Vacation… Stone Harbor & Cape May NJ.
Vacation was great. Coming home and getting back to real life? Not so great.
We were at the beach for a week and if you saw the photo of the car on Facebook, you were amazed to discover yet another way Paul is the luckiest guy on the planet.
It’s not every man whose wife takes a rice cooker on vacation.
I can only imagine the depths of your envy.
We were in Stone Harbor, at the Jersey shore. If you’re not from the area, that might make you think I was with some frighteningly-spray-tanned, overly-muscled drunk people… I’m pretty sure that show has singlehandedly crushed tourism in the entire state of New Jersey.
But Stone Harbor is south, near Cape May… they pretty much don’t let you in without searching your car for Tory Burch and chevron beach coverups. I fail this inspection every time, but I just act extra snooty and claim that I forgot it at home. This seems to fool them.
We all got to do our favorite things. I got to go to overpriced junk shops. Paul got to do beach stuff. Elvis got to sleep in the sun.
And the best part is that my whole family was there, at the same house we’ve rented for the last 10 years… a place where my brothers and I immediately regress 20 years and let my mom do all the cooking.
Thanks, mom! Sorry you have such horribly lazy children.
I guess it’s sort of your own fault since you raised us.
Who knows what you did wrong.
Be glad you’re not getting a post about the giant pile of laundry in the foyer or how much Elvis hates to travel in the car… Instead, you’re getting photos from Cape May—the town is a national historic landmark because of all the Victorian architecture.
The only reason we haven’t moved there permanently is because we are not millionaires.
A small and totally irritating factor.
If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on the rage that accompanies the realization that other people’s families were smart enough to amass fortunes that they passed on to their children, so that they could lead privileged lives of Victorian summer houses and general awesomeness.
By 1834, Cape May began to attract the elite of New York, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia. Music pavilions and ballrooms blossomed. And so began its reign as the Queen of the Seaside Resorts. Source – History of Cape May, NJ
Congress Hall began life in 1816 as a simple boarding house for summer visitors to one of America’s earliest seaside resorts. Its owner, Thomas H. Hughes, called his new boarding house “The Big House.” Source – Cape May in Vintage Postcards.
Aside from beach stuff and houses we cannot afford, I had another notable happening last week: Rhoda at Southern Hospitality blog featured me.
If you like house-stuff, you probably already read her… but if you’re new, start with her totally DIY house tour.
If you are a blogger, you did a double-take and said—wait, Haven blog conference Rhoda? She’s sort of a big deal around internet land.
Even more than the thrill of being acknowledged by blog-royalty, the post she wrote about me was so kind. It taught me the meaning of blogging-generosity.
And the more I thought about it, the more I took out the word “blogging” as a preface and appreciated it for what it is—just plain generosity.
For about five minutes I thought about writing something meaningful about random acts of kindness… but was totally distracted by the opportunity for some kind of Blanche DuBois moment and comparing myself to Tennessee Williams.
Obviously I needed to crop myself into a black and white photo with Vivien Leigh and also wear a peignoir… But vacation/crushing expectations of real life/having to go to the grocery store interfered.
As soon as I can afford to hire someone to live my life for me, I will dedicate myself to nothing but pasting myself into landmarks of American cinema. Look out, Scarface.
I will love you EVEN MORE… if you share me with your friends.
August 21, 2013 @ 11:42 am
I do resent the fact that my family didn’t pass a fortune on to me. It is even more frustrating when you hear that some distant relative DID have a fortune and their kids or grand kids blew the money. We should get to go back in time and slap them silly until they behave, act productively, and pass on the money so I can lead the life of leisure and blow the money.
August 21, 2013 @ 11:54 am
Beautiful! I especially like the first house–the yellow one with the picket fence and the dark green shutters.
August 21, 2013 @ 12:34 pm
I LOVE that you take Elvis with you on vacation. If I could take my two cats with me, I would in a heartbeat. In fact, I hate even going on vacation because that means leaving them behind. I think you just gave my husband a new reason to realize how lucky he is to have me as well!
August 21, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
It’s not vacation without Elvis. Paul would agree… (without agreeing at all) based solely on the fact that if Elvis does not come I worry about her incessantly.
August 21, 2013 @ 12:47 pm
That’s my problem. I have to call home everyday that I’m away to make sure they are okay. It gets to the point where I’m too anxious to do anything and I force the person watching my cats to take a picture of them to ensure they are alive and well.
We make it a goal on vacation for me to only call home once a day and wonder out loud how they are doing and if they are okay twice a day.Why do I go on vacation again? haha
August 21, 2013 @ 12:51 pm
Everything you say about Cape May is true. I live in the Midwest now, and most people have never heard of it….which I secretly like because…more Cape May for me. We took our kids for the first time last summer and they loved, it, too.
Your blog is hilarious and so fun!
August 21, 2013 @ 1:01 pm
Welcome back! I think I will be able to wait patiently for kitchen updates for approximately…90 seconds. Then I will devote all the brain space that is not puzzling over contract law to wondering, “What if Victoria and Paul have rebuild their island and I haven’t been told yet?!”
August 21, 2013 @ 1:02 pm
Or rebuilt. Either way.
August 21, 2013 @ 1:04 pm
THE GINGERBREADING!!! OMG! I’d kill for just one fancy frill to adorn my front porch in such a manner. And I often lament that no one’s ever thought to amass a fortune and pass it on to me.
I spend a vacation in Charleston, SC a few years ago just drooling over the homes. Oh, and the porches. THE PORCHES! I’m surprised no one had me arrested.
You need to be at Haven next year. I need to meet you in person and fawn over you.
August 21, 2013 @ 1:11 pm
It would be awesome if I didn’t know places like this existed b/c then I wouldn’t be reminded that I don’t live there either. Kind of like when we left NOLA and came back home and I was like oh look it’s the suburbs after I get back from a movie set. Except it wasn’t a movie set and people actually get to eat Beignets and coffee and stare at pretty homes every bloody day and I get to look at the same house over and over.
August 21, 2013 @ 1:40 pm
I live at the Jersey Shore (originally from the UK) & vacationing in Cape Cod… Anyhoo, a man asked where I was from yesterday & when I replied ‘The Jersey Shore’, he shot back, ‘No, I mean originally. You sound too intelligent to be from Jersey!’ … The nerve.. My hubby a New Jersey native (with a PhD) rolled his eyes. Snooki, et al. have a lot to answer for!
August 21, 2013 @ 1:48 pm
My darling, you could do a post about your pile of laundry in the foyer, and I, at least, would be titillated by your wit. There is nothing you can’t make hilarious, and I voraciously look forward even to your filler-content.
Congrats on being noticed by blog royalty, by the way. That’s an enormous deal.
August 21, 2013 @ 2:15 pm
So pretty! I agree, why did no one leave their fortune to us?? We would have spent it so well…
August 21, 2013 @ 2:54 pm
Someone needs to come to Portland; we have tons of old architecture and victorians. Much of it needs renovating. On second thought…
August 21, 2013 @ 3:43 pm
Congratulations, Victoria on the blog shout out! I have a sister who lives in Lewes , Delaware. She and I took the ferry over to Cape May one day when I was visiting. What a beautiful little town! Lewis is a tiny little town, but it is the first town, in the first state, and the residents there are very proud of that fact.
August 21, 2013 @ 4:03 pm
Hey, Victoria, thanks for the shout-out, so appreciated. I’m sure most of your readers have never been to my blog and of course, we all love new folks around. Loved your NJ beach post and so look forward to seeing what else you are up to on the home front. I was happy to feature you, well deserving for sure. I know an up and coming blog star when I see one! 😉
August 21, 2013 @ 4:37 pm
The Jersey shore is beautiful (I have a photo of it in our bathroom) and Cape May is fascinating. I’ve only had a chance to breeze through them on a long road trip, but what a great place to vacation. I’m happy for Elvis that she could come along and unwind. Cats lead such angst-filled lives. We’re going the opposite direction this weekend–a cottage in Pacific Beach, WA!
August 21, 2013 @ 4:48 pm
The first set of pictures of Cape May is of the Mainstay Inn. The Mainstay has a gigantic free standing mirror in their foyer, which if memory serves me, is 14′ tall (both ceiling and mirror.). It was moved into the foyer when the place was built and has NEVER BEEN MOVED SINCE! You can even see slightly behind it where successive paint jobs have never quite made it too far behind it.
The mirror was not bought on Craigslist.
Thought you could relate.
August 22, 2013 @ 11:17 am
Of all the buildings in Cape May, the Mainstay is my favorite and I have no idea why it’s never occurred to me to go inside… so THANK you for telling me what I’ve been missing! We’ll probably take a day trip before summer is truly over, so that will be on my itinerary. (probably I will chain myself in their foyer and refuse to leave.)
August 21, 2013 @ 5:07 pm
Oh how I do love Cape May, but my other half finds the frilly interiors of most of the B&Bs unbearble (along with having to eat breakfast with strangers) and refuses to go back. I am really obsessed with the house with the giant blue tower. If I remember correctly you can actually stay in the top of the tower, which inevitably make my small tower feel sad.
So did you actually use the rice cooker?
Can’t wait to see what you are thinking for the kitchen!
August 21, 2013 @ 5:30 pm
My husband attended basic at Coast Guard Station Cape May. He never once said a word about it being a victorian dream come true! He will be reprimanded for his oversight. It’s been decided.
August 21, 2013 @ 6:28 pm
I love this place. I had heard the name but never read anything about its history or the architecture. I wish we had some of the incredible architecture you folks in the east enjoy. Oh, and I wish I was part of your family…I think it would be fun to have siblings to regress in age and behavior with! Your mom is the best for cooking all the meals.
xo,
Karen
August 21, 2013 @ 6:37 pm
She featured you because you are so much fun to read. 🙂 We beach vacation with the whole family also and it’s so much fun and I do all the cooking too for my grown children. (but they do the appetizers and special drinks for happy hour) yum!