Memorial Day Weekend in Rehoboth Beach, DE

Friends have a place in Rehoboth Beach so that was the destination this past holiday weekend.  It was a hot and steamy weekend and many, many people had the idea that "the shore" was the best place to be.  This resort town was crowded.  Still, we were able to avoid the beaten path much of the time and enjoy the hustle and bustle when we wanted to be in it.
The weather was cloudy and rainy on Saturday so it was a bike ride day.  We thought we had a break in the weather but we ended up soaked.  It was fun, though, as it felt like being a kid again when getting rained on made you laugh.  It was nice that no one cared about their hair or getting splashed by a car.

Saturday night had us cooking in and having a feast - fresh corn, asparagus, a pepper and onion mix, steak, shrimp and wine. Um um good.  Instead of going out, we relaxed, talked, and watched the Flyers lose a shoot-out...while watching Halladay from the Phillies throw a perfect game- only the 20th in baseball and the first time for the Phillies since Bunning threw one in 1964.

Sunday we tried to get over to Cape Henlopen State Park (home of the Biden Center, as in V.P. Joe) for the beach and some rays.  We were there by 11am but that was already too late.  There was no more parking and we were turned around by the rangers.  That meant back to the bay beach where it was sweltering.  Still, it was nice to have the "it's finally summer" feeling.  (Granted, it's not summer per the calendar, but a summer-like Memorial Day Weekend was convincing enough to go with that feeling.)

Sunday night we headed out for a late dinner.  We wandered the streets (after sitting in traffic looking for parking) and decided to land at Mixx.  It appealed to us because of the nice guy who encouraged us to "come on in" as well as the menu.  Mixx serves tapas- and entree-sized plates for fairly reasonable prices.  They also offered flights of margaritas and wine at various prices.  This small bar/restaurant was comfortable and the food was OK - not fabulous but not bad either.

After dinner we headed to Penny Lane where we ate dessert crepes outside.  Penny Lane is just a short distance from the "main drag" and hustle and bustle of Rehoboth; it's also a stone's throw to the beach.  It felt a world apart from both.  I felt like I was in a little town with storefronts that had varied architecture.  The bonus - it was soooooo quiet.  Yes, I know it was Memorial Day Weekend and many people were partying.  The brief respite, however, was heavenly.

Monday morning we were determined to get to the beach.  We didn't get to Cape Henlopen State Park much early than before - arriving at 10:30-ish - but what a difference a day makes.  We ran into some friends and met some new folks.  The sun was scorching and creating lobsters left and right but it was pleasant because of the cool ocean breeze.  It was a nice day.

As I walked on the beach I met a woman who missed St. Petersburg, FL.  She told me this is why she brought her own  palm tree.  Her little friend, as seen here in her sexy, black leather bustier, was washed up on shore.  Oh the stories she could probably tell...if she weren't plastic, that is.

It wasn't too far from the palm tree that I saw the artillery towers.  I was expecting them this time as I had been to this beach in the past.  It's still odd to see these large towers on the beach.  They're obviously very prominent. 

I googled these towers and learned a bit more about them.  There are 11 of them on the beaches of NJ and Delaware.  Eight are in Delaware and the other three are in NJ.  Many were built during WWII after Pearl Harbor.  (It seems as though a few may have been built before then.) 

During the war, it was believed that the Delaware Bay was vulnerable, especially after a German U-boat sank the navy destroyer Jacob Jones off the coast of Delaware on February 28, 1942.  These towers were lookouts that were intended to prevent enemy ships from entering the bay.  From what I read, the view from the towers allowed the gun crews to see about 14.5 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. 

The towers have different heights and some of them have only two viewing slits, while others have four. (The ones I saw clearly have two slits.)  The openings below the large slits are where the guns were housed.  These guns reportedly shot so far that the military men couldn't see where they landed.

After reaching the towers, I headed back to my beach chair.  There was only about an hour or so left before it was time to head back to PA.  In true summer holiday weekend fashion, many people were on the road heading home.  It was impossible to avoid this part of the hustle and bustle and still arrive home at a decent hour so we went for it.  Our reward was burgers on the grill at a friend's house back in PA.  Ahhhhh...summer.