Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2008: 19
Monday, August 4, we all went to the Raging Waters water park in Wildwood. Alex, Phil, and family joined us there. It was a beautiful sunny day and the kids had a ball cavorting in the various water activities. The McArthurs and Leitchs ate pizza for lunch on the boardwalk. After lunch we headed back home. We were all somewhat beat from chasing kids all morning and lots of naps occurred. Cathy and Bill drove to Sea Isle City to pick up Alex and Phil for dinner out. We drove to Ventnor City and enjoyed a great meal at Gertrude's, Neil Elsohn's new restaurant. The menu and dishes reminded us of his Water's Edge fare.
Tuesday morning, everyone except Bill headed to Sea Isle City for a morning on the beach. Bill went for an early morning run followed by a shower. Later in the morning he headed to Somers Point for lab work and a renal scan at Shore Memorial Hospital. The renal scan included the insertion of a Foley Catheter and was extremely uncomfortable. On the way home, Bill had to stop at the service area at Mile 17 to pee. Later, it felt like he was peeing boiling water. He napped a bit to get away from the pain. Bill and Tom grilled vegetables and pork chops for dinner. Rachel worked as their assistant. We ate inside due to a light rain outside. Son Bill had left for Atlantic City to play poker and stay the night.
Wednesday was our 42nd Anniversary. Bill's peeing had become only mildly uncomfortable, like peeing acid. It was overcast and rain was forecast for the morning, but it didn't occur. The sun came out and the day got hot. We headed for our beach with the kids and they played in the sand and water. Rachel got stung by something, probably a loose jellyfish tentacle. Her wrist got red and then her ankle. Cathy and Katie took her to urgent care where they treated her with vinegar and prescribed a topical steroid. Son Bill came back from Atlantic City via WaWa, where he picked up hoagies. During the afternoon we flew a kite among other activities. One of our handyman Brian's buddies, Quinn, worked on the new shed for under the house. We all headed for Mariners Pier in Wildwood around 5:20 PM. We met Alex and Phil and family on the boardwalk. We did some rides for a while and then everyone but Bill and Cathy headed for a diner for dinner. Bill and Cathy headed to the Blue Claw for an excellent anniversary dinner.
Thursday, Bill had his usual oatmeal breakfast on the deck. The rest of the crew went to Uncle Bill's for breakfast. Cathy returned home, but the others went on the ferry to Delaware. Cathy and Bill drove to Sea Isle City. They went on the beach with the Stoops family and Bill got a chance to body board and body surf in the ocean for a couple of hours. Cathy's Aunt Patty McMenamin, her daughter Mary, and two of Mary's children joined us on the beach for a while. After lunch Cathy and Bill drove home. Bill went out on a 2 hour kayak paddle up the Bay before dinner. Bill and Stacey went out to the Black Duck. The rest of us enjoyed veggie burgers (guess who), Swedish Meatballs, spinach, and noodles for dinner on the deck. All of the kids went to bed uneventfully.
Friday morning, Bill ran 5 miles to the Canal and back with a mile of walking up front. The west wind was honking, so we all decided to go into Cape May to walk around on the promenade and the Washington Street Mall. We ate lunch at Louie's Pizza. When we returned, Stacey, Bill, Billy, and Rachel went down to our beach. Bill set up the fishing pole/kite in his surf rod holder on the beach and sent the kite way high in the sky. Soon, an old WWII fighter, which was visiting the Cape May County Airport, flew overhead at just above the kite. Bill quickly lowered the kite so as not to cause any problems. Bill, Billy, and Rachel did some running games along the beach as the afternoon wore on. We all met Alex and her family at Panico's in West Cape May for a great family Italian dinner. We didn't cause any major disruptions to the restaurant and had a good time. We watched part of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics after returning home.
Saturday was windy in the morning again. Katie and Rachel left around mid-morning. The rest of us drove to Ocean City to take the kids on some rides on the boardwalk. We all ate lunch in Mack and Mancos Pizza on the Ocean City boardwalk. The kids enjoyed the kiddie rides at Gillian's Wonderland Pier. We returned home around 2:30 PM. Bill, Son Bill, and Billy went down to our beach. Sarah and Stacey joined them for a while. Then, we all went back up and cleaned off. Cathy made a great salmon dinner which we ate on the deck. As the sun set, we felt a bit of fall in the air. After the kids went to bed, we watched some of the Olympic coverage.
Sunday was very unsettled with thunderstorms off and on. We had the chance to fly the kite off of the deck in the morning and in the afternoon as the wind was variable and gusty. We drove into Cape May and all ate at the Blue Pig for lunch. A big storm came through while we were in the restaurant. When we got home, the kids took naps. We grilled a wonderful swordfish and vegetable dinner which we ate inside due to the passing storms. We were treated to some rain, some lightning, and some thunder. After dinner we watched some of the Olympics.
Bill and Cathy