Delaware

Monday began with me driving down to Cape May, NJ, and meeting up with my sister, Julie, who had crossed over the Delaware Bay on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to meet me. It had been 5 years since we had seen each other, and when she walked down the steps of the terminal building, I almost didn't recognize her because her hair had gotten so long! (That's her in the photo to the left.) After the initial hugs, we drove into the town of Cape May, the nation's oldest seashore resort, which has the distinction of being designated a National Historic Landmark. The town is full of incredible Victorian architecture as well as many quaint shops and restaurants. After eating lunch at Jackson Mountain Cafe, we wandered around the shops and just enjoyed spending time together, discovering we have more similarities than we thought.

We had decided to catch the 4:30 ferry heading back to her home in Delaware, but when we arrived, it was sold out and we'd have to catch the next one at 6pm. We had planned to have dinner with her husband, Terry, but the delay was going to put us home too late for him to join us. The terminal building has a nice restaurant and bar, but unfortunately it was closed for an event. Before getting a quick bite in the food court, we walked to the end of the pier and asked a couple ladies to take our picture. They asked us to reciprocate with their camera, and then the four of us starting chatting especially once they found out I was fulltime RVing. They had many questions! Next thing we knew it was time to get back to my car to board the ferry, so no time for that quick bite. Great way to kill some time though.

Though the Delaware Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean right at this juncture, the ferry actually only crosses the Delaware Bay. The ferry ride is a 17-mile, 80 minute voyage, and we enjoyed a daiquiri and chatting on the upper deck. The water was a bit choppy, but not too bad. Once we arrived in Lewes, DE, it was a short drive to her home in Rehoboth Beach, DE, where we had dinner at fun place called Crabby Dick's.

After breakfast the next day, we tooled around the town of Rehoboth Beach, shopping, eating, and chatting. Rehoboth has a lot of outlet stores, but I was good and bought very little. Nowhere to put any more in the RV! At 4:00 we caught the movie, Hairspray, and if you haven't seen it yet, it is a must!! It's fun, entertaining, and the cast is a hoot especially John Travolta!! People were clapping and a couple of them dancing in the aisles as the movie ended. When we got back to Julie's house, Terry wasn't feeling well, so she and I went to Rehoboth Diner, where she works, for dinner. The Chicken Marsala I had was undescribably delicious!

After dinner, Julie wanted to show me the town of Lewes, DE, which has the distinction of being the "first town in the first state". Founded in 1631 by the Dutch, Lewes is situated where the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean meet at Cape Henlopen. We walked around on one of the piers, walked down to the beach, and drove around looking at the historic architecture. On the way home, we picked up a bottle of wine, and relaxed watching a couple of my Sweet Adeline contest tapes (since Julie has never seen me perform) and reminisced through what Julie calls "the box o' memories"....photos and memorabilia of her life.

The next morning we drove into downtown Rehoboth Beach. Located on the Atlantic Coast only two hours from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, or Philadelphia, PA, it is known as the "Nation's Summer Capital" and one of the "Best Places to Retire". Between 1650 and 1675, English and Dutch settlers put down roots here as the area became home to farmers and members of William Penn's earliest legislatures, and in 1873, on 414 acres purchased from local farmers, The Rehoboth Camp Meeting Association was formed. The Boardwalk, now a mile long, was originally built in 1873 and is filled with many eclectic shops and places to eat. Julie made sure that I tried the frozen chocolate covered strawberries on a stick! Yummmmm!!!! Julie and I both consider ourselves "water babies", so of course, we walked down to the ocean but no swimming this trip.

Then it was time for me to head back to NJ. Though our time together was short, it was a good visit and we both vowed that it would definitely not be another 5 years before we see each other again.