Still having fun in the sun.  We're now several stops above Charleston, anchored off the inside of Shackleford Banks, near Beaufort, NC.  On the way up we took a little side trip to Wilmington, NC where we left the boat while visiting with old friends from "waaaaay back when" - Jane and Chip Carnathan.  Chip drove all the way down from Hillsborough to pick us up - 2.5 h each way.  We stayed at their house for two nights.  We went to the traveling broadway show, 42nd Street, tooled around the neat little town of Hillsborough (allot like Valparaiso), and went to an outdoor sculpture exhibit.  Although it sounds like we packed a whole lot into a 2 night visit, it was very relaxing and we greatly appreciated the chance to be away from the boat for a while.  What terrific hosts those Carnathans are.

As you can see from the pics, we're still enjoying all the beautiful natural surroundings as Miss Hattie chugs along.  The wild horses are a rare treat - they arrived in the late 15th century with Columbus and then more came as ships wrecked off Cape Lookout to the east.  The Spanish ancestry of these horses has been established through DNA testing - what a world we live in! 

Now heading toward Norfolk, VA (4 days travel).  No, we will not take the Dismal Swamp route!

Itty-bitty Crab at Little River Inlet (NB, camera cord on right) 

Ooops, we stayed on the other side too long

Patrick Dougherty twig sculpture, roof detail

Jane and Chip, Dougherty Sculpture

Lenore, Chip, Jane - at house in Hillsborough, NC

Wrightsville Beach, NC, parking meter in bay

ICW goes through Camp Lejeune

Shackleton Banks, Atlantic side

wild horses on Shackleford Banks