On The Road With Denis & Starr/Day 10 - Maryland & Delaware

Saturday, October 10

Cape May, New Jersey ... Here We Come

We were up early today preparing for the next leg of our trip.  As we packed, we relished the morning view.

Starbucked and ready to roll we drove out of Virginia Beach.

Worth noting on this strikingly scenic drive was our crossing of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  www.cbbt.com.   Without a doubt, this amazing, man-made structure earned its spot within the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.

Back on dry land, we weaved to and from the shore for miles and miles.

Inland, we glimpsed tell tale signs of fall...

By the shore, we viewed riparian life....

Ready for a pit stop, we came upon this charming little Mom & Pop and came away with a most delectable jar of homemade salsa.

Berlin, Maryland

A mere few minutes from the seashore we came upon this gem of a town.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Berlin was a delightful spot to stretch our legs and grab a bite.

We had passed so many antique cars on the road that day and arriving in Berlin we quickly learned that this was a major destination for these collectors.  The place was hopping with muscle car enthusiasts.

'64 Chevelle SS with 327 w/Dual Quads
This one is for you, Mikey!!

Although we didn't have time to take tea that day, I could not resist a little snoop around this sweet little tea room.

Like the couple in the left side window, Denis and I will be enjoying our tea times for many years to come....

Another darling vintage theatre to add to my collection.  This one was now a restaurant.

For lunch, we chose the Drummer's Cafe in the Hotel Atlantic located smack dab in the middle of the town's center.  The name came from the many traveling salesmen, Drummer's as they were called, that plied their wares in Berlin at the turn of the 20th century.  Our table on the porch was perfect for townspeople watching.  www.atlantichotel.com

On the menu was a special section titled "Michelle's Organic and Vegetarian Corner."  We both chose the Avocado Wrap, but somehow ended up with the Chickpea Hummus Taco.  Not to worry, it was yummy.  It came with avocado chips and a creamy honey Dijon dressing for dipping.

Buckled back in to our own muscle car, we fast tracked it toward the town of Lewes, Delaware where the southern terminus of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry is located.  We had a reservation to sail that evening.  Denis kept his eye on the road and his foot on the pedal and I practiced my knit and purl stitches all the way.

We arrived in plenty of time for a stroll out to the pier.

Boarding the ferry for an enjoyable 80 minute ferry ride that connects the historic towns of Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.

The life!!!

We met a few very interesting folks on our ferry crossing.  One couple from Pennsylvania were dead ringers for our Val and Martha.  Although they were not geocachers, they were just as obsessed with treasure hunting of another kind.  Using metal detectors they entered treasure hunting contests all around the USA.  Hearty folks they were too.  It was a rather chilly evening and the water was quite choppy, but they remained outside on deck the entire time.  We sought out some warmth in the upper lounge and there met a lovely old man, a veteran of WWII.  He was hard of hearing but with a mind as sharp as a tack.

Before we knew it, we docked in Cape May.  As we were disembarking, we spotted this gull.

Apropos!

On The Road With Denis & Starr/Day 9 - Virginia Beach, VA

Friday, October 9

Virginia Beach, VA

We spent the morning walking, this time together.  We took a right on to the boardwalk today and explored the less commercial views passing a few hotels but then coming upon residential properties most of which appeared buttoned up for the season.  Some were weathered and some were freshly painted in pleasingly subdued sand like tones.  Treasures all of them to a few privileged families.

There had been what looked like a sand sculpting event on the beach, perhaps during the previous weekend.  A few of the sculptures were unidentifiable, but this one still stood as though built only today.

We walked as far as allowed and took in the local scene filled with fishermen, dredgers and tourists including a pleasant couple with bicycles from Quebec with whom Denis chatted a while.  I understood a little bit of the conversation, mostly geographical locations and the occasional c'elle fun!

Not ready to call it quits, we headed back in the other direction.  We came upon two large and beautiful sculptures erected to withstand the sand and surf.

This one spoke so beautifully of man's deep relationship with the sea:

And this one of a woman's deep devotion to her man at sea:

Once again, we wrapped up our walk back on Atlantic Avenue, but not before a visit to the Christmas Mouse for a souvenir!  So, along with a "Virginia is for Lovers" postcard we picked up this cute little ornament for the Christmas tree.

www.christmasmouse.com

Back in our room, we spent the rest of the day on our respective artistic endeavors.  The contagious giggling and squeals of excitement coming from the beach below kept us entertained and from time to time reflective of our own childhoods and those of our children and our grandchild to come.

Late that evening and famished, we sought out the meal that most appealed to us.  Pasta, of course!  Catty-cornered from our hotel on Atlantic Avenue was Il Giardino Ristorante.  Could work.  And indeed it did!

After choosing a bottle of Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir we ordered our meal.  We shared an order of the Penne alla Vodka and the Mesculin Salad.  The Focaccia, which was prepared on their famous wood burning stove was outstanding served with a selection of flavored oils and fresh Parmigiana.  www.ilgiardino.com

Virginia Beach, we'll be back!!!

On The Road With Denis & Starr/Day 8 - Virginia Beach, VA

Thursday, October 8

Virginia Beach, VA

Ahhhh, the beach.  We left the balcony door open last night, and so, we awoke to the sights, sounds and scents of the beach.  Bliss.

First things first.  Coffee.

                                                                                    Have espresso maker, will travel.

                     The Beachy Barista!

                                                   Soy latte perfection.   Were those dolphins in mine?

We sipped and planned our day all the while enjoying the scene that was developing below us.  The Viking ship on the beach was a magnet for the little ones.  Slowly in that early morning hour they arrived to play.  Some were timid and some were brave, but all were entranced by this nautical structure. And if they could have had it their way, surely they would have stayed all day to play.

This morning we would walk for one hour on the boardwalk.  Thirty minutes away from the hotel and then thirty minutes back.  No sooner did we hit our stride, Denis took off running.  I stayed the course and eventually we met up.  With the sun already high in the sky, my Nordic skin was burning despite the 70 SPF I had slathered on.  We headed over to Atlantic Avenue to finish our walk.

Posing on the Avenue

Our sentiments exactly!!

I loved how this shop matched my Starr Style color scheme!

Denis found his subject matter for today......

Back to the hotel we went to hunker down for the afternoon.  Denis to paint and me....

The birth of my blog....

The afternoon just melted away.

Atlantic Avenue in the Sun

by

Denis

Exhilarated, but at the same time enervated by our creative sessions, we closed up shop and headed out into the evening air boardwalk bound.

First stop, Dry.....  Vodka....   Olives.....

Then on over to Ammos, a restaurant on the boardwalk offering authentic Greek cuisine.  We both chose the Mezze Sampler which promised to be the best flavors of Greece.  And flavorful it was.  Our all vegetarian feast featured Spanikopita, Tyropita, Dolma and Melizanosalta, a delicious spread made of grilled and creamed eggplant served with Tzatiziki sauce and pita wedges.

www.ammosvb.com

Deliciously full, we strolled back to our hotel to attend Jim and Pam's wedding in Niagara Falls....

On The Road With Denis & Starr/Day 7 - Virginia Beach, VA

Wednesday, October 7

Happy Birthday, Val!

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

On the way to Virginia Beach

This morning we bid farewell to our friends at the Front Street Inn in Wilmington.  On the way out of town we came across this storefront and this is for you, Adrien and Ellen, (and anyone else who finds this SNL sketch hysterical).

YA GOTTA GET SOME

MAWBULL COLLUMZ!!

We stopped for lunch in the little town of Washington, NC.  We came across another little vintage theatre and loved the sentiment on the marquee:

Virginia Beach, Virginia

We arrived in this beach town sans reservation.  We checked out a few of the B & B's, but opted for a nice oceanfront room instead.

Here we are upon our arrival in Virginia Beach.  That's a Viking Ship playscape that looks like it's on Denis' head!!  It's really 5 stories down on the beach.

Our lovely view.

After settling in, we took a nice walk on the boardwalk and stopped in at Laverne's for our #2 Martini of the trip.  Again, Dry...Vodka....Olives...

We cheered to making it through our first week of our six week road trip!

MORE TO COME....

On The Road With Denis & Starr/Day 6 - Wilmington, NC

Tuesday, October 6

Wilmington, NC

The Front Street Inn

by Denis

In the morning we spent one hour at the Mercedes dealership and replaced our two front tires.  Now we were rolling along on 4 spanking new tires!  It certainly gave us peace of mind as we thought about the journey ahead of us.  While there, I put the finishing touches on the invitations for Amanda's Afternoon Tea & Baby Shower.

And speaking of Afternoon Tea, when we got back to the historic district we walked over to The Wilmington Tea Room to have tea by the sea!  A fantasy come true for a tea time lover, this adorable tea room was painted a gorgeous shade of Periwinkle with Lime Green accents throughout.  The Tea Ladies were sweet and attentive and the room was filled with happy palaver.

Getting ready to order at The Wilmington Tea Room

www.wilmingtontearoom.com

Precious!!

Dainty!

Darling!

Real men pour tea!

The menu included all levels of tea service from Savory to Cream to Royal.  We shared a pot of green tea which was described as follows:

Blue Mango - Sail away on trade winds when tasting the exotic blend of mango, pineapple and mallow petals.

For our savory course we ordered the tasty Vegetable Sandwich.  It was filled with hummos and assorted fresh vegetables on pumpernickel bread and served with fresh fruit in a tea cup!

And then came our Cream course, delicious crumbly scones served with Devonshire cream and raspberry preserves.  Tea Time Heaven!!

On our way out, Denis took this shot of three lovely ladies.  They had visited this tea room together 20 years ago and now they were back again.

One of life's small pleasures, tea time with good friends (and I'll include my husband in that).


Later that day, we once again set out to explore the historic district and to have our very first Martini of the road trip.  Some of you know this already, we are on a quest to find our very favorite type of Martini.  Since we were Martini Newbies, that night we stuck to the basics:

Dry...  Vodka...  Olives...

 The First Martini

It was a beautiful evening and from where we sat at a balcony table at Riverboat Landing Restaurant on Market Street, we had a wide view of the wharf, riverwalk and harbor.  In the distance we could see yet another film crew working on a scene that looked to be of a festival of sorts.

The facade of the restaurant was also enveloped in light and we were not sure if we had, too, somehow become part of the set!

Our table had been the one on the center balcony.

We both chose one of only two vegetarian entrees on the menu.  It was the Marinated and Grilled Portabella Mushroom.  It was stuffed with goat cheese and arugula and it was accompanied by lemon mashed potatoes, black-eye peas and tender asparagus.

A perfectly prepared portion of portabella!

We lingered awhile on the riverwalk watching the film crew and enjoying our final evening in Wilmington.  Earlier in the day we had noticed a standout coffee table finished in red laquer in the window of a wine shoppe on Front Street.  Always a small world, we found that the shoppe belonged to one of the proprietors of the Front Street Inn, our new friend Chris.  We stopped by on the way back to the inn and sat for a while.  We enjoyed a nice chat with Chris and came away with a lovely bottle of a French Pinot Noir.

Wilmington Wine Shoppe

www.wilmingtonwineshoppe.com