While I sometimes pine for a southern beach, in say South Carolina, with warm water and palm trees, I do love Cape May, New Jersey where our family gathers every year. We have layered memories of beach vacations from over thirty years of visits. The year we stayed in a dilapidated Victorian house with mushrooms sprouting in the bathroom was especially memorable. That house was later transformed into a pink confection called Angel by the Sea with paint and a massive amount of gingerbread. Now we find ourselves sitting on at the table after dinner reminiscing about which year the hurricane blew over us and which year various friends and family came. And we spend hours at the beach. The water there is icy cold, but on hot days like we had last week it is refreshing. And we reminded ourselves, sharks don't like cold water.
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| One of the many Victorian bed and breakfast hotels in Cape May, NJ |
This is the Mainstay Hotel, possibly my favorite house in Cape May, however it's very hard to choose. It was built in 1872 as a gambling club. While I was sketching the man who purchased it in 1977 walked by and introduced himself. He and his wife transformed it with countless hours of hard work into a beautiful building inside and out. At his suggestion I knocked on the door and they let me look around the living room, parlor and dining room.
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| I liked this white haired gentleman in a button down shirt enjoying his book at the beach | |
All the rental umbrellas on our section of beach were yellow.
This is the Mainstay Hotel, possibly my favorite house in Cape May, however it's very hard to choose. It was built in 1872 as a gambling club. While I was sketching the man who purchased it in 1977 walked by and introduced himself. He and his wife transformed it with countless hours of hard work into a beautiful building inside and out. At his suggestion I knocked on the door and they let me look around the living room, parlor and dining room.
