Seafood Lunch

I have to admit that I am not much of a seafood fan. I suppose, that is because most of the seafood that I've eaten in my life has come from the freezer or in the form of a McDonald's Filet-o-Fish. I do love fresh shrimp from the Blue Shrimp Restaurant in Puerta Villarta, Mexico. But other than that I can't remember any really good seafood meals. If you asked my wife, she'd tell you my favorite seafood meal is a ribeye steak.

Today was different. We ate at The Crab Shack on the barrier islands. I had fresh crab cakes, hushpuppies, coleslaw, and a baked potato. It was good, but what made it really special was the atmosphere.

We sat at the window overlooking three fishing boats at dock. These were not fancy yachts or other pleasure craft. These were real, working fishing boats. Rusted metal and peeling paint instead of polished metal and smooth, shiny surfaces.

As we ate, and watched, a couple of Cormorants darted back and forth, dove, surfaced and raced off to another spot to dive again. A Pelican watched and waited for the dive. As soon as the Cormorants found a new area to fish, the Pelican would slowly swim over and try to get its share. The Cormorants would fly off to escape the intruder and find a new fishing hole.

The sun was bright in the sky and the water was blue. Bright sky, blue water, good food. Heavenly.