Cape Keepsakes

A vacation's not a vacation without a souvenir -- or two or three.  And this is my Cape May trifecta:  

- Postcard of Congress Hall (framed once I got home)

- Handmade blue ribbon brooch from the artisan paradise that is West End Garage

- Lemon lotion from Beach Plum Farm      

Every time I look at them, I'll think of shopping and shellfish.  

Books We Read on Vacation

When I packed for Cape May, I restrained myself by tossing in just one book.  Because you don't go on vacation to read, right?  But the husband goes to sleep before I do, which meant that I had some prime reading time on my hands.  So the first night, I delved into the second half of Emily Henry's Happy Place.  As you know, I've read and loved all of Henry's books (People We Meet on Vacation is my favorite), and Happy Place is no different.  Henry's dialogue is second to none, and in Happy Place, she's at her wittiest.  Her characters' conversations crackle with pithy puns and pop culture references sure to delight millennials and beyond (because technically, I'm a millennial too, albeit on the oldster side).  

So, what's this must-read all about?  Simply stated, it's a second chance romance.  Harriet is a stressed-out surgical resident in San Francisco, and Wyn is a laidback but grieving woodworker in Montana.  They're thrown together for one last magical Maine summer with their college besties before the sale of their beloved lake cottage.  So there are hijinks and, of course, all the feels.  Plus a lot about growing pains and what it really means to go after what you want.  It truly is a happy place, one that delivers a deceptively deep message.  Because happiness isn't for anyone content to stay in the shallow end of the lake.  

Needless to say, I finished it in one sitting -- and instantly felt bereft.  I do not like being without a book.  And I didn't know of any bookstores in Cape May.  So the next afternoon, when the husband and I wandered into the hotel coffee shop, I was ecstatic to see a few books on offer.  

There was a novelization of a Hallmark movie, a depressing-looking biography, and a celebutante novel by Lauren Conrad that I almost went for because I was, at that very moment, wearing not one but three LC Lauren Conrad items.  But there were also two titles by Mary Kay Andrews, an author I'd heard of but never read. 

I chose the lone copy of Sunset Beach, which turned out to be a murder mystery about an offed Florida hotel maid.  (The irony of this being sold in a hotel was not lost on me, nor was the title.  Because although this Sunset Beach is, as I've said, in Florida, there's one in Cape May too.)  Anyway, for a book chosen under duress, it was pretty good, and I read a third of it that night.  Not only did I get my fiction fix, but I might have even found a new go-to author!

Book adventures -- you never know where they'll take you.

Cape May Getaway

Sometimes you just have to get away.  At least that's what the husband and I decided when we realized that we hadn't been on a trip, just the two of us, in almost a decade.  We didn't want to go too far away, and we didn't want to go anywhere new in case we didn't like it.  So the husband said,  "What about Cape May?"  Victorian houses, quaint shops, and seafood?  I was there.  I booked us a room at Congress Hall and marked it on our calendar.  

Yet this past Wednesday, when it was time to set off for New Jersey's southernmost point, I began to have second thoughts.  It was cold and rainy, more like March than May.  Still, I swapped out my packed clothes for warmer ones and ordered myself to have fun.  Usually, when I order myself to do stuff, it's dishes and jumping jacks, so my chances for success seemed pretty good.  

When we rolled onto Washington Street, it was raining even harder.  "What do you want to do?" the husband asked.  That, at least, was a no-brainer.  "Cape May Fish Market," I said.  In no time, we were devouring our go-to, butter-drenched seafood rolls: shrimp, lobster, and crab for me, and scallops for him.  It's one of the best things I've ever eaten.  

That lunch set the tone for the next two days.  Being on vacation in the middle of the week, during the off-season, while it rained off and on, seemed like a decadent adventure.   

For once I wore (mostly) comfy clothes, focusing on my favorite color, yellow.  I got a kick out of how I matched Congress Hall.  

We took nature walks, which is the husband's thing, but once upon a time, it was my thing too.  I make jokes about being indoorsy, but even now there's something exciting and fairy-tale-esque about discovering a path in the forest.  And we wouldn't have been able to enjoy it if it were warmer, what with UV rays and mosquitos.  

We climbed the lighthouse.  If I look grim, then it's probably because I got a little weirded out on the deck.  It was very windy, and I was grateful to be back on solid ground.  

We even found not one but two places to spread our photography wings:

And finally, we shopped and ate more seafood!  

My favorite shop was the West End Garage, a trove of vintage and handmade treasures.  I couldn't believe how cool it was, or that in all the times I'd been to Cape May, I'd never been there.  Stall after stall of unusual décor, furniture, clothes, jewelry, and anything else you could imagine wound before us, not unlike those forest paths.  Here's a stall featuring vintage toys.  

I almost went for the set of lemon and orange bobbleheads but instead got a gorgeous brooch made of ribbons and charms (more on that later).  The husband chose something from the same artisan, a bowtie made of red and tan feathers.

So all in all, we had a wonderful time, full of fun and relaxation.  Cape May, we give you two arms up!