A Morning in the Sound

I don't know where the time goes. I guess it just flies by when you live on Ocracoke Island and there is so much to do. This morning Al called and asked if we wanted to go clamming. On the way to my pickup truck (I couldn't manage the clam rakes, clam basket, and other supplies on my bike) I passed by David and Lachlan on their porch. A quick call to Al confirmed that his extended family (including Gavin and Max, who is Lachlan's playmate) would also be going, and, of course, there was room for two more in the boat.

The morning was perfect; clear blue sky and warm water. We found a good spot where the water was shallow, and the bottom sandy. Overboard we went, pushing our rakes in front of us. We were surprised to find live cockles (large bivalves that are uncommon in the Sound, but whose individual shells are frequently found on the ocean beach) and live sand dollars (gray-green and covered with "hairs," not the dead, bleached white ones sometimes seen washed up along the ocean's edge). We could have probably harvested hundreds of the sand dollars, but we left them where we found them.

Once we had gathered as many clams as we wanted (actually fewer than the allowed limit) we met back at the boat and played in the water. Max's parents had brought along three hand-pumped water cannons. In no time at all we were engaged in all-out battle, with squeals, laughter, and drama. I think it fair to say that the adults enjoyed themselves at least as much as the three year olds.

We did see one very unusual thing on our outing, but you'll have to stop me when you see me if you want to know what it was. I'm not going to put it on the journal, so don't even ask!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is Lou Ann's account of installing an old-fashioned pitcher pump. You can read it here.