sherry’s known as The.Silvermermaid and has an impressive following which comes from her approach to midlife empowerment and female representation.
Speaking of Jeeps, have you ever heard of ducking? If not, let me explain this wholesome trend started by off-roaders. By default, owning a Jeep makes you part of the ‘duck and wave’ community. When you find another Jeep in the wild, the idea is to leave a small rubber duck in the door handle along with a note that says something as simple as “Nice Jeep!” for the owner to find. It’s an act of kindness AND a culture on Emerald Isle, where I took images of Sherry on my Pentax 67.
What I know for certain is that meeting Sherry woke me up. I had never realized that turning 50 could be a turning point for so many different women. On any given day, Sherry is riding her bike, collecting plants, off-roading, or wearing a silk dress to the beach, collecting seashells in the warm sunshine. Let’s not forget that the happiness Sherry has, was created by herself.
