Impromptu Beach Weekend

This past weekend, me and Hubby took a last-minute, impromptu trip down to the beach.  That's one of the reasons I like living in this area of the country.  Within a 2 to 3 hour drive, one can be at the beach;  the mountains; touring, shopping, seeing shows in Philly, NYC; visiting the sites in our nation's capitol in DC; checking out the beautiful nature areas around the great Chesapeake Bay.  So much to do and see.

We drove down and stayed with friends who have a place in Fenwick Island, Delaware, and met up with another couple we've known for over 20 years, but haven't seen, or socialized with in way too long a time.  The couple we haven't seen in forever, graciously invited us all to spend the afternoon Saturday on their new pontoon boat tooling around some of Delaware's back bays.

This row of pastel homes on the bay are landmark of Fenwick Island, DE.

The Ocean City, MD, skyline from the bay side.

What a fun, relaxing afternoon.  Sight-seeing some of the gorgeous homes situated right on the water, pulling up dockside and having lunch at a water-side restaurant, then more exploring around the bays.

Harpoon Hanna's where we had lunch.

We ended the day back in Ocean City, Maryland, dining on pizza and beer at the pontoon boat couple's beautifully decorated condo.  I really wish I would have taken some snaps of their place.  It was decorated just perfect for a beach place.  But, as usual, I'm always finding myself having too much fun to stop and take pics.

The bay view from the OC condo balcony.

On Sunday, before heading home, we drove back down into West Ocean City, Maryland, for lunch in a fabulous restaurant called The Sunset Grille.  With the bevy of palm trees, and the huge, beautiful fishing boats lined up in the marina, you could almost forgot you were in Maryland and might think you're dining somewhere in the Caribbean.  The atmosphere was fun, and the food was delish.

The reason for all those ginormous fishing vessels pictured below was the gearing up for the 38th White Marlin Open, the world's largest Bullfish Tourney.  The tournament lasts from August 8th through 12th, with an estimated payout of over $2 million.

What a nice, relaxing weekend.  You know how sometimes the trips that go off with little or almost no planning seem to be the most fun?  Ya know, ya just throw some stuff in a bag, jump in the car and go.  I'm hoping we can get back down at least one more time this season. I'd like to dine again at The Sunset Grille and be able to experience the sunset in person.

Picture from The Sunset Grille website.

A very sad side note.   
When we returned back to the condo in OC, in the very spot where I snapped the pic below from the balcony, a rescue search ensued.  Coast guard helicopters and vessels starting frantically searching the water and surrounding land areas for four solid hours until 11 p.m.  We later learned a 23 year old man fell from a pontoon boat in the bay and drowned, and was found the next morning.  It was a sad and sobering experience watching the boats and helicopters with search lights combing the water, water's edge and even that dock area below.  It's a reminder that water safety is no joke, even on a relatively slow-moving vessel in the calm waters of the bay.  

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