Cape Charles Weekend Review

 Rather than the busy, hectic weekends we have been having, D.J. and I spent a weekend full of relaxation and each other.  It was so nice to get out of Norfolk and head to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to visit the quaint little town of Cape Charles.  Although San Diego would have been great, I think this trip was just what we needed.  It was close enough that I didn't have to take off work, we didn't spend a crazy amount of money, and we were able to be back on Sunday to watch football and have the end of the year volleyball party!

We left Norfolk around 5:00 p.m. on Friday and got to Cape Charles around 5:45, just in time for the sunset.  On the way, we saw some pretty awesome views.  It's crazy how just a short 23 mile bridge separates the hustle and bustle of Hampton Roads from the quiet, desolate lifestyle of what the Eastern Shore has to offer. 

When we turned off of the main road to get to Cape Charles, we were driving due west and the sunset was so stunning.  We drove straight to the beach to take some selfies with the sunset when we found this awesome "LOVE" sign made out of crab traps, an old tire, and two kayaks.  

Then a sweet couple that were heading to the beach to take a romantic walk stopped by to take some photos for us and we were able to get this cool picture.

It's always so funny when D.J. takes photos of me, the camera is guaranteed to be facing down and when I am taking photos of him, it's the complete opposite!

 We walked out on the pier to take some pretty sunset photos.  I knew the weather for the weekend was looking a little iffy, so we took full advantage of the amazing sky Friday night. 

DJ wanted the place we were staying to be a surprise, so I used all my power to stay away from Google and figure it out, and I am so glad I did.  He did such a great job with our little B&B,  Cape Charles House. Bruce and Carol, the innkeepers were so sweet and welcomed us with open arms.  

 

They have been in business for the past 21 years and moved to Cape Charles specifically to open the B&B. The house has 5 rooms and DJ booked us in the room with the jacuzzi tub, the Julia Wilkins Room.  It features a sitting balcony, a king size bed, and was featured on HGTV's If Walls Could Talk show. 

The house was beautiful.  Full with old antiques, stunning curtains, and an old charm feel that really made the weekend relaxing.  After we checked in and changed for the night, Bruce and Carol were down in the kitchen with wine and crackers for all the guests.  There were a few other couples there throughout the weekend and it was always nice to make small talk with the guests during wine time.  The dip they served with the wine was freshly made by Carol from their garden.  A little bit of cream cheese, butter, and fresh herbs from their garden.... YUM! I knew right then that the breakfast was going to be delicious.  We enjoyed the wine and crackers before heading out to the Shanty for dinner and drinks on Friday night.  We had some beers with our crab dip appetizer. When talking with the bar tender, I found out that they get all their seafood and veggies fresh from the dock or the local farm every day.  DJ got the fresh catch, speckled trout, over a bed of risotto and purple beans (which when they are steamed look just like green beans).  I decided to go with the house mac and cheese with a crab cake on top.  Needless to say, we got WAY too much food, but it was so worth it.  I would go back there just for dinner on a random weekend! We decided to go back to the hotel and take a relaxing bath.  I ended up falling asleep on top of the covers! 

Saturday morning we asked for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. since we were scheduled to play golf at 9:30 at Bay Creek Golf Course.  Carol, as I expected, made nothing short of the best french toast ever! We had melon and raspberries with a dab of yogurt and fresh baked muffins to start.  A few minutes later, Bruce served us banana, marmalade, and a tiny bit of cream cheese stuffed french toast, bacon, and cranberry/orange juice as the main dish! Is your mouth watering yet?!? We were all full and ready to go play golf! 

The golf course was stunning. The weather... not so much.  Super cloudy and a wind advisory in effect for the area, but that didn't stop us! We decided to pay for me to actually play, even though I would say I am a mediocre putt putter at best.  My boss at work, Michelle, let me borrow her clubs and golf shoes to at least make me look like an experienced golfer. I got better throughout the day, but I pretty much putt putted my way down the fairway.  I even teed up multiple times on some holes (oops :) ).  Thank goodness the weather kept most of the pros away so we were able to take our time.  DJ played pretty awesome though!

After we golfed, we hung out at the restaurant for a little bit to warm up and watch some football.  We were planning on going to Chatham Winery that afternoon, but the weather really deterred us and all we wanted to do was relax, drink hot cocoa, and watch football.  We went back to the house and cuddled up and watched the Georgia/Florida game.  

Around 5:00 p.m.  we decided to head up to the room and get dressed for the night.  We had planned to go to Aqua for dinner, but decided that we wanted to do something a little more relaxed and affordable.  The weather/wind really did us in at golf!  I had heard great things about Kelly's Gingernut Pub so we wanted to try it out. Beginning as a bank in 1907, the pub is a low key, exposed brick building right on the main street in Cape Charles.  It's close enough to the B&B that we could have walked, but the weather wasn't allowing it.  Before we went, we wined and dined with Bruce and Carol and had them take a picture for us!

Dinner was good.  DJ was craving wings and fried pickles and I decided to go with the crab cake sandwich with homemade house chips.  Both were delcious. We went all out and got a bottle of Reisling and celebrated our first year of marriage talking about how far we have come and where we have been.  It's truly crazy to think that I was the first girl that DJ met at JMU! They must have known that we were going to end up together when they placed me at Ikenberry back in 2009! 

We ended the night with our super sweet and pretty anniversary cake from Just Cupcakes! 

 We used these baseballs for our Save The Date and even took them on our honeymoon trip to St. Lucia! [full story here] I think I have decided that we are going to use them in every anniversary for the years to come! 

 

Not much was eaten, but it was nice sweet treat to end the night.

Sunday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast from Carol again.  We had pineapple with pomegranate seeds on top followed by an egg/cheese souffle. Not my cup of tea, but the muffins and fruit were enough to fill me up.  It was great to have an extra hour of sleep [ thanks Daylight Savings Time! ] except my body decided that it didn't want me to spend that time sleeping since I was up in the middle of the night throwing up.  I think it was my body trying to tell me that I ate too much food... or it was food poisoning, who knows.  Regardless, when I woke up the next morning, I felt fine, but food wasn't the number one thing on my priority list. 

We said goodbye for now to Bruce and Carol and headed home.  We were planning on stopping at the Wildlife Refuge, but the weather again was not ideal to be outside.  The waves on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel were so big, they were splashing up on the side of the bridge - the highest I have ever seen them! We got home around noon and spent the rest of the afternoon watching football and enjoying our time together!

Holy long blog post, but in the end it was The. Best. Anniversary. Weekend. Ever.  

The. End.