Ending and Starting A Year At The Beach

The next couple of weeks will be a good kind of crazy for me.  I'm wondering where 2015 went and, also, sort of happy that it's going away (some years are like that, right?).  I do intend to end it on a higher note than it started and part of my plan includes saying good-bye to 2015 at the beach.

I'm sort of looking for a nicer place to dine on New Years Eve.  Last year, we went to Bethany Blues and had a great meal, but it was a bit too casual for something so momentous as the last day of the year.  I suggested Ruth's Chris in West OC to my husband, but he felt that might be a bit too fancy  ($$$) for us right after Christmas.  We will probably go to Antipasti or Touch of Italy in Ocean City.  Both restaurants offer great food without stuffy atmospheres or prices.  No matter where we end up, I'm looking forward to spending a fun evening with my family, then heading home to put my fat pants on,

We will be sure to be home by midnight to catch the fireworks in Northside Park (which we can see from our front yard).  If the weather is warm enough, maybe we can walk to the park to take part in the festivities there, which include live entertainment, the Winterfest light display, and hot chocolate.

There are a couple of "plunges" scheduled for January 1, 2016.  You can do the Penguin Swim in Ocean City to benefit Atlantic General Hospital or head north to do the Dewey Dunk to benefit ..nevermind...don't do the Dewey Dunk 'cause it's probably gonna suck.

The best thing about starting a new year for me is that I am that much closer to warmer weather and sitting on the sand again. I look forward to 2016 and all of the new adventures it will bring.  I am resolving to take a longer moment before I act or speak, to curse less (same damn resolution every year), to take better care of myself, to read more books, and to try more new things.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Bitches.  See ya' next year!  Peace!

Sun, Surf, and Santa

For some reason - maybe it's El Nino or, perhaps, we're just lucky - Winter does not want to come to the Mid-Atlantic region this year.  I have to admit that it's sort of preventing me from fully getting in to the holiday spirit, but I also think that it's awesome that I don't have to warm my car up before work every morning.

I've been heading to my beach house every other week since October.  This weekend was supposed to be an "off" week, but then I saw that it's supposed to be 62 degrees and sunny in Ocean City this Saturday.  Hmmm.......

Last weekend was as lovely as I thought it would be.  We did some shopping on Rehoboth Avenue, had a wonderful lunch at Cilantro, and did another tour of Winterfest of Lights in Ocean City.  While strolling down the boards in Rehoboth, we noticed that Santa was available to take requests from the kiddies with no line at all.

The house of the lonely Santa (photo credit: my daughter's FB page) 

Even though Christmas is just around the corner, you can sense that things are winding down in the resort towns.  Some restaurants are out of certain food and drink items, and some are closed for the season.  Many businesses have signs up to let people know when they will be closing for the season (almost all right after Christmas).  As festive as the beach towns look, you do get a lonely feeling when you pull in to town at night and you're the only person sitting at a stoplight on
Coastal Highway.  It's not unusual to see one balcony decorated with lights and garland in a building with nearly 100 condo units (actually - I find that kind of cool).  

I decorated my beach house living room with a teeny tiny tree. Since the weather is so warm, I needed some reminder that Christmas is on the way.  I will be back at the beach before Christmas day (either this weekend or next - or both) to finish up some shopping and enjoy being as far away from the weekend traffic on Concord Pike as possible.

Go to the beach.  It's warm and it's beautiful.  

This Saturday from 8-11 AM, you can have breakfast with Santa at the Dewey Beach Lions Club.  There is a small admission fee and they ask that everyone bring a non-perishable food item.

Head to Bethany Beach at 6 PM on Saturday to join the Mariners Praise Band for carols around the tree on the boardwalk.

Beautful Bethany Beach 

There is still plenty to do and see by the sea before Winter decides to finally show up.  Enjoy the holiday season with a little less hustle and almost no bustle.

She Sells Sea Shells (and purses, socks, and candles)

It's time to start shopping.  Christmas is a mere three weeks away (which is totally unbelievable to me).  As much as I hate to admit it, outlet shopping is really one of the easiest ways to get it done.  I will probably find myself hitting the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes this coming weekend to help cross a few items off of my Christmas gift list.  I'm also planning to stroll along Rehoboth Avenue with my awesome daughter to find some unique gifts for our loved ones.

Rehoboth Bandstand Decorated for the holidays

It will feel good to get back to the beach this weekend for some shopping fun and relaxation.  The beach weather is looking good (sunny and in the 50s), so conditions should be just about perfect for walking outside while carrying lot and lots of shopping bags!

There are sooooo many holiday events going on in all of the beach towns this weekend.  Here are just a few:  

On Saturday afternoon in Ocean City, the OC Christmas Parade will march down Coastal Highway between Old Landing Rd (by Gold Coast Mall) and 120th St..  It will feature high school bands and floats and is sure to help put everyone in the holiday spirit (and stall traffic on Coastal!).  

OCMD Christmas Parade

If you're still not feeling Christmas-y, there are two performances of The Nutcracker at the OC Performing Arts Center (at the Convention Center).  Show times are at 2 PM and 7 PM.  Tickets are $15 and are available at Ticketmaster or through the Convention Center.  

On the boardwalk in OC, you can catch a ride with Santa on a horse-drawn sleigh for $10.  Rides continue through 12/27 on Saturdays and Sundays from 10-4.

Lewes, DE is hosting a Christmas Parade at 5 PM on Saturday 12/5 followed by a tree lighting and caroling in Zwaanendael Park.

On Sunday, 12/6 at 5 PM head to Northside Park in OC for the Winterfest of Lights Jingle Bell 5K.  Registration is from 3:30 - 4:30 at the Abbey Burger Bistro on 126th St.  Registration fee is $28 and all participants are encouraged to dress "in the holiday spirit".

I,for one, prefer shopping next to the ocean to walking around a hot and crowded mall (ugh). Even if you only find something for yourself (like Kilwins fudge), the pretty lights and decorations in the beach towns will put you in the mood for the holidays.

 

The Most Sun-derful Time of the Year

Sandy pumpkins and salty corn

A week ago, I sat on the Bethany Beach boardwalk and watched a young girl walk by me wearing a bikini.  It was, seriously, warm and sunny enough that people were lounging on the beaches and swimming in the ocean.

I'm going to take advantage of this extended summer weather to take my mother to see the Winterfest of Lights in Ocean City, MD next week.  The exhibit starts on November 19 and runs until January 3.  I figure that it would be better to take her before the lines are too long and the temps are too cold.  It won't be quite as Christmas-y, but I'm sure it will still be cool to see.  Admission is $5 (12 and under are free).

Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park on OC

If you're in the mood for more Christmas before Thanksgiving after visiting Winterfest, head to the inlet in OC for the Light Up Downtown Festival on November 21 from 3-6 PM.  This free event offers live music, crafts for kids, holiday vendors, and a visit from Santa.

It is soooo quiet at the beach right now.  Last weekend, I stood in my backyard in OC and could hear the sound of the leaves falling off of my Crape Myrtle tree and hitting the ground.  I could also hear the faint sound of the waves crashing on the beach (about .5 mile away).  It was one of those moments when you close your eyes and try to store the memory because you are so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it.  To me, the falling leaves, combined with the ever-constant ebb and flow of the ocean waves, gives one the sense that life, just like nature, needs change as much as it needs stability.

On that deep note I leave you with this:

"Indie"n Summer

It is going to be around 71 degrees and sunny at the beach this weekend.  What better way to enjoy the warm weather than with a steaming cup of hot cocoa at the Rehoboth Beach Cocoa Crawl?  For $10, you can shop participating stores on Rehoboth Ave. and sample sweet treats, drinks, and desserts from local eateries along the way.  There will be live music at First Street Station and a chance to win a $1,000 gift basket.  

Drink hot cocoa by the sea in Rehoboth this Friday

For those who don't want to be outside this weekend, you can attend a movie or two at the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival.  Movies will be screened at three locations:  Baycenter in Dewey Beach, Cape Henlopen High School, and Metropolitan Community Church Rehoboth.  The festival runs from Nov 7-15.

There isn't much else going on in the beach resorts this weekend, so I plan to spend some time getting the yard at my beach house winter-ready and, maybe, cleaning some windows.  I'm hoping to get on the sand for a bit and enjoy the comfortable quiet that I love about this time of year.

I leave you with a scan of the cover of a super-cool greeting card that my daughter gave me a couple of weeks ago.  This sums up how I feel every time I'm at the beach...

Caramel Apples and Salty Air

On Saturday night, I was heading down Wilmington Ave. in Rehoboth at around 7 PM.  The moon light was bright, but filtered by wispy clouds.  The temperature perfect sweater weather.  The streets were filled with trick or treaters who were lined up to get candy from the downtown Rehoboth Beach stores and I was happily exhausted from a full day of walking around OC and Rehoboth.  

It's times like this that I catch myself smiling.  

Beautiful Fall decor at Salt Air in Rehoboth Beach

The shoulder season is winding down at the DE/MD beaches.  Except for the holiday events (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentines Day), there are very few things happening between now and next Spring.

Thanks to the threat of Hurricane Joaquin earlier this month, the OC Winefest will be this coming weekend (10/30-10/31) at the inlet parking lot in Ocean City, MD.  The event features micro-brewed beers, wine from wineries along the east coast, Delmarva cuisine, arts and crafts, and live music.  Tickets are $35 at the gate (must have ID).

Drink wine on the beach in Ocean City this weekend

Another postponed event that's happening this Saturday (10/31) is the 2015 Lewes Fall Craft Fair.  Sponsored by the Lewes Historic Society, this event will take place from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Historic campus on Second & Shipcarpenter Streets in downtown Lewes.  Admission is $5 (children under 12 free) and proceeds benefit educational and preservation programs at the Lews Historical Society.

Lewes, Delaware in Fall

If you find yourself on Rehoboth Avenue this weekend, you have to grab a candy apple from Kilwins.  Seriously.  I tried the Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel, but it doesn't really matter what flavor you get - they use the most delicious apples.  Every one is great.

I will be staying in Wilmington this weekend to enjoy the vibrant colors of the changing leaves and catch up on some chores and errands.  I'm looking forward to heading back to the beach next weekend for my "fix" and more smiles :)

Sea Bitch Festival

Headin' to da beach wit my bitches

gonna see some ghosts

and some witches

Halloween at the beach is hella nice

Kohr Brothers ice cream has pumpkin spice

We gonna chill at my beach crib

and wear fleece and shit

while our boyz be up North (yo)

Fall is legit

Gangsta Pumpkin

Soooo....that was a little rhyme that I made up about my upcoming Autumn beach weekend with my daughter and daughter-in-law (a.k.a two of my fave people in the world).  To get the full effect, you'd have to imagine me rapping it while wearing a 5X fresh, white tee.  

It's finally here.  The ultimate Fall/Halloween beach weekend is this weekend (October 23-25).

Rehoboth Beach Sea Witch Festival

Here's a quick rundown of some Halloween happenings:

Sea Witch Festival (Rehoboth Beach)

Wags, Witches, and Warlocks Halloween Festival (Bethany Beach)

Drive In Disguise Halloween Parade (Ocean City)

In addition to the many events that each town has planned for this weekend, there are several smaller events happening.

I plan to check out The Haunted Forest at Roxana Volunteer Fire Company  and, perhaps, check out the Bullbuckers show at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday night (10/24).

There is the Great Pumpkin Race and Halloween Maze on the boardwalk in Ocean City - both part of the two week long O.C.Toberfest celebration.

Great Pumpkin Race on the OC Boardwalk

16 Mile Brewery in in Georgetown, DE is hosting the LoDel Music and Arts Festival on Saturday 10/24 from 12PM - 11PM

The weather is looking promising (low 60s and sunny - perfect Fall weather) and 

Have a great Fall Beach Weekend.  Peace out y'all.

Vacation Highlights Volume II

How pathetic is your life when your goal for vacation is to finish watching the last season of Game of Thrones?  I did that and I'm not sorry.  And, now, I've moved on to Jane the Virgin (thank you Netflix).  That's the wonderful thing about taking a vacation at the beach in the fall - plenty of "downtime" to sit around, binge-watch, read actual books, and watch a couple of episodes of Judge Judy or Divorce Court (both hilarious).

We have managed to leave the house a few times.  Here are some highlights:

Day 5:  Tuesday, October 13:
The dog seems to be feeling fine - as long as he is eating leftover Filet Mignon from Ruth's Chris Steak House.  He's still turning his nose up at this own food, but I'm not real concerned anymore so we went to Rehoboth Beach to walk around Rehoboth Avenue for a while.  We grabbed lunch at Beachside Bar & Grill, which was pretty good.  I liked the wings and will go back to try some other menu items. 

Beachside Bar & Grill in Rehoboth Beach

Day 6:  Wednesday, October 14
Another beautiful weather day!  We have been so lucky this week. 
We started the day with breakfast at Denny's in Ocean City then headed to Millsboro, DE.  because my husband seemed to think that it had a cool, little downtown/main street.  He was wrong.  There were a couple of antique store that we hung out in for a while, but it's mostly just traffic and old Laundromats.

On the way home, we went to Bethany Beach (again) to take another stroll on the boardwalk and look at the dune damage in the daylight.  The town of Bethany had been busy decorating for Fall and Garfield Ave. looks very pretty.

Bethany's Fall decor

We spent a lazy afternoon and evening at home, then I took a ride to the grocery store so that I could actually cook dinner (for a change).  Once again, it was a beautiful night and a beautiful ride to the grocery store.  I don't think that I could ever not love this ride:



My ride to the grocery store

For the rest of the week, we plan to head to Berlin or Salisbury and we have some friends coming in to town on Friday night.  I'm looking forward to the cooler temps that are coming our way because I am running out of warm-weather clothes and I don't feel like doing laundry. 

I probably won't have a chance to check in later this week, so I'll be back early next week with information on all of the Halloween happenings at the DE/MD beaches!  I love fall at the beach!!

Vacation Highlights Volume I

Day 1:  Friday, October 9
A sea gull grabbed my DeVitos Deli hoagie out of my hand while I was sitting on the beach at 136th St. today.  Seriously - the whole damn thing.
 
The dune crossings are completely filled with sand and you need to slide down a big drop to access the sand.  Ocean City doesn't seem as bad as the Delaware beaches, but it's still a bit tricky.
 


Dune crossing at 136th St. completely filled with sand

 

Bethany Beach dune crossing (most are now closed to public)

We spend the afternoon painting the deck in front of our house, then had a great dinner at Papa Grandes in Fenwick Island just before the incoming cold front brought the rain.  The outdoor deck was open and a cool breeze was blowing in off of the bay.  After dinner, we headed to Harris Teeter in Selbyville for much needed vacation supplies - like $9 vanilla soda and strawberry licorice.

Day 2:  Saturday, October 10
Since our dog has been acting a bit strange for the past few days (he doesn't want to eat), we ended up braving the Endless Summer Cruisin' weekend traffic on routes 528 and 50 to find the closest pet store.  We stopped at Petco in the White Marlin Mall for some high calorie nutritional supplement and some "feel better toys" for Rude Boy.

"Feel better you will"
Rudy and his healing Yoda
 

Later that day, we stopped at Claddagh on the Shore in Fenwick Island for some sandwiches in the bar.  It was pretty crowded and the Prime Rib cheese steaks were delicious as always.  Service was great and we left feeling full and tired.  I'm really glad that we gave this place a second chance.

Day 3:  Sunday, October 11
If I could have ordered a perfect weather day, today would have been it.  I took advantage of the mild temps and sunshine and finished my deck painting.  Later in the morning, we visited an open house on Lighthouse Rd (Route 54) that was absolutely beautiful, but a little too "waterfront" for my taste!


Great house, but built in the marshy area next to Montego Bay (literally -  
check out the liquid back yard!)

 

For Sunday dinner, we finally headed to the top of the Fenwick Inn to dine at Peaky's Rooftop.  Although the food was so-so, we will be going back just because of the beautiful views, great prices,  and friendly service.  We witnessed yet another beautiful sunset over the bay and dined overlooking the ocean.  After dinner, we headed to Bethany Beach for a nice stroll down the quiet boardwalk.  What a beautiful night!

The view from Peaky's rooftop looking South

 


My neighborhood and a great sunset

Day 4:  Monday, October 12
I got sunburned today.  I sat on the beach for about 1.5 hours and my arms and legs are burnt.  It's another great weather day (73 degrees, sunny).  It is also our 30th wedding anniversary.

Beautiful day to be lounging lazily by the sea

My husband gave me a beautiful pearl pendant.  I gave him a book and some soap (he wins this year).  We are heading to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in West OC for dinner to celebrate in style (actually we're going to use up a gift card.

Todays exciting news:  I saw some Target items for sale at Roses today.  I hope that they get more of their cast-offs!  Also - TJMaxx in Gold Coast Mall is opening this weekend.  My life is a bit more complete now.

That's the latest from the beach.  I will try to update later this week - if I'm not too busy doing fun and exciting things like going to Roses and nursing sick pups!