NO WAY JOSE 9.19.2017
Thankfully Jose turned out to be nothing but an annoying rain storm in Cape May with winds of 25 knots and gusts in the 30s. The high tide is about 2 feet higher than normal so far, but not anticipated to be much higher at this point. I am thankful to Jose – because we stopped and spent time here. Cape May is one of the cutest towns we have seen.
Although the marina, Canyon Club Resort Marina, has a curtesy van, we decided to rent a car since we were going to be here for a few days. This gave us a wonderful sense of independence. We made our periodic stop at the local West Marine store and got a few things that will aid in washing off the salt that is a constant companion. We stopped at a local liquor store to replenish supplies. Then we were off sightseeing - we went to see the lighthouse, the pedestrian mall with a variety of shops and the Beach Road that has Victorian houses one after another. The houses face the beach and are painted in bright beautiful colors. We walked down to the beach and saw a number of surfers taking advantage of the wild waves that were crashing on the shore. They didn’t seem to be worried about the rip current - in fact one surfer said they use the rip current to move out through the surf.
After a brief rest we had dinner at The Lobster House –A must see if in Cape May. It was crowded with what appeared to be both locals and tourists. I was struggling with what to do about Kashrut while on this trip. Clearly, we couldn’t keep strictly kosher on the boat as there is barely room for one full set of dishes. Summer vacations have always been kosher style. I decided I would give myself the latitude to try new things this trip. Shell fish is really the only thing that I was curious about. So at the Lobster House I tried their special which included scallops, lobster tails and shrimp in a butter sauce over pasta. I can definitely do without the lobster, shrimp I have had before and I think it all depends on the sauce but the scallops were delicious. Docked right outside the restaurant where a number of large (about 75 feet) fishing boats. The tide was up so they looked even larger than they would have normally because they were sitting so high in the water compared to the restaurant. The owner of one of the boats was sitting outside with his wife and we talked with him about the fishing cycle the boat has – being off shore for a few months and then coming in, the tons of ice they take with them to keep the fish fresh and what fish they go looking for. It was very interesting.
Our second day in Cape May included a leisurely morning, then a tour of local food establishments – a roadside market with fresh produce, a cheese store with locally sourced cheeses, and then the local ACME. Sometimes it is difficult finding the no sugar added/sugar free items that I am used to finding at Heinens, but most things are readily available. We went back to Fisherman’s Warf (next to the Lobster House) to buy fresh fish. Since the wind had really picked up we drove back along the shore to see the huge waves – just can’t get enough of it I guess. Dinner on the boat.
We bought tickets to the local theater and saw “The Gin Game”. For some reason we were expecting a light comedy but got a dark one. It tells the story of two lonely people in a run-down retirement community who are there because they have no choice (on public assistance). Both are lonely because they are estranged from their families and have no visitors. They find some company in each other but one has a violent temper that shows itself at various points. It left us asking questions – great acting but not what we were expecting.
Today, Wednesday, is Erev Rosh Ha Shana. A congregant from a synagogue in Wildwood NJ that I found in a book about Cape May is picking us up for services around 6:00 pm. It is so nice to know that if I call a local synagogue chances are they will offer some kind of assistance. I feel sad to be so far away from home on the holidays. I wish I had been able to get home but I didn’t want to leave Bob by himself on the boat.
I realize that this trip is very rewarding but also difficult for Bob – He had to make most of the decisions about how to outfit the boat (yes with my limited input) and the maintenance of a 26 year old boat also falls on his shoulders. I try to be an active participant and help with the navigation and making reservations, but the most difficult stuff is on his shoulders. All of the decisions (about upgrading and repairing the boat) were made with the best information we had at the time. Having traveled now for two months, there are some choices that I think he would have made differently and he is frustrated by that. Nothing is life threatening – just would have made things a bit easier. I will let him comment on those.
As I sit here writing, Bob and Hugh went to return the rental car and get the propane canisters for cooking refilled. One of canisters seems to have a leaking valve – not the one we were using – the spare. So one more thing to fix!!!
Happy New Year to all – Let us hope that those who are in the path of a storm find refuge and recovery in the coming year. Our love to all – thank you for caring about us.
Pictures to follow……HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNNE AND PATTY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MONICA AND LOREN
