Thursday was our last full day so we stayed flexible and went wherever the beach wind blew us. One thing was for certain, though: coffee. We decided to check out a couple more stores so this time I picked up my mocha latte from Waveriders Coffee, Deli & Pub in Nag’s Head. It’s Murphy’s Law that the last day is when I found the coffee I liked the best.

From there we visited Funky Junk OBX (bought a pair of brass bookends shaped like seashells and a beautiful, blue ceramic pitcher), Surf Sound Records (the owner has since retired and closed the store), and the Life is Good store.

Now it was time for one last walk on the beach (cue the sad face). I will never get tired of going to the beach in the off season because there’s nothing I love more than practically having a place to myself. On this walk we enjoyed a pod of dolphins swimming along the coast line and watching the birds feed in the surf.

After a long walk we were ready for lunch. Cecil found another great restaurant – Stoney Spencer’s Shrimp Shack on the Avalon Fishing Pier. Oh boy was I in heaven! There is a round bar inside the pier building and then tables outside on the pier. The menu was simple but so delicious. I had 1/2 lb. of steamed shrimp and Cecil had a fried chicken sandwich. Although I’m not a fan of getting my hands dirty in order to eat, it was worth it to peel every one of those shrimps. Needless to say, I was too busy enjoying my lunch to take a picture of it.

We sat at the bar and had the chance to meet a few of the locals. One couple, probably in their 60s, told us about how they were married on a cruise ship. They are the type of people who don’t meet a stranger so they said everyone they met they invited to the ceremony. So of course 200 people showed up! Haha.

After a short stroll on the pier we topped off that amazing lunch with ice cream blizzards from Dairy Queen. With tired feet and full bellies we went back to the motel for a long nap.

Cecil and I were having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that it was our last night of vacation so we headed back north to Duck. Most of the places we wanted to go to were closed so we opted for another walk on the boardwalk. I am so glad that we did. My pictures will never do this sunset justice. It felt ethereal and otherworldly and I wish we could see it again.

On the way back to the motel we picked up a Greek pizza from Dare Devil’s Pizzeria and settled in for our last night.