Monday, June 27, 2011

Dewey Eyed

Iris (left) and CBW (not at all right right)


This weekend I drove to Canada, lawd it was a long drive to Dewey Beach, Delaware, to visit my college roommate Iris and her family at their vacation home.  Here we are on her rooftop deck enjoying wine the view and fresh air.





Chesapeake Bay Daughter and son, shown here playing paddle ball on the beach, went too.






Iris and I have known each other since 1492 1982.  She and I have so many stories, we could start our own blog.  Click here for one guest post she wrote about a time we drove from Charlottesville to Key West.

Oh, the stories we can't could tell...



This is Delaware but it reminds me of the drive to Key West. Water on both sides of the road.
Plus driving. Lots and lots of driving. 

For the Chesapeake Bay Family, who never only rarely eats out, the trip was full of culinary delights, including some delectable Thai food in Rehoboth. At the opposite end of the culinary scale, Dairy Queen, which was within walking distance of Iris's house, saw sometimes twice daily visits from CB Son and Daughter, who are ice cream fanatics.

(There is no Dairy Queen or Ice Cream King or anything close to dessert royalty in Mathews. On the one hand, that is good. On the other hand, it creates kids who are so sheltered they think they've died and gone to Ice Cream Heaven when they see anything that isn't scooped from a Breyer's carton that was two for one at Food Lion. The same holds true for their mother, who actually let out a very audible scream when she found the Thai restaurant on the way to the boardwalk in Rehoboth. It's abundantly clear we all need to get away from Mathews a little more often.)




Reluctantly, we loaded the car up and headed back yesterday morning.  The drive took us down the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which looks a lot like Mathews except there's fast-moving cars and Don Valerio's restaurants four lane highways. From where the photo above was taken, which is north of Cape Charles, Mathews is only about, what, 15 miles across the bay?  I can't remember, but it isn't far by water.

By car, however, it's four hundred a two hour drive. Without traffic.



Except there was all manner of beach traffic converging on I-64. Virginia Beach traffic.  Outer Banks traffic.  All trying to squeeze through one tiny little foot feat of engineering known as the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

(Between this and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I must've crossed and re-crossed and circumnavigated the bay at least eighteen four times this weekend, at least it felt like it. Oh, and to make matters worse, I only had one contact lens in and was squinting the whole drive home.  Don't ask, it's a typical CBW story of being careless and forgetful. Or just typical CBW.)

Speaking of being forgetful typical CBW, when we finally arrived home I was greeted by a harsh reality reminder of an unfinished project.

Before we left,  I had trimmed the front shrubs but neglected the top parts which required a ladder. At the time,  I was too worn out to drag the ladder from the garage. So I just left things as they were.

"I'll finish it later," I said.

Right.

For now, let's not focus on the botched trim job which causes the bush to appear slanted.
We're talking about the top part.



Between my mohawk shrubs which draw just enough attention to the window that's been missing a shutter for a year now, and the fact that this week will be brutal at work, and the fact that there is still unfinished business with the book, I was ready to turn back around and head back to the beach.

Traffic and all.





The End.

11 comments:

Bethie said...

The first thing I thought before I read your MOHAWK shrub it looks very PUNK or like Judge Doom in Whom Framed Roger Rabbit. Go look it up! LOL!!!

Maria_NJ said...

I'm glad that you had a wonderful weekend away...you deserved it...

things will get done, they always do.

I got a very nice surprise yesterday, my work gave me off next weekend (for the last 3 months, no weekend special requests have been granted)to go to Ohio and see my girlfriend Cindy. So I know how you feel.

hang in there...

Mental P Mama said...

I love that shrub! It must stay that way! And what fun you had!!! I hope you are resting up for this weekend;)

Anonymous said...

The AHR family loves that Thai restaurant. There is something ridiculously decadent about sitting on the beach eating delicious food. (AHR is too lazy to walk there..she makes the kids go pick it up and deliver to her chair...so technically, this restaurant does deliver!).

I am glad to hear that place made it thru another winter; we will be back to dine with them shortly!

Glad you had a fun trip.

Icey said...

This morning the kids asked if they could eat their DQ leftovers for breakfast. Naturally I said yes. It has milk in there someplace, right???

Daryl said...

You have to come visit I promise Thai for every meal

Meg McCormick said...

I'll be in Dewey next week! Did you get out to any of the bars to hear a cover band? There's a good chance I'll be haunting the Starboard next week...

deborah said...

I am so happy that you got away for a few days and had a great time!

I actually miss that tunnel...I know we are close to the ocean when we have to impatiently wait our turn to crawl thru it:)

Oh don't do a thing to the shrub - it's perfect!

Unknown said...

Having lived in Virginia Beach for most of my life, being stationed at Langley AFB for 8 years and later working at the shipyard in Newport News for several years after I was "treated" to that view of I-64 about a gazillion times, especially every single Friday. If there's one thing I don't miss about Southside Hampton Roads it's the traffic. Most of the drivers are lost, in a hurry and waiting for their turn to have (or cause) an accident.

Country Girl said...

That beach is less than 2 hours from me. * sigh *

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Bethie-Punk is definitely the better word for the look. In so many ways...

Maria-ENJOY that weekend off with your friend. It's priceless time.

MPM-There are two others that match the shrub pictured today. I have no plans to drag any ladders out any time soon so no worries about it changing at all.

AHR-The restaurant is still there and seems to be doing well. Lots of good press up on their walls (Best of This or That in Delaware, etc.). The food was really good, although I will say Bangkok Noi in Gloucester might give them a run for their money.

Icey-Exactly! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, according to somebody. May as well make it the *best* meal of the day while you're at it. I always preferred BBQ potato chips and Pepsi for breakfast, personally. Or the 7-11 nachos. Ice cream has to be better for you/more nutritious than that. (Thanks again for a fantastic weekend!)

Daryl-I can only imagine the Thai food where you are...I'll definitely visit when I can. Hopefully soon.

Meg-I was in the Starboard Thursday night. Enjoy your trip.

deborah-I know what you're saying about that tunnel. And although the traffic was backed up this time, it actually moved reasonably fast. Or maybe I just wasn't in any hurry to get home and didnt' care how slow it moved, who knows.

Chip-I cannot even imagine living/working in that area. It's one thing to pass through a couple times a year but quite another to endure it every day.

Kate-So close! I had no idea.

Thanks for reading and Happy Monday.