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...