Yesterday was our first Nor'easter for the year. The surf was only slightly angry, but the winds were strong. Walking down to the beach, I felt like I was walking through a wind tunnel. The closer I got to the beach the harder the wind pushed me back. By the time I reached the boardwalk, I was leaning into the wind and it was taking a good deal of energy just to move forward.

The pictures that I am posting only give you a slight idea of what it was like. They weren't even taken at high tide!!! As you can see the water was already reaching the dunes and sea foam was flying. There were a few hardy souls that were trying to sit on the beach up against the weather fencing to watch the waves. They were wrapped in rain gear and were having to hold onto everything they had with them. Later in the day, the water reached the street at the Henlopen Hotel not far from my homes.

By the time I decided that I needed to head back to the car, it was starting to rain in ernest. We ended up with over 4 inches!!!!! At times, the wind was driving the rain so hard that there were many leaking roofs and water driven in around windows.

Today, when I walked around town, I noticed a number of awnings that had been damaged. Over all this was a pretty mild storm that left very little damage. The worst was beach errosion. It is early in the year for that much errosion. The good news is the sands are ever changing. We always loose beach in the fall and winter, but the sea is kind and usually brings it back in the Spring.

It's no seacret that I truly love the ocean no matter what it is like, but I think I like it best when it is like this. I love the sheer power of those waves.

Not so beautiful beach days. . . .

With late August comes uncertain weather here. For the last week, the humidity has been very high making it feel warmer then it really is. Most days it has been mostly cloudy, but there hasn't been much rain in those clouds. Today, the high was in the mid 70's - very cool for this time of year. Not a good beach day!!!

The ocean has been churning due to off-shore storms. As the storms go up the coast they drive the water into the land, making the surf rough and creating strong undertows. There have been several days when the surf has been so rough that the lifeguards wisely kept everyone out of the water. Even so, there have been more then a few injuries in the past week. Those injuries run from minor abrasions, to dislocated shoulders, broken limbs, and several possible broken necks. If you aren't accustom to swimming in the ocean, please stay out of the water. A strong undertow can knock a large man, who is only knee deep in the water, down or whisk a small child right out of your hold. The thrill is truly not worth the risk.

Since the storms have been so far out off the coast, we have unfortunately not had very much rain. That in itself is creating problems. As you walk on the beach or the boardwalk, you notice that your glasses or sunglasses become coated with salt from the air quickly. It can become quite irriating. Be careful cleaning the salt off, as it can scratch your lenses. It is best to rinse them with water before you try to polish them.

That salt can cause eletrical problems and kill trees as well. You might notice transformers at the top of electric poles are arcing or heard crackling noises. This is caused by the salt build up on the transformers. If it gets really bad the fire companies have to use their trucks to wash down the transformers, so that they don't catch fire or explode. So far, it hasn't gotten to that point this year and let's hope it doesn't.

If you have a chance to drive south on route 1, you will notice that a large number of black pines appear to be dying. It's the salt coating the needles. If it continues, the salt can kill the tree, but most of the time it does get that severe. This year, it appears that we really could loose some of those trees. Some trees have a great deal of dead needles already. We need several days of steady rain soon, if they are going to recover.

You really can feel summer slipping away.

Beautiful Beach Days

It's been a wonderful summer for the beach! Over all the temperatures have been cooler then normal, but today is a hot one. I was down on the beach earlier and the water is sooooo warm. I really didn't want to get out. I could have stayed in all day. There is just something so therapudic about warm salt water! Of course, the whole beach thing is therapudic as far as I am concerned. I find it hard to go more then a few days without getting a fix of sand and sea. The wind in my hair, the smell of salt water, and the sound of the waves and gulls pull at my soul.

The only down side is there are a lot of jellyfish, when the water is this warm. Yup, you can always tell how warm the water is by the number of jellyfish. A little hint: If you get stung by one sprinkle the area with meat tenderizer. It really works, but I have no idea why.

It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. It seems to have flown by faster then usual. Is that a sign that I am getting older? Our oldest grandson starts school tomorrow, the middle one started yesterday and the youngest starts kindergarden the day after Labor Day. I haven't had them on the beach anywhere near as much as I had planned. I am feeling pressure to make the most of the time left before school with the little one.

Tonight, we are taking him to the boardwalk. He loves the rides! We will probably go to Funland first, then we will get pizza at Louis' Pizza. They do have the best pizza and their fresh cut fries are out of this world. The evening will be topped off with ice cream. Then I will deliver him home undoubtedly with a tummy ache. (Isn't that what grandmothers are for?)

Chek-in/Check-out day. . . .

It's Saturday, so that means that I have spent the day in Rehoboth. I always like to make sure that everything is in order after the cleaners are finished. Somehow, I have never been able to find cleaning people who leave the houses exactly as I want them. I guess I am picky, but I want to make sure that the beds are neat and that each room is not only clean but neat a pin. I want the houses to be so inviting that my guests feel like they are walking into their own home. I make sure that all of the plants are watered and the flower beds are weedless. While the cleaners are finishing up, I run whatever errands I have to do. If I finish up early enough I take a walk on the boardwalk.

The weather today was just the best. The humidity was low and there was a wonderful breeze
- the kind that feels like it is carressing your skin. I walked down Virginia Avenue to the boardwalk, then south to Rehoboth Avenue. Once on the avenue, I couldn't decide if I wanted Louis' pizza or Kohrs. I fnally decided to treat myself to a huge Kohr's Custard (Banana-Strawberry). It served as breakfast and lunch, so I didn't feel bad about the huge part. It was great as usual. I never have one of those ice cream cones that I done thiink of my best friend , Ahrisha. When she is down, we can't walk past that place without getting ice cream, no matter how much we have had to eat.

I took time to enjoy every lick of that cone while I strolled down the avenue widow shopping. There are some very interesting new shops this year. I really need to make time to do more then window shop. Then I will give you a report on what I have found. There is one new shop that I love. It has lots of hair accessories and some really cute "junk" jewelry. I have bought 3 blown glass pendants there. (3 for $20.00) I have worn several of them and gotten some compliments. I don't know the name of the place, but it is on the north side of the block just a few stores from First Street.

It day was so nice that I really didn't want to head home, I would have prefered to veg on the beach, but all good things must come to an end.

It's a beautiful day on the beach. The temperature is nearly 90 today.. It's hot a block inland, but here on the beach there is a cool breeze.

The water is warm and there is no undertow today. The perfect time for a swim! Earlier this morning the dolphin put on a show. There seemed to be more then usual swimming up and down the shoreline. Several flipped over turning their bellies up to the sun, another patted the surface with it's tail and one jumped out of the water. Several people saw it and all of a sudden everyone on the beach had their eyes glued on the water.

One of my favorite things is watching for them. I love watching how they swim the shoreline. The water is their very own highway. There seems to be 2 lanes with some gong north and some going south. Sometimes, when they meet they appear to be greeting each other. It's fascinating!

It is so wonderful to be sitting on the beach after the strong thunderstorms we have had over the past coupla days. Awwww! There is no better place to be on a summer day!!!!!

Cloudy Days

Well, the sun didn't show today. The wind was coming off the ocean which created a hazy mist on shore that disappeared within a block. It was very humid making it feel much hotter then it was. There were plenty of hardy people on the beaches - some of us just can't resist the call of that ocean.. BUT it's just the type of day that you can get too much sunburn without realizing it, so always use plenty of sunscreen even when the sun is AWOL.

My son took the day off to go crabbing with his 5 year old. Just the purrrfect day for it. If any of you ever want to crab, the very best place is Holt's Landing - about a 20 minute drive south from Rehoboth. There is a great pier there and a really nice play ground for the kids.

I had a lot of errands to run out on the highway. Wrong day for that!! Traffic was gridlocked around the outlets with 3 lanes of traffic all trying to make a right turn into the parking lots. Yup, you guessed it, I was one of those making that righthand turn. I had sevral coupons that I had to used by tomorrow and OshKosh was having a great sale. I picked up some really nice tee shirts for school. I just can't resist buying for my grandsons. If you're familiar with the outlets, you are in for a shock. They keep changing. Many of the store are no longer discounted, they are full retail and we keep loosing stores. Some of my peronal favorites have disappeared. Others have relocated within the mall. GRRRRRR. . . it's so irritating.

Then I headed out to Midway to buy 20 yards of fabric. For over a year, I have been looking for fabric to make curtains for my livingroom. I haven't been able to find what I really want - a blue and yellow plaid. I stopped into Dreamweaver's last week. They had a plaid that I liked, blue and white. I got a swatch, took it home and laid it on my sofa. It has sat there for a week. I finally decided that, although it was not exactly what I had in mind, it would work. The curtains will be a winter project.

The trip home was slow. Traffic hadn't let up and the 35 mph speed limit makes a bottle neck at Indian River Inlet. Secretly, I like the slow speed limit over the bridge as it is such a gorgeous view. It's nice to be force to drive slow enough that one can enjoy it. As soon as Icould I cut inland so that I could avoid the traffic in Bethany Beach.

Tonight will be a sweater/jacket night on the boards. If you plan on sitting on a bench be shore to take a towel or you'll have a damp bottom.

FYI/warning/pet peeve

I wanted to pick up some shorts for my grandsons, so I headed out to the outlets this morning. Seems like every time I go there stores have moved out and new ones are there in their place. It is so irritating!!!! What's much worse is many of the incoming stores are not true outlet stores; they are full retail stores. Old Navy is no long an outlet store, they are full retail. Please beware!!!!