TEYSHA TOUR: VIRGINA BEACH

Since we explored the mountains on Tuesday, we decided to visit the ocean yesterday. We swam and attempted to build a Teysha boot sandcastle and collected bits of smooth sea glass. The ocean is such a symbol of Earth’s powerful, vast beauty, just like the mountains the day before were. We think it’s good to take the time to submerge ourselves in both, and remember what an amazing ecosystem we’re all a part of.

For lunch we stopped at a little place we happened upon called Metompkin Seafood Market. The restaurant felt like a beach shack, and inside wooden ducks and nets covered the shelves. Metompkin is located near eastern shores of the Chesapeake Bay, and we hit it at just the right time – in the middle of crab season – so they had great deals on their fresh, local seafood. We ordered and waited in rocking chairs propped around a table with hot sauce and the Holy Bible on top. Our food came wrapped in foil and wax paper, and we loaded up with ketchup and tartar sauce and ate at picnic tables outside, since there’s no eating allowed inside. We loved our shrimp and chips basket, oyster sandwich and blue crab sandwich so much that we went inside and talked with the Mom and Pop who started the place. They opened twenty-four years ago and the Pop is the cook and the Mom works the front. “We’re always having people write about us!” the husband said. “And I have no idea why!” We definitely recommend this little place if you’re ever driving through Virginia because it’s keepin earth weird by keepin it simple and good.