One of my goals for 2019 is to spend more quality time with Nancy. Last week we got away for a few days at Rehoboth Beach.
My Private Beach
I know. I can hear the howls, “Why in the world would you go to the beach in the middle of February?” A picture is worth a thousand words. This is a picture of my personal, private beach. At one point I stood on my hotel room balcony and looking as far as the eye could see I only counted twenty people on the beach. That was the busiest I ever saw it.
Winter Beach
When Joseph and Rayann were growing up we would take a week in February and head to the beach. It was just the three of us, we called it our Big Adventure. We ate poorly (great), stayed up late, and simply enjoyed time together. One of my favorite memories is the time Rayann stepped in a snow bank, got stuck, and when I pulled her out she lost her snow boot. How many people can say they lost a snow boot on the beach?
Nancy and I had been given a gift certificate to the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel. The place was amazing. We enjoyed a few days away and got to travel home in the middle of a snowstorm.
My Thirty Year Quest
While away I had the opportunity to complete a thirty-year quest. When I was twenty I traveled to England. I was there for a few weeks and my group traveled all over the country and into Scotland. In one community we lived with host families. Each morning we would walk to the center of town to meet our group for the day. When our day was over we would all walk back to our host homes. My trip home led me past a fish and chips restaurant. It was a small, hole in the wall, take out place. You walked in, placed your order and walked out with fish and chips wrapped in a butcher paper cone. It was some of the best food ever. I stopped every night as I headed home.
When I returned to the States I started my quest to find fish and chips that came anywhere close to what I experienced in the small, hole in the wall shop in England. I have eaten a lot of bad fish and chips in pursuit of this quest. Nancy is the one who spotted Go Fish. A small, hole in the wall place selling fish and chips. I tried not to get excited as we ordered our food. My hopes had been dashed so many times before. That evening Nancy and I were the only people in the restaurant. We had the whole place to ourselves. It was fun, and the food was fantastic! The thirty-year quest was completed!
A Relaxing Trip
Nancy and I had a great few days together. It was good to step away from work and relax. Nancy took some time to work on a project the two of us are doing together while I spent some time writing. Our schedules were not being driven by appointments or deadlines, this was very refreshing. We could simply be together and do what seemed right at the moment. I will not lie, I did manage to take a few naps.
We had breakfast each morning in the hotel restaurant. It was a nice way to start the day. Looking out over the beach as someone served you coffee.
Thank you First Baptist Church for the gift certificate and the time to get away and relax for a few days.