Cooler Day in Bethany Beach!

We all got up early on Wednesday so we could leave by 8:00 to go to the Boardwalk at Ocean City MD to ride bike!  The 2 families rented small surreys and Ken and I took our bikes.  We had a great time and the little gals really enjoyed the ride.  Ken and I liked being in OC again - brought back lots of good memories from when we used to spend time at our Condo on 133rd St.  OC became our 2nd home, going down almost every month, except in the summer, when we owned it.  I have been going there since I was about 9 years old, so it really is a time of reflection!

What an adorable foursome!!

Jamie, Dane, Bria and Cali

Lanie, Bob, Sam and Katelyn

Unbelievable sand sculptures in OC

We just love our daughters and their families!

Katelyn needed a "break" from the bike ride!

Then all the gals needed a little break!

As soon as we returned we packed lunches and changed to go to the beach.  It was really windy today and only in the low 70's, so a bit cool on the beach.  We still had a great time!  Enjoyed looking for shell pieces, standing at the water's edge, and playing in the sand.

Lanie and Sam

All the girls wanted to be a mermaid!

We almost forgot to make Katelyn a mermaid, but she said,
"My turn", and wouldn't get up until we took a picture!

Naps and resting were on the agenda for the afternoon and then Jamie's family is going out for dinner and Ken and I and Lanie's family are grilling and then heading to Rehobeth Beach to meet up with Jamie's clan to do the rides in Funland!  The girls loved their time in Funland!  Katelyn, who thinks she is 3 (she only turned 2 in April), is determined to keep up with her sister and cousins!  She is amazing.  When Sam, Bria and Cali did the climbing, obstacle course type maze, Katelyn decided she could do it too!  I thought PaPa would have a heart attack!  Ice Cream treat before we headed back to the Condo!  Girls to bed and the adults played Phase 10, which the men won at the very end!  What a great family day!

Cali, Grandma, and Katelyn on the Merry-Go-Round

Sam rode too!

They liked the swing ride!

Katelyn loved the little kiddie rides!

The girls did the maze twice, with Katelyn joining them
the 2nd time.  Bria was her helper!

Those Weathermen!!!

Today, Tuesday, was supposed to be a wash-out weather day, but it ended up being sunny, warm, and humid most of the day.  Since Lanie's family was to arrive around lunchtime and it was supposed to be a rainy day, we decided to hangout at the Condo until Lanie arrived.  We did go towards the playground area to fly Bria's new butterfly kite.  It did well and she was very excited.

Bria flying her new butterfly kite!

Grandma had a try too!

After that, Ken and I decided to take a walk and when we returned Lanie and family had just arrived.  After lunch, the little ones rested or napped and the adults sat outside chatting and relaxing.  Around 3:30 we all headed to the outdoor pool since it never did rain and the sun was shining brightly.  These little girls are like little fish in the water.  They had so much fun playing together and with their mommies, daddies, and Grandma and PaPa.

The outdoor pool at the Bethany Lakes complex where we
are staying!  They have an indoor pool too!

Katelyn and Mommy!

Daddy Dane playing with Bria and Cali!

Mr. Dad and Mrs. Mom (as Sam calls them) playing in
the water with Sam and Katelyn!

Bria enjoys playing with her young cousin, Katelyn!

 

Katelyn usually has a big smile!

We decided to order in for supper since we only got back from the pool around 6:00.  We sat outside to eat while the girls watched a DVD before going to bed!  A quite evening on the home front!!!

Monday at Bethany Beach!

Monday was a beautiful day in Bethany Beach!  Ken got up at 6:15 and said he was going for a bike ride!  I wanted to sleep alittle longer, but didn't want to miss the ride, so we were off by 6:40.  Rode from the Condo to the Boardwalk at Bethany, walked the boards, and then rode on Route 1 almost to Fenwick Island.  Turned around so we would get back in time to have breakfast with the family.

At 10:15 we drove to Bethany Beach to enjoy and fun time in the sand and surf.  Bria and Cali loved playing in the water and even took turns with PaPa and Daddy helping them to ride the boggie boards.  They also enjoy helping Grandma find shells for jewelry making.  Ate our lunches on the beach and were back to the Condo for refreshing showers by 2:15.  Cali napped, Bria rested and we all took some time to relax.

After several games of Sequence Dice, all of us headed to Rehobeth Beach to Summer Place for 1/2 price burger night!  I think everyone else at the beach did the same thing!!!!  It was an hour wait and they would e-mail you when seating was available.  So, we walked up to Funland to place some games.  Back to Summer Place around 7 to check-in.  We still had to wait another 15 minutes or so to be seated.  Bria and Cali were amazing!  They were so patient and cooperative.  We had walked over a mile before we were able to have dinner.  Then we walked back to the boardwalk for an ice cream treat.  It was an incredible evening with our family.  (The food was worth the wait!)

So blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who is an
incredible mom!!!

Sisterly Love!

Special times with Grandma!

Whack a Mole!

Our bellies are full and we are happy!!!!

Bria and Cali are so blessed to have such a great Daddy!

Everyone else at the boardwalk wanted ice cream too!

We watched part of video movie with the girls before they went to bed.  Then we played 1 game of 5 Crowns and called it a great day around 11.  Tomorrow morning Lanie and her family arrive to spend the rest of the week with us.  We are excited for them to get here and Bria and Cali are so anxious to play with their cousins!

Fun on the Beach!

Ken and I were up early on Sunday and took a walk around the area.  By 8:30 everyone had eaten breakfast and were ready to do "something".  Looked like possible showers, so we walked to the playground (girls rode their bike or scooter) and had a good time swinging, climbing, and sliding!

Walking and riding to the playground!

Here comes Cali!

3 generations on the playground equipment!

After some debate because of the weather, we decided to chance it and head to the beach.  Bria and Cali really wanted to play in the waves and sand.  So we packed lunches and were on Bethany Beach by 11:15.  Not too much sun, but the beach was packed!  Bria and Cali took swimming lessons this summer and they no longer have a fear of the water.  They were so much fun to watch as they sat at the water's edge where the waves would "knock" them around and then the undertow would carry them out to Dane and Ken who were standing in the water ready to "rescue" them.  Cali went under several times, but always laughed and came back for more!  After eating our lunch, we played in the sand for only a short time, because they were ready to go back to the waves!

How they love their PaPa!!!

Lunch time at the beach!

Working on our sandcastle!

After showering to remove all the "pounds" of sand in their suits and hair, it was time for Cali to nap and Bria to rest.  PaPa needed a short nap too!

We enjoyed some time on the deck playing Sequence Dice and just relaxing and chatting.  Jamie and Dane took us to dinner at a place called Global for Tapas.  I was a little hesitant, but the food was exceptional and the girls did so well.  We walked along the shops and boardwalk of Bethany Beach and enjoyed some delicious ice cream.  Back to the Condo by 8 and the girls were so tired.  We watched part of a movie and after the girls were in bed we played Uno and Phase 10.  Late night for us older folks - almost midnight, but what a delightful day!

Ocean City Family Vacation has Begun!

We arrived back home on Monday from our Avalon trip and spent the whole day being extremely busy between unpacking, mowing, and washing!  How can you go from a relaxing vacation to "crazy busy" in a matter of hours???

Had a good time spending time with our daughters, granddaughters, and my parents throughout the week.  Yesterday we spent most of the day packing for a week's vacation with our daughters and their families in a Condo we are renting in Bethany Beach.

We left home at 8:00 this morning and had a "slow" drive to Bethany Beach.  So much traffic!  We stopped for breakfast at Michael's, a restaurant near the Christiana Mall in Delaware - delicious food at reasonable prices!  2 more quick stops and we arrived at the rental place in Bethany Beach around 1:00.  (Just proves how heavy the traffic was for this trip!)

The Condo was not available until 2, so we shared a burger at the Cottage Cafe, a place we frequented when we used to spend a lot of time in Ocean City Md.  They have great specials everyday from noon til 6 in the bar area!

Ken, Jamie, Dane, Bria, Cali and I arrived at the Condo around 2:15 and the work began of unloading, unpacking, and making all the beds.  Enjoyed doing play dough with Bria and Cali.  Grotto's delivered their delicious pizza to the Condo and since it was such a lovely evening, we ate on the deck.  Took a walk to the gazebo on the bay at the back of Bethany Lakes resort to see the sunset, but we were 15 minutes too late!  We will try again!!!!

Looking forward to going to the beach tomorrow and making sandcastles with Bria and Cali.  Lanie, Bob, Sam and Katelyn are joining us on Tuesday till we all leave on Saturday.  So good to spend time with our girls and their families!

Craft Show Time in Wildwood!

Ken and I were up early both Saturday and Sunday to participate in the Wildwood Beach Craft Show held near the Convention Center on the Boardwalk!  We didn't have any idea what to expect, but we were excited!

Both shows started at 9 and continued till 5.  Upon arrival, we received our site and unloaded all of our "stuff".  First challenge was putting up our canopy.  We are getting better at setting that up, but it is not a quick process.  It requires going up about 6 steps to get to the boardwalk and wind is an issue.  They provided tie downs for everyone's canopy, but as the morning progressed that wind gusts were brutal!!!!  The earrings and pendants just didn't want to stay on our tables.  All the craft stands were in the middle of the boardwalk and you could sell from all 4 sides.  After 2 hours of fighting the wind, we put up 2 of our sides to block the gusts.  We should have done it a lot sooner.  Our frustration level almost got the best of us!!!  Fortunately, we helped each other through the ordeal, and it got better.  We ended up having a good show and were able to laugh later about our delema!!!

After the show we enjoyed the evening with the Martins which included making supper on the open fire, having s'mores, and playing 1 game of cards!  Kreiders had left for Rehobeth Beach that morning!

It was windy again today when we arrived at the show around 7:45, but we were smarter and put up to of the sides right away.  We are slow learners, but we do learn!!!!  Today was a better day for sales then yesterday, so we were very pleased, but by 1:30 the winds became brutal!!!!  We were sure our canapy was going to blow over or totally bend!  Around 2:15, the coordinators of the show suggested we close early - not sure it was safe to remain on the boardwalk with the canopies.  We were thrilled to call it a day!   The winds made it such a challenge to fold all the tablecloths, pack up the pendants and earrings before they blew away, not to mention getting the sides off the canopy folding it up while fighting the wind.  No wonder we had to stop for ice cream on the way back to the CG.  We deserved a treat!!!!!!

This was our set-up before the winds got out of control!!!

Now we have gotten smarter!!!!!  We did love the setting for
the craft show.  Nothing like spending the day looking at
the beach!

This was out set-up before the show started on Sunday!
We may be slow on the uptake, but we learn!!!

Love the entrance to Wildwood's Beach!

This is the Trolley Car Ice Cream Shop were we got a
treat for a Job Well Done!!!!

Spent the evening reorganizing my jewelry inventory and packing up both inside and out for our trip home tomorrow!  Even though the Craft Show had its challenges, we will look forward to doing it again next summer!  We have had such a good time on this trip!! 

So Much Fun in the Wildwood/Avalon Area of New Jersey!

Well, I certainly didn't do a very good job of keeping up with my blog on this trip.  I guess we were too busy and having too much fun with friends and activities!

Thursday was an on and off rainy, mostly cloudy day, so we enjoyed a relaxing day at the campground.  Did get to take a walk early, have a late breakfast with the Martins, and then spend much of the day playing cards inside Willie.  Fred and Doloris took a drive to Sea Isle City to get take-out - soft shell crab sandwiches.  Do people really eat that stuff?????  We didn't even get to have a fire that evening, but more cards were played.  Ken and I got to talk to the gal in charge of the craft show here in Wildwood this weekend and we were approved to be part of it with my shell wrapped jewelry.  We were excited, but realized we needed to buy tablecloths or material so our tables would be covered to the ground (a requirement for the show!).  So after dinner, we went on an adventure looking for material.  It was rather frustrating, for Wal-Mart in this area does not carry material.  After a 2 1/2 hour excursion, we were still not successful in finding what we needed.  Despite that "set back", it was a fun day.

Friday was a gorgeous day to be on the beach, but we had a mission - finding material!  Ken and I left the CG at 7:30 and headed to Millville which was 28 miles away to get material at Hobby Lobby!  The treat was stopping for breakfast.  We were thrilled to find what we needed - 20 yards of teal colored satin material!  We were back to the CG by 11, changed quickly and met the Martins at the North Wildwood Inlet by 11:45.  It was a perfect beach day.  After "combing" the beach for more shells and doing some reading, Ken and I went back to the CG by 3:30 to load Diesel for tomorrow's craft show and to tackle cutting the fabric our 3 tables.  All of that was completed by 5:45, just about the time Martins returned from a full day at the beach.

This is North Wildwood Inlet where we do our beach time!

More time "working at the office!"

Kreiders invited all of us to their campsite for Happy Hour.  Marcia's sister, Terri, and her brother, Ron, were there too as well as Camrin and Anya.  Happy Hour extended into a late supper with Kreiders inviting us to join them - we added a few items to the menu.  Had a new creation - eyeball meatloaf.  You cut an large onion in 1/2, pull away the large rings one at a time and matching the 1/2's.  Then you fill half of the ring with meatloaf and top it with the other half.  (Looks like an eyeball).  Then wrap it in foil and place over the wood fire.  Turn once after 15 minutes, and wow, what a good meatloaf.  Marcia also made broccoli kabobs on the fire.  I provided a tossed salad.  What a meal!  After dinner, Marcia wanted to try a new dessert treat done on the fire.  We spread peanut butter on the inside of a sugar ice cream cone and then filled with chocolate chips, marshmallows, and slices of bananas.  Wrapped these in foil and placed them over the fire.  What a yummy dessert when everything is melted in the cone!

The meatloaf eyeballs and the broccoli kabobs are cooking!

It's hard work to cook over the fire!!!

Ready to eat and it's only 8:45!!!

Unwrapping the eyeballs!

Looks pretty good, huh!!!!!

What a group!!

Marcia was excited to try her new dessert!