Wonderful Weekend!!!

Well, I had a wonderful day on Saturday! It was the Annual "Cards Soar at the Shore" get-together for alumni and faculty alumni of Cardinal Dougherty.

Getting there is a problem- I am at exit 83 of the Garden State Parkway and the SOAR is at exit 4. Last time I went it took 6 1/2 hours to get down the GSP on a Saturday. So, this year I decided to beat the traffic- and had an extra special day as a result.

I got up at what is for me "the crack of dawn" in the summer- 7am! Got on the road early and had only a little traffic so I made good time. Went right past Wildwood and headed to Cape May.

I love Cape May- with the old "painted ladies" it is just delightful to walk around. For those of you who don't know the term, the "Painted Ladies" are the gorgeous Victorian homes of Cape May, painted in all kinds of pretty pastel colors. If you have never been, and live on or visit the East Coast, Cape May is a wonderful place to see.

I walked around for a while, ending up at the "mall". The "mall" in Cape May is a few blocks of fun, eclectic shops in an area where the streets have been closed to cars and are all bricked over. It was warm but not too hot and I really enjoyed looking in the shops and seeing all the different things offered.

I visited a yarn shop and found some tatting books and supplies. I was happy to hear from the owner that she doesn't get a lot of customers for tatting, but that the number seemed to be increasing in recent years. Go, Tatters!! Since I have been unable to find my copy of Rebecca Jones' tatting book- the BEST for me!- and she had one, I bought it! Now, of course, I will very soon find my original- which I can now loan to a friend who wants to learn tatting.

I also visited the really nice cross stitch shop, Stitch by Stitch, which I'd heard about for years but never been to. They have a very extensive chart collection, and some expensive, but GORGEOUS, needlepoint canvases. I didn't have the size information I needed- DARN!- to get stretcher bars for the small needlepoint canvas I brought down here, but I did get a small patriotic flag XS chart that I'd never seen and really liked.

The Church pictured above is Star of the Sea, a beautiful little church that I always visit in Cape May. I made a point of saying prayers and lighting candles for all my CD kids who are fighting serious medical issues right now. It made me feel really good to offer prayers for them in this pretty little church near the beach.
After my morning in Cape May I headed for Wildwood. The picture above was taken while I was stopped for a redlight heading into town. This is a CRAZY looking Wawa and I had to get a picture!

The Soar at the Shore was terrific! I got to see soooo many of my former students and it was just wonderful to hear about how and what they are doing now. I also got to see old friends my own age who are CD grads. It turned into a mob scene, which was great, and all in all, I had a fabulous time!

Sunday was really nice with DH and DS. Most of the time was spent discussing and planning our August trip to Disney World- always a favorite topic. We had the perfect summer dinner- crabs that DH had caught an hour before, fresh Jersey corn on the cob Nero Wolfe style- the best!!!- and Jersey tomatoes. HEAVEN!!

Been doing some tatting and, of course, lots of reading. Getting ready to take some watercolor classes tomorrow. Things are going really well.

I've begun to heal from the awfulness of this past school year. I find myself noticing that I am happy again, for the first time in a long time. Thank you is due to my magnificent husband for giving me this wonderful time here at the shore, where I can refind my better self.

Time for a late afternoon swim!