Visiting Delaware Beaches

An osprey flies from the nest while Junior waits for it to

return with lunch.

 

The next morning was forecast to have rain in the morning with clearing by noon. However, strong winds of 25-30 mph still made the day unsuitable for paddling. We decided instead to tour the Delaware beaches and communities. Some of these we hadn’t seen in 30 years, and a couple I don’t remember ever having been to. We visited Slaughter Beach, Fowler Beach, Prime Hook, Broadkill, and Lewes.



Flowering yucca along the beach.  Ships anchored in the lower

Delaware Bay wait for berth space in the ports up river, or for

lighterage, the practice of transferring cargo to a smaller, shallow-draft

vessel until the draft of the ship has been reduced enough to permit

it to continue up river.

 

Duck weed and dark clouds.

 

We had lived a winter on our sailboat in the Lewes Canal. One of our favorite haunts was a café right on Savannah Road between Beebe Hospital and the canal drawbridge. We used to walk all over town, which was a quiet, quaint community then. So much has changed we barely recognized the place, and had to make two trips down Pilottown Road before we recognized the pier that had been home. Since it was lunchtime, we decided to make a return visit to our café, which has since changed hands, and is now called the “Filling Station Café.” The interior had been completely changed, but the food was good. To fit the name, the interior was decorated with antique auto parts, pictures, license plates, and so on. Delaware has exploded, both in business establishments and people. Sussex County used to be serene, rural, now, especially along the coast, it’s just as congested as New Castle County, the state’s commercial center.



Royal Terns

One Glaucous Gull, top, and Royal Terns.