Shells

Yesterday was a shells day. We started collecting in Frisco, on Hatteras. We parked at the Frisco Pier, which was not only closed but also looking like it could not open before some serious attention is paid (pic/s above).

We strolled past Flying Free, our favorite spot to stay when we're down here (until now, anyway—we really like our house this time). The shipwreck remains that are in front of FF are sticking out less this year and will no doubt soon be consumed by the sand (pic above—don't know if you can see the dude in blue on FF's porch).

We gathered a small number of shells, some coquinas and a few 1"-or-shorter scallops.

We had lunch at Dirty Dick's, where—horrors!—they no longer offer the soup-and-salad combo of she-crab with shrimp-topped spinach and pecans. Vic got the soup anyway, a bowl instead of a cup, and I got a seafood skewer (yummy, including dolphin fish, which isn't really dolphin) over an indifferent pilaf.

We ferried over to Ocracoke and hit a few gift shops, looking for sharks (long story). We did find Myron's Barnacles. The place where we used to get them on Hatteras is now closed. (Very few businesses share that fate, by our assessment. Most things are as they were, including the cute shed behind Lee Robinson's General store—pic above.)

We picked up a flyer for Portsmouth ATV excursions. We want to do that ASAP!

We shelled on Ocracoke and enjoyed a scallop bonanza. They ranged from 2.5" to 3.5" in length. Vic now plans to ring his sunflower bed with scallop shells. I thought about using them as place markers for formal dinners, or dishes for pats of butter, or maybe mounds of cranberry sauce, seaweed, pico de gallo, tapenade... A big thank you to Gill for supplying the colander bucket (pic above).

Thunderstorms this morning!