Monday, July 03, 2006

Leaving Nag's Head before being eatin' by Crabs


Leaving Nag’s Head Before Being Eaten by Crabs –July 1st
After a great week with family we sit around our last night together eating fresh steamed crab and shrimp, a quiet fell on the table as men, women and children cracked, dug, pulled our every piece of juicy sweet crabmeat,
it was a marvelous time had by all, except poor George, who is allergic to shellfish, we also made burgers. Food all week was wonderful, from Craig & Lisa’s breakfast of Chopped Venison over Toast (SOS) along with Potato, Egg, and Sausage scramble, Nicole & Tom making Pancakes and Tacos, not the same meal, George & Pamela with Chicken Kabobs, Jill with Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Mac &Cheese, Pat & Val, my sister, holding down the fort and directing traffic, Craig was responsible for a bushel of fresh steamed crabs, and me steamed shrimp. The crabs pick on us, we pick on them.
Friday night , after the crab feast, some on the crew departed, then the rest left before I got up, my first day in a bed all week, I sleep in, they were all gone at 8am, strange feeling, a big empty house, most of the rental change hands on Saturday, folks saying good-bye, hugs, a much needed family experience for me, and a new one for lots of others, not a bad thing.

Off to see the big sailing ships in Beaufort, NC, down Hwy. 12 south, along the narrow islands of Cape Hatteras, pass many beautiful lighthouses, summer houses, and people having fun. Though Pea Island, Buxton on to the free ferry at Hatteras, you need to call for reservations for the Ocracoke Ferry, a 3 hour ride to Cedar Island, they leave at Noon, 3pm, and 6pm, I call they are full till 6pm, so after a pleasant ½ hour ferry ride, it’s 11:35am, Skate flies down the road, it’s a 45 minute drive to Ocracoke, we only pass one car, in to the town, lots to do here, no time, pass Howard’s Pub, and where I am going if I can’t get off the island, it’s 5 till noon, I pull up, hello, one spot left, lucky for me, behind me are some Outward Bound kids after a 2 week kayak trip around the islands, I don’t know, who’s happier. Time on the ferry to write about family, thoughts of them fresh. All good people, we lost my sister last year, she as a trooper in life and with family and friends, she would want us to continue, doing life’s chores and enjoying it’s small treasures, she was to stay in the East, raise 3 smart and beautiful girls and son and continue to build bonds with the community, for my reasons I choose to life out West, at times its too far away. She had a sweet sense of humor even when suffering, her will to live, do things she was told not to, still laugh and smile, and be a brat to the end of her life, and we miss you and love you. With your love to me, and gentle understanding, me your older brother, that moved away 30 years ago to Oregon, I will take your strength, and love and be there for our family when needed. Bless you, Sweet Donna.
Off the ferry at Cedar Island, not really an island, across the marsh land south , pass Stacy on to Beaufort, were the ship the Meka II is a 54 foot half scale replica of a 17th century two-masted pirate brigantine. In 2002, Captian Sinbad and crew guided the Meka II to victory in the Americas’ Sail Class B race in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which earned Sinbad the right to host the 2006 event in jis homeport Beaufort.
There was the Cisne Branco, 249 feet from Brazil, the Virginia from Norfolk, Virginia, one of the coolest was the Ada Mae, a skipjack, used for oysters, it is one of only 20 remaining and believed to be the last of its kind built in North Carolina, it’s 62 feet in length, with a mast of more than 53 feet and 1200 square feet of sail. There was music, food and lots of Pirates too. Beaufort is pronounced BOW-fort here, in South Carolina its phew-fort, in the south its fun to think you talk like the locals, but like any region, good luck!
This was once a fishing village settled by the French Huguenots and English sailors more than 275 years ago. The was active during three wars, Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War, great older buildings, 1709 cemetery called the Old Burying Ground and pirates, this was a hang out for Blackbeard and his pirates in the 1600’s, his treasure is buried here, somewhere.
Before I leave, I take a harbor tour of the tall ships, on the Water Bug, a dinky little oval shaped boat, very enjoyable, the captain told us all boats have their music, so while going by a tall ship, he plays” Blow the Man Down”, we turned heads, got laughs, sing and we yelled like pirates, we was scary, I am sure, well maybe. Lots of sailing vessels from all over the world take part. Fun time.
It’s time to get back on the road, south along the Crystal Coast, pass Fort Mason, down to Cape Carteret, then inland on Rt. 58 N, pass Pollockville, folks out Sunday Eve, eatin’ and talkin’ and being together. Farm lands, tobacco sheds, smell of manure in the air, rolling hills, nice drive with a beautiful orange sunset, I cross Snow Hill for the second time, stop at Bojangles for Fried Chicken and Biscuits, not bad for a small chain, good sweet tea. Then on to Durham, I am pushing hard, to hard this night, I get assistance from Renee in Odessa, Texas, as my commitment to small roads takes me to Rt. 222 to Rt. 39 north to Rt. 98 W , getting close to Chapel Hill for breakfast with friends, Brandon and Holly, folks I meet in Utah. It’s late, it’s dark, tell me to stop, nerves a bit on edge.
Pull into North Durham, Budget Motel, to late to look any longer.
More on the Budget (crack) Motel later.
62.0mpg/328 miles traveled

2 Comments:

Blogger monkeysnacks said...

Ferry rides sound fun. Even cars like to ride on the water sometime.

2:41 PM  
Blogger monkeysnacks said...

Also, which is better? Dungeness crabs or East Coast crabs?

Dungeness, right? :)

2:42 PM  

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