Cruisin' The Boardwalk

One of my favorite things to do at the beach is to cruise the boardwalk. No matter how many times I've walked up and down those weathered planks, I've never grown tired of it. Due to our mobility issues, we were unable to take our usual leisurely strolls along this magnificent piece of history, but undaunted, we rented some scooters for a couple of afternoons and had a blast. We raced each other, did donuts and acted goofy. Established in 1902, the boardwalk has a distance of approximately three miles and is one of the longest and oldest in the United States. From antique beach cottages to new businesses with silly names, you never know what you'll encounter! 

 

                                          

  

I love the Kite Loft! It is filled with the most colorful and creative wind toys imaginable! This dragon whirligig really caught my eye with his bright purple wings. There are flags, wind socks, whirligigs, things that I have no name for and, of course, kites! There's even over-sized cows and fish that flap in the wind and they carry these great hanging hammock chairs with ottomans that make you feel like you're floating on a cloud!

 

 

 

 

Sea gulls are the clowns of the beach, always hanging around begging for a snack and getting quite mouthy when their demands are not met! This man was putting bread on top of his hat and waiting for them to remove it. Not a problem for these bold birdies! They'll actually take food right out of your hand, whether you want them to or not!

 

 

 

 

 

The inspirational sand sculptures are not to be missed! They are the creative works of Randy Hofman, an ordained minister, whose faith-filled messages and artistic talent have adorned the boardwalk since the 1980's. His attention to detail is amazing! The sculptures are rebuilt approximately once per week.

 

 

 

 

There is so much to do and see on the boardwalk! We often just sit and watch the waves and people go by as the hours pass peacefully.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    Jim at the Inlet

                                           It's so FLUFFY!!!!!!

                                         That's ME!

 Our two-day boardwalk cruise pretty much finished up our vacation as we watched the late afternoon sun begin to sink and the final fishermen collect their daily bounty from the Inlet. We had ridden from one end to the other and loved every minute of it! The end of a vacation is always sad but I know we'll make a return trip soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone or I would have posted!

 

Thank you for joining us on our beach vacation! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Have a great week! Hugs, Leena

Miscellaneous Beachiness

I woke Jim up early on Monday, so he could watch the sun rise to greet him on his birthday. We had low cloud cover so didn't get to see that fire line just before the sun peeks above the horizon, but it was still beautiful. Besides, how often do you get a chance to see your birthday sun rise above the ocean?

It was kind of a bittersweet day, as we were looking forward to starting our adult vacation time, yet hated to see the others leave for home. The little ones especially wanted to stay and Abigail was afraid of missing out on celebrating and having cake with GeeGaw. We assured her that we would have cake once we were all home together.

   My daughter and I took the kids sweatshirt and T-shirt shopping, got her car loaded and gas tank filled, then they dropped me off at the condo building and headed on their way, after taking a few silly pictures.

 

 

 The remainder of the day was spent quietly watching the waves, napping and then going to Jim's favorite restaurant, JR's, for his birthday dinner. They have the best prime rib there, which Jim loves, but my favorite is the broiled lump crab cake - the best in the entire world! It melts in your mouth and is so crabby good!

Tuesday was quietly spent reading, blogging, wave and people watching, figuring out what else we'd like to do with the time we have left and just being together. We plan to spend a couple of days roaming the boardwalk, hitting another favorite eatery and I'd like to get to Sea Shell City over in Fenwick, DE. Other than that, no plans, no need for any.

Hope you're having an enjoyable week! Hugs, Leena

Wild Ride On The Sea Rocket!

One of the first "new family" vacations Jim and I took my daughters on took place right here, in Ocean City, MD, about 15 years ago. While here, we took a ride on the Sea Rocket. We enjoyed it so much that while planning the weekend portion of this vacation, when my daughter and grand babes would be here, we knew we wanted to take them on the Sea Rocket as well, so we went on Sunday afternoon.

The Sea Rocket is no ordinary speed boat. It is built to literally skim over the top of the water, bouncing on its own wake, while blasting a giant "rooster tail" of water out the back. It is driven at 40mph which, believe me, feels a heck of a lot faster on water than it does on land! It's purpose? To provide you with one rip-roaring, big bouncing, thrill-filling, yes you WILL get WET joy ride! Of course, Jamison and Abigail just thought we were going for a boat ride. We sat in the back, knowing that this location had the best potential for soaking us.

The Captain started out slowly, driving along the Bay, "Look! There's the fishing marina!", around the Inlet, "Over there you can see all the carnival rides!" and into the Atlantic Ocean, "and this is where we really crank it up and yes, you WILL get WET!" His First Mate turned on the party music and we were off on our wild ride! It took about 5 seconds for Jamison to get his first face-full of sea water, which shocked him so much, he let out a huge squeal. Entertained, the crew and other passengers laughed and took pictures every time we got splashed - and we got splashed A LOT! Actually, "splashed" doesn't nearly come close to describing the experience. It's more like getting pummeled in the face with a fire hose! Of course, smart me sat directly in the middle of the boat, so I got hammered from both sides!

We laughed and screamed and Jamison and I danced in our seats, while keeping a strong grip on him and Abigail for fear they'd fly out, and when Abigail got cold, Jim put his shirt on her and wrapped her in his arms. He's such a sweetheart! Even cold and wet, she never stopped smiling!

After cruising for several miles along the coast, we came about for the return trip. This portion of the adventure was a bit calmer and slower, and facing the warm sun felt so good! There was still some splashing but getting us wet took a back seat, no pun intended, to our search for dolphins. We kept a watchful eye and pretty soon, there they were! We spied about 50 members of the pod, swimming along with us. When the boat stopped, they gathered around to put on a bit of a show, flipping out of the water, jumping up and down and seeming to pose to have their pictures taken! The kids were thrilled! The adults were thrilled! I think that even the dolphins were thrilled! Seeing such a large group, with babies alongside their parents, was quite a wonderful experience and one that we will all cherish.

And just when you'd think it was over, I started getting blasted in the head with more water! Argh, ya scurvy dog! The First Mate was after me with his water canon! He then went after the rest of the passengers, just enough to make good on his promise that yes, you WILL get WET!

Thank you so much for joining us on our wild ride! Need a towel?

Hugs, Leena