Yacht Rock and Yard Work

Can I just tell you one more time how much I love being here?  I don't think that I can truly describe the feeling that I get when I reach the top of the Indian River Inlet Bridge and see the ocean on my left and the bay on my right.  Breathtaking is the only word that comes to mind.  Breathtaking views, breathtaking sunsets, breathtaking walks on the beach, and breathtaking trips to the grocery store.  

Seriously people.  Here was my view during my after-dinner walk on Saturday night:

It has been over two years since I purchased my home in Ocean City, MD and I grow more and more in love with this area every day.  I call Wilmington my home, but the beach is where I truly "live".
Days like last Friday - with 70s soft rock playing as I get my yard and patio ready for the summer season  - are the reason I don't mind the sometimes challenging two hour drive and the big property tax bill that I now have to pay every year.

My husband has been wanting a mounted swordfish or marlin to hang up on the one wall that remains empty in our beach house.  The idea of a slimy-ish fish staring at me all night does not appeal to me at all.  I decided to compromise and create a glass mosaic of a white marlin.  

Here is the wall that's waiting for the finished project:

Here is my progress on the White Marlin so far:

It's sort of hard to imagine how this is going to look when it comes together.  Even I don't really know how it will evolve.  I'm looking forward to working on this throughout the next month or so and, hopefully, getting it on the wall some time this summer.

Lots of stuff is starting to happen down here.  Coastal Highway in OC is still pretty torn up from the repaving project, but I'm thinking that should be done by Springfest on May 5.

If you do venture down, you can take advantage of Restaurant Week in OC and check out the Kitefest on the OC boardwalk this weekend (April 29-30).  I remember seeing this last year and it was pretty cool to watch.

I'm looking forward to the end of the week when I can head back to the beach again.  I'm hoping that either my mother or my daughter will join me for a night or two.  If not, I will enjoy it on my own!  Ahoy!!

Pulling Mussels From A Shell

Almost 8 years ago, I noticed that my belly felt a bit itchy after eating a massive amount of shrimp.  It could have been dry skin, or a reaction to my laundry soap or cologne.  But, in my mind, I had developed a horrible shellfish allergy.  One that was sure to kill me if I swallowed another creature in the crustacean or mollusk family.

I decided to avoid all shellfish until about two weeks ago, when I summoned up the courage to go to an allergist and find out if my allergy was real.  

C, L, SH (crab, lobster, shrimp).  No reaction.
Just a bunch of freckles. 

It wasn't.

All of those uneaten crabcakes, shrimp cocktails, broiled scallops, and lobster tails!  All of that deliciousness wasted because of my fear of not knowing and not wanting to know (and the idea of being poked by a million tiny needles to find out the truth).  

Now that I know the truth, I have to make up for lost time.  Therefore, I have decided to spend this summer on a mission to find the Best Crabcake at the Beach.

I started my journey last weekend at the Cottage Cafe in Bethany Beach.  I ordered the crab cake dinner, which comes with a decent size crab cake and two sides of your choice for $20.99 (get two cakes for $27.99).  The menu claims that this cake is award-winning, but I have to say that it wasn't the best one I've ever eaten (I know it's been a while, but I do remember what good crab cakes taste like).  It was a bit mustard-y and the meat wasn't as lumpy as I would have liked it to be.  I also think it could have been cooked a bit longer.  I'm not saying it was bad.  I would eat it again.  I'm just starting my quest for the best, so I'm not going to go crazy over the first one I eat.  I'm giving the Cottage Cafe Crab Cake 3 claws (out of 4).

The weather for this weekend  is looking good - a bit chilly, but sunny.  I'm thinking of heading down late Friday night or early Saturday morning.  There are a couple of things going on in Rehoboth and Dewey this weekend.  If you're in to country music (and I think everyone except me is), head to the Rusty Rudder for Dewey Beach Country Fest for two nights, two stages 14 bands, and probably more than a few pick-up trucks and middle-aged women wearing boots.

I'll be looking out for a place to do my next crab cake taste test.  If anyone has a favorite, I'm open to suggestions!  Just comment below or message me on my lame-ass facebook page (suburban mermaid).

Go out and make the most of this awesome Spring weather and head to the beach!

Inside Scoop from a Sometimes Local

I don't consider myself a local, but I find myself increasingly amused by people who are quite obviously tourists to the DE/MD resort towns.  Does that make me sound snotty? 

While waiting in line for Uber Bagels last weekend, I was behind a woman who just didn't know how it was done (does she order the cream cheese and lox here or over there?  does she get her own coffee, or do they do it?).  The teenage clerk who was waiting on her was being very patient and I just had to smile to myself because it was one of the few times in my life that I felt like I was "in the know".

As we gear up for another awesome Summer season, here are some other things that I've learned now that I am a part-time local:

1.  Always obey the speed limits while driving through Bethany, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island.  These towns are speed traps, there are cops hiding everywhere, and they will pull you over and ticket you.  

2.  Don't pull over on Route 1 to look at Snow Geese.  Those same cops that pull people over in South Bethany will ask you to move along.

3.  Time your beach trips so that you are not arriving and leaving with everyone else.  Heading to or from the beach during off-peak times makes the rides so much nicer.

4.  Candy Kitchen Fudge - meh

5.  Thrasher's French Fries - great (especially when covered in malt vinegar)

6.  The best pizza that I've found in OCMD so far is a toss-up between Lombardi's and Ponzetti's

7.  The dramatic blue uplighting on the Indian River bridge turns off at midnight

8.  The back of the lifeguard chairs in OCMD show instructions on how to escape from rip currents.

9.  Many parts of coastal Highway in OCMD always flood when it rains.  Even a little bit of rain can cause some pretty serious puddles that can be difficult for smaller vehicles to go through.

10.  I now know the difference between a shark and a stingray (I think)

11.  Sea Shell City in Fenwick has a pretty cool FREE museum on the top floor that features shipwreck treasures.  

12.  The absolute best time to be at the beach is during the "shoulder seasons" of Spring and Fall.  The only thing you can't do is swim in the ocean (and you probably don't do that anyway).

12.  Bethany Beach has the most beautiful floral displays.  Flowers everywhere - on the lamp posts, in the medians, and in pots on the sidewalks.

13.  Drop the heavy purse or tote bag and carry just the necessities.  It will make all of the walking you'll be doing at the beach so much easier.

14.  I have extremely good luck when it comes to finding choice parking spaces everywhere I go.  But, if you're not me, you don't always need to park on the main streets in Rehoboth and Bethany.  If you can walk a block or two, you can usually find a spot on one of the side streets without much trouble.  It will save you time and frustration.

15.  There are really such things as beach bunnies.  Check out the dunes next time you cross.  They're pretty cute.

16.  Sea gulls will grab your food out of your hands.  If you're eating lunch on the beach, you might want to cover your sandwich!

17.  If you want to ride the tram on the OCMD boardwalk, you must have cash in the EXACT amount.  The operators will not give out change.

18.  Avoid the public restrooms in Rehoboth Beach on busy summer days and nights.  If you need to go, hold it in or go to a restaurant and buy something so that you can use their restroom (and even those aren't great, but they are a bit less vomit-inducing).

19.  When it's raining, everyone will go to the outlets.  And I do mean everyone.

20.  At Uber Bagels, you order everything at the counter on the right then move to the counter on the left for pick up. 

Now you know.

Enjoy the beach this weekend.  Not too much scheduled in any of the resort towns.  Go and make your own fun!