Vacation

It's been a while since I've visited Bloggerville, so here's a little diddy about what we've been up to.

We went to Cape May, New Jersey, and stayed in a beautiful Victorian home one block from the beach.  We were able to see the ocean from the front porch.  We stayed in the Parlor Suite, which is on the first floor, and included a master suite, private bathroom, kitchen, dining area and living area.  The top of the windows were stained glass, and windows abounded in every room.  The dining area was in a turret-like area with windows all around.  They had a miniature replica of an antique stove, but it had a flat top!  Very cute!  The kitchen also had a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and all the fancy little dishes, teacups, silverware, pots and pans that you would need.  The living area had an adorable fireplace beautiful Victorian furniture, and a flatscreen tv. 

The bedroom was luxurious with a king bed dressed in soft egyptian cotton and elegant bedcoverings with lots of comfy pillows.  There was a huge armoire, gorgeous dresser and a pair of chairs.  A victorian sink was in the bedroom area, and the shower and toilet were in their own room.  The shower was dressed with elegant curtains and soft rugs were pleasant to the feet once you stepped out of the shower.  We had our own private porch off the kitchen with rocking chairs, and private, free parking on the premises. 

The town is flat and everything is in walking distance.  We walked along the beach on the cement promenade that runs the length of the town, and had breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House.  Delicious pancakes made better with a view of the ocean while we ate and drank our coffee.  We went shopping at the outside mall just a block and a half away from where we stayed, and found lots of cute things that we couldn't leave without. 

We took a trolley tour of the city and saw all the beautiful Victorian painted ladies (that's what they call the houses), and heard some interesting stories about the residents, past and present. 

Also took a drive to the Cape May light house and then out to Sunset Beach, where you can dip your toes in the water about 10 steps from where you park your car.  There is a little gift shop, putt-putt golf, and a ice cream joint that was unfortunately closed due to the season.

We had perfect, breezy, sunny weather and enjoyed some marvelous food.  If you ever go to Cape May, you must check out Tisha's.  They serve lunch and dinner, and it's a bring-your-own-bottle kinda place.  We will remember the next time and bring a bottle of wine with us.  They sell bottles, but they start at about $28 a bottle.  We had the seafood risotto with jumbo shrimp and scallops with mushrooms and spinach over risotto with a delicious sauce.  The meal started with a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette that was out of this world, along with crusty hot rolls fresh from the oven and creamy butter.  We simply did not have room for dessert, but will make sure we save room next time!  Tisha's has to be the #1 restaurant in all of Cape May.

Another great place to eat is Alethea's.  It's a huge inn across the street from the ocean, and wherever you sit inside, you will have a nice view.  We enjoyed a fantastic hamburger and chips with sweet tea for lunch.  They have an antique shop on the premises and a huge porch with big rocking chairs where we sat and enjoyed the sea breeze and absorbed some Vitamin D from the sun. 

Cape May was wonderful.  We went off-season, so it was almost like we had the town to ourselves.  Just enough people to keep it interesting, but not too much where you had to wait in line or need reservations anywhere.  The beach is clean and beautiful.  One thing we will do next time is rent a two-seater bike (they kind of look like paddle boats), but they're bikes, and they have a little canopy to cover your head.  Very cute!  We saw lots of bikers on the beach promenade.  It's a perfect place to bike.

As soon as we left Cape May, a little raindrop fell on our windshield.  The weather matched my mood.  I didn't want to leave and wanted to shed a few raindrops of my own!  So we decided to extend our vacation and head on over to Dover Delaware, where we played the slots, and Kevin won $68.00 at the penny slots!  We enjoyed a great late afternoon buffet lunch at Dover Downs, and ended up spending the night in Dover. 

The next morning we had breakfast at Bob Evans and then headed to Wilmington to visit Alfred DuPont's beloved Nemours.   What a place!  The grounds were stunning with pools, fountains, flower beds, statutes.  And the house!  Oh my gosh!  You all should take the time to go visit this place.  Expect to be there about 3 hours (more if you want to walk the grounds on your own).  Start at the Visitors center and take your time visiting the timeline that is the hallway.  Enjoy a 15 minute movie giving you some background about the DuPonts, and in particular, Alfred and his wives.  Then a bus takes you up the winding lane to the house.  They break you up into groups of 6 and give you a personalized 1 hour and 15 minute tour.  Be prepared for steps and lots of standing -- but it is worth it!  After the tour you can walk the grounds and meet the bus a little later, or get on the bus right away and take a narrated tour of the grounds (you get the narrated tour even if you meet up with the bus later).  They will take you down to the garage where you will see some beautiful cars -- the Rolls Royces were my favorite. 

I left Nemours with a great respect for Alfred Dupont, a great philanthropist, and all the wonderful gifts that he left behind, most notably to the Children's Hospital which sits on part of the original 3,000 acres that used to be part of his estate.  His estate continues to provide for the sickest of our children. 

The Brandywine area, where Nemours is located, is gorgeous.  We had been to the area before when we visited Winterthur and Longwood Gardens -- something everyone should see before they leave this earth as well.

We ended our visit in Wilmington with dinner at Red Lobster and then headed on home.  One of our more delightful vacations.  Can hardly wait until the next one!

Now, about food.  What can I say?  I enjoyed myself.  Immensely.

Let's just say I gotta do alotta damage control!  Day One.  Week One.  Again.