Dewey Beach, Delaware

Oh my. I'm so far behind on posting that I'm not sure what to do.

Since I lasted posted (two weeks ago!) I have dipped my toes (or my whole body) in both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, and have started teaching two online classes.

And other stuff, of course. It's amazing how much two weeks can contain. I know that many people do much more, but it seems like it has been enough for me.

So here is a little bit of catching up.

Neil has a new job, and he gets no vacation time for the first six months or so. I'm not complaining - after enduring two years of unemployment, we are both very happy that he has a job at all, and we are digging ourselves out of the financial hole you fall into when one wage earner becomes unemployed.

BUT - I like vacations. I really do. So I was happy to learn that his workplace would be closed July 4-6, and we could take a quick two- or three-day vacation. Unpaid on his end, but paid on mine.

In all the years we have lived on the east coast, we have never been to the Jersey or Maryland or Delaware shore in the summer. Going "down the shore" is an iconic summer experience for lifelong easterners, but it never seemed like such a big deal to us. But now, now with a quick three-day vacation possible, we opted for going down the shore. We found a motel just a block from the ocean in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

I now understand why people feel deprived if they don't go down the shore at least once during the summer (and many, many people do it every single weekend - in fact, when I worked as a medical editor at Lippincott, they had summer hours for the whole company - longer days Monday through Thursday, half a day on Fridays - so that employees could get to the beach by Friday night).

Mr. Bean seemed to suspect that something was up, and he was about to be left behind. I took a picture of him watching me pack the suitcase.

Well, too bad for you, Mr. Bean. Don't worry - it's only for three days. I had found a Best Western hotel only a block from the beach. An ordinary American hotel, but for some reason I love hotels - especially the row of pillows on the bed that someone else has made, standing at attention.

This was the first time I've had a room with a shower with no door. You could roll a wheelchair into the room and just sit on the bench and shower, if you wanted to. Perhaps this is becoming more common, but it was the first time I've seen this kind of set-up. It seems sensible, what with the aging of America and the need for accessible facilities.

Right across the street from the hotel, a Hawaiian-themed restaurant/bar, Nalu, which featured great happy hour specials.  Here is Neil holding Hawaiian iced tea (pineapple juice and alcohol of some sort - I don't remember now if it's vodka or something else). I should mention that this was in the midst of a horrible heat wave, so we didn't want to walk much farther than across the street).

The happy hour food specials included these great mango buffalo wings and Hawaiian pizza. All very, very, incredibly low-priced. This was our first hint that we could spend the entire vacation living on happy hour specials.

To be continued . . . .