Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2008: 14
Monday, June 30, Cathy, Bill, Jack, and Sue drove to the Oyster Creek Inn for lunch, but it wasn't opening until 3:00 PM. We drove the the Seaview Marriott on Route 9 in Galloway Township and parked there. We went to Mc Gettigan's 19th Hole-Tavern for a simple bar lunch. Afterward, we took a look at a two bedroom suite at the Marriott time-share. It was very nice and might feature in Jack and Sue's future vacation plans. We drove to the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City and explored it and the attached Water Club hotel. We got a transfer for our $5 parking fee and drove to Caesar's parking garage. We went out to the Pier Shops at Caesars and did some more exploring. We watched the water show and Bill got a cappuccino. We drove to Exit 0 of the Parkway and ate a good meal at Lucky Bones. We all viewed "Angel's Dance" and really enjoyed this black comedy. It rained a bit as we went to bed.
Tuesday was Bill's birthday. Bill started the day with an early 3 mile run and 4 mile walk. Afterward, we ate breakfast on the deck. We took the 11:00 AM ferry to Lewes, DE as pedestrians and jumped on the shuttle and a DART bus to the Rehoboth boardwalk. We ate lunch in an outdoor Tiki bar with a cute Bulgarian waitress. After a quick walk on the boardwalk, we caught a DART bus and the shuttle back to catch the 4:15 PM ferry to Cape May. We enjoyed the ride sitting at the Lido bar. Cathy gave Bill some welcomed presents, including a new spring wet suit. We went to the Ebbit Room for Bill's birthday dinner and enjoyed a wonderful meal. After dinner, a drunk very nearly backed into the Beatty's Lexus. The horn saved us from a bad situation. We all got to bed around midnight.
Wednesday started slowly. Bill got up first, naturally, joined late by Cathy and much later by Jack and much, much later by Sue. Our shed arrived by Roadway Express. Jack and Sue moved to the Sea Crest Motel in Cape May for more days of festivities. Bill had the chance to be a hero for 3 girls who saw a snake on the public beach access path. They were on the landing of the steps at the end of the path and saw Bill on the deck. They called out and asked Bill to remove the snake. Bill grabbed a hiking pole and lifted the big black snake into the dunes. We met Sue and Jack at around 1:20 PM at the Lobster House to eat take-out on their back deck. When we returned, we took short naps. Then, Cathy went to ACME and Bill cleaned bathrooms. We had a beautiful sunset.
Thursday was warm and humid with a nice breeze. We went to Gloria's aerobics class. Bill slogged home while Cathy went to the Lobster House for fish for dinner. After lunch, Bill kayaked to the canal. Katie, Tom, and Rachel were stuck in heavy Shore traffic, so Tom jumped on his bike and rode the last 30 miles of the trip down. The car and bike arrived simultaneously. We had a great cod dinner on the deck. The breeze allowed us to hang on the deck after sunset without bugs while people swarmed the beach for the 9:15 PM fireworks. Only two groups trespassed on the way to the beach. We viewed "Vantage Point" which was a great disappointment. We could smell the smoke from the North Carolina fire all through the evening.
Friday morning, Cathy went to aerobics. We experienced a surprise rainstorm soon thereafter. Bill and Rachel went to the beach for a couple of hours. After lunch, Tom went for a bike ride and Bill went for a kayak paddle down to the concrete ship. Meanwhile, Jay and Marge Keeley arrived to stay with us overnight and attend the 70th birthday party for Jack Beatty at his brother Bill's rental in Cape May. Cathy and Bill left at 5:00 PM to pick up food for the party at Bella Mangiata and then head into Cape May. Katie, Tom, and Rachel came a bit later and Jay and Marge came at about the same time. The party for Jack went well. Bill and Jean Beatty's 11 grandchildren went to the promenade to watch the fireworks, but it was shortened by rain and a thunderstorm, which lasted for a couple of hours. Katie, Tom, and Rachel left before the fireworks started, but Bill and Cathy got caught in the post-fireworks traffic out of Cape May. They stopped at ACME to get some breakfast stuff.
Saturday, all of us except Tom went into Cape May in the Mini-Cooper. Tom rode his bike in. We parked on Kearny Avenue and ate lunch at Louis' Pizza. Afterward, we watched the Cape May July 4 parade. It was short, but Rachel loved it. We headed back out of town after the parade. We had a grilled dinner on the deck. After Rachel got to bed, we viewed "Darjeeling Limited" - a real waste of talent and viewer time.
Sunday, Katie, Tom, and Rachel left fairly early in the morning. Pop-up T-storms were around most of the day. Bill had a sore groin and had to lay low for the day. Bill grilled a filet for Cathy and Cathy cooked oven baked cod for Bill for their dinners. We viewed a 1996 movie that we had missed, "Beautiful Girls." We enjoyed the movie and thought that it had a realistic story line.
Bill and Cathy