Cape Hatteras, North Carolina goes by many names: “The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” “A Drinking Town with A Fishing Problem,” or put simply “The End of the Earth.” Located at the very bottom tip of the Outer Banks. Cape Hatteras has been a long time fishing destination that has yet to sell out as a commercial beach town. Stuck in time, everyone’s day revolves around when the boats go out and when the fish come in. Ravaged by hurricane after hurricane, it hard to believe that this town still exists.
In the 1980’s my dad and his fishing buddies bought a piece of land and built the ultimate boys getaway. Big deep sea fishermen, they spent their days on the water and their nights at “Shifting Sands.” One by one each one married and had their own families, turning Shifting Sands into a family vacation home. Overtime the old beach house has become like a second home to our families and the families we share it with. What make is most special is that my dad, an architect designed it.
It’s nothing fancy and stuck in the 80’s but that is what makes it great. It has quirks, charm, and that homey feel that can’t be manufactured. Here is a taste of good old Shifting Sands:
Caption: Hurricane Number 7 hit Hatteras on September 9, 1944. The storm packed 104mph winds when it came ashore. The boat of the left was only one of the causalities of the storm, a Category 2.
Caption: Local boy, H.J. Willis, poles across the main harbor in Hatteras Village. When you live on an island, you start out young on the water. June 1945.
Yes, outdoor showers count as real showers and yes, you get naked.
