Rolo's wins

We went back for our last lunch to Capt'n Rolo's (I spelled it completely wrong the last time I mentioned it). Their fish basket was heavenly: essentially fish and chips, it featured the freshest flounder I've ever tasted. It was dusted with a flour-and-salt mixture, other seasonings in there I'm sure, and presented with fries that were crispy and neither too wide nor too stringy.

On the table were three red sauces: ketchup (blecch), seafood cocktail sauce (mmm), and hot sauce. I combined the last two for my fries.

I'm pretty sure that Rolo's is a place that locals frequent. We got "looks" both times we entered. However, the sign above the door conveys that at least some travelers are expected!

Kitesurfing in Frisco

When the wind is blowing just so, the kiteboarders flock to the south-facing beaches. I was on my daily stroll and got a few pictures.

We're staying in one of the last houses on the beach before the airport, and we think the house line (houses stop, miles of vegetation/airport begin) is a marker for the surfers. Twice now we've seen their multi-passenger vehicles parked outside. After the boards zoom in, their riders apparently think they have to clamber over fences to get to the cars -- unfamiliar with the dune overpass that would be a lot more direct for them?

Good eats

Though it was hurried, a menu was assembled for this trip. We haven't fallen in love with a lot of the items therein, but a few -- including two breakfasts -- stand out:

Scrambled eggs with lemon cream & smoked salmon
Breakfast burritos with andouille (recipe called for chorizo)
Clams with andouille
Pesto, olive, and roast-pepper torta
Southwest chipotle corn

If you come to stay in Gloucester, be sure to request one of those breakfasts! Recipes for each of these to follow in coming days. We'll modify a couple of recipes to try again, such as Zucchini cakes with smoked trout. Something about them just kinda misfired. And, of course, we still have today's items to sample.

As far as eating out goes, we've been to lunch at
Cafe 12 (yum)
Hatterasman (amazing fries)
Top Dog (always good)
Dijalo (Ocracoke; truly inspired food)
Captain Rollo's (best fish)
and Buxton Munch...
not sure where we're going today, but maybe to repeat Cafe 12. The tortilla-bottomed Flat, with it's 4" edge of fritelle-style cheese and fresh toppings including sushi-grade tuna, is hard to resist!

New kite

Well, not new, but different. Vic says he thinks he has done more kite flying this trip than on any other trip we've taken. He does love to fly his kites!

Frisco at the pier

'North Carolina's Ocean Fishing Piers' states that the Frisco Pier has stood for my lifetime, since 1962. It has not been open since 2008. The book calls it "the only south-facing pier on the Outer Banks," and we can testify to that. I truly enjoyed fishing there the single time (2007) we were able to do so.

The current owner of the pier has said that "considering the economy," he does not see it as "worth it" to repair and reopen the pier. It sits on federally owned property, so temptation to cash in the real estate is not a factor, and its pier house is in good repair. Anyone interested?

Avon at the pier

Action at the pier at Avon was in swing, if not in full swing. This week I picked up a book on the fishing piers of North Carolina. Called 'North Carolina's Ocean Fishing Piers from Kitty Hawk to Sunset Beach,' it asserts that early November is the prime fishing time for red drum, a species associated with the Outer Banks. So there's still time for pier action this year.

Its author, Al Baird, says of the 1964 structure: "The Avon Pier now has the distinctive look of an old wooden roller coaster, complete with banked turns." I would agree!

Champion sheller

Vic's skill at finding whole shells exceeds mine. He has found a whole olive (tubular shell, top left), a whole Scotch bonnet (bottom left), and a whole whelk (bottom center).

I did find a very nearly whole Scotch bonnet, but I have yet to come across anything like a whole olive or whelk. I also found a weird, shell-hard egg case (center, top). Still love beachcombing, though.