Day 2

Up at 6 AM, and on the road by 7 AM.  Thank you Rosemary and Bill for your wonderful hospitality, not to mention the fresh coffee and babka that we took with us.

 Sunday morning is the best possible time to drive through metropolitan NYC.  As many of you know I am not fond of tall bridges, so we avoided the Tappan Zee and crossed the Hudson on the lower deck of the George Washington Bridge.   Other more traffic than I would like, the crossing did not test my nerves.

Our first destination was Marvel’s Market in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island.  Their donuts are the best, bar none, so we bought a dozen.  When I was a young boy, Marvels sold a bakers dozen for $0.55.  Not so cheap anymore, but still just as yummy as ever.

Leaving Marvels we headed to Southwick’s Marina where my grandfather kept his boat.  The Southwick family has run this marina since 1953.  I chatted with the current owner, who is my age.   We reminisced about all the wonderful days in the 50’s & 60’s, and who lived where and how much everything has changed.  Joni patiently waited in the van.

We next visited 13508 Ocean Boulevard, which is where my grandparents’ vacation home was located.  It was torn down years ago and replaced with a mansion, but the beach still looks the same as does the Atlantic.  How I loved those summers!

2020

1954

1951

2020

We visited some of my other favorite locales, purchased hoodies, and then headed off island toward Cape May, where we were booked for the 4:30 PM ferry to Lewes, Delaware. 

 

I had never been to Cape May, but had always heard about the beautiful Victorian homes, and was looking forward to seeing this vacation spot for the first time.  I was not disappointed.  The homes are spectacular; somewhat reminiscent of Charleston or Beaufort, SC.  Joni picked out a restaurant for lunch.  We only had to wait 20 minutes for a table, and as we waited, we were able to walk along Jackson St. and check out all the restored homes, B&B’s, & hotels. 

 

Our meal was very satisfying; we both had eggs benedict, although mine included crab instead of Canadian bacon.

Leaving the restaurant, we returned to the van, drove along the beach, and further checked out all the beautiful homes, before heading to the ferry.

Our ferry ride across Delaware Bay to Lewes was smooth, but it was very foggy so we really couldn’t see much.  We docked around 6 PM, and the drive to Cape Henlopen State Park was less than two miles, so by 6:15 PM we were pulling into our campsite where Wendy and Carl were waiting for us.  They were hungry, so we didn’t set up our campsite, we just got in their truck and drove to our dinner destination, the Surfing Crab.  As the restaurant’s name suggests, crab was their speciality, and indeed their crab dishes were superb including crab soup and crab cake sandwiches.  Joni’s reputation for finding great restaurants remains untarnished!