It was a gorgeous though very hot day, so we went to the beach as early as we could get everyone up and out and spent lots of time in the ocean on Tuesday morning. Again, there were dolphins jumping maybe 30 yards from us and lots of pelicans and seagulls to watch in addition to heli-skiiers, motorboats, the occasional sail and planes overhead bearing banners advertising restaurants in nearby Ocean City. I spent about an hour out past where the waves were breaking, then came in a bit and promptly got splashed and got salt water in my eye, which then necessitated half an hour out of the water as my eyes are very sensitive to salt water, so I sat under an umbrella for awhile and watched people and birds. The waves were big enough that even now, many hours later, I can still close my eyes and feel like my body is being lifted up by the swell -- one of the best feelings in the world.
After lunch the kids wanted to go to the indoor pool with my father, so <lj user=" apaulled"="apaulled"">, my mother and I stopped at Fenwick Island's Seaside Country Store, which has mostly fancy jams, jellies, sauces, teas, crackers and homemade fudge downstairs and all manner of collectibles upstairs, including Christmas and Halloween departments (the latter is always a favorite of mine). Then we went to Sea Shell City, home of the Discover Sea Shipwreck Museum -- the biggest bargain on the Delaware shore, considering that it's completely free and extremely fun. I have posted about this museum previously here and here previously so I will just add that they now have some Titanic artifacts (controversial, I know), as well as a bigger display on the RMS Republic and reorganized central displays. And crabs and stuff in tanks.
The plank of wood on which the ship model sits came from a local shipwreck discovered by a couple visiting Ocean City from Frederick, Maryland. The gold Virgin in the middle of the coral was recovered locally too.
An ashtray from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ("The ship was the pride of the American side/Coming back from some mill in Wisconson/As the big freighters go it was bigger than most/With a crew and the Captain well seasoned").
A chamberpot from the RMS Republic -- not to be confused with the SS Republic, the steamship that sunk decades earlier. The museum also has a large set of silverware, a light, a ruined camera, various dishes and assorted other artifacts from the wreck.
A cup from the wreck of the Andrea Doria, which collided with another ocean liner in 1956 and went down off Nantucket. Nearly all of her passengers survived.
A pewter bowl from Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, which sank in deep water trying to outrun a Caribbean hurricane in 1724.
This tank is used to clean the encrusted and tarnished objects found in shipwrecks.
And here are a pair of spoons from the most famous wreck of all.
For dinner we had turkey with the praline mustard we got at the country store, which was fantastic, and fudge afterward -- mint, amaretto, cheesecake, creamsicle, peanut butter, pumpkin, cookies and cream, double chocolate and rocky road. Then we watched The History Channel, first Modern Marvels on magnets, which was really interesting -- I have a better idea how my cell phone works! -- and The Universe on the life cycles of stars, which was mostly stuff I knew before but the graphics are wonderful. And Barry Bonds! Of course it was versus the Nationals.
No comments:
Post a Comment