Fifty-five

I turned 55 last Friday. I was thinking that in honor of that milestone, I would list 55 things about me that I would like my readers to know. Then I realized that I probably don't have 55 readers and making lists that long would probably discourage anyone who is considering following.

So, first, you're welcome. And second, in honor of my faithful readers, I will only post a list of ten things. I will just dip my hand into the fishbowl and pull out a slip of paper to determine what category my list will cover.

List 10 topics that are on my mind lately. I'm glad I picked this because quite frankly, I've had a lot on my mind lately and maybe by listing them, I can come up with the sub-categories for the blog.
Here goes - in no particular order.

1. Getting married. I'm getting married on June 4, 2016. A little strange being a 55-year old bride.

2. Finding our new home. We have two. We would like to sell one and buy another one in the South. We've started exploring and need to do more of that.

3. Retiring. Having sold my business after 15 years, I am currently on contract with the new owners until 1/31/16. After that, who knows? Maybe you all can help me figure that out.

4. Faith. It's been about 7 years since I belonged to a church or attended regularly. I miss it. My faith is strong but I think I'd like to be part of a church community again.

5. My 20-year old daughter. She's always on my mind. And frequently on my nerves. Off at her junior year of college - I miss her greatly.

6. Crochet and crafting. Don't laugh. My mother taught me to sew and crochet many, many years ago. Right now I'm relearning crochet and it's my latest board on Pinterest.

7. Whole 30. I guess the topic is really better nutrition - eating right, drinking less, more exercise, etc., but I started another Whole 30 yesterday so that will be a focus for the next 28 days.

8.  My fiance. He's really a wonderful guy. I don't give him enough credit.

9. Politics/Current Events. Watching the debate tonight while I crochet! We're in a pickle in this country. We need some leadership.

10. Books. I have a casual little book club on Facebook called My Beach House Book Club. This month we're reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

As soon as I wrap this up I'll think of 5 other things that are on my mind. But I just got a phone call from my girl who wants to discuss her day. I need to get that call done by debate time!

Pinterest.com

I'm so excited that I found Pinterest. Pinterest is "a virtual pinboard, that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web." Like clipping pictures from a magazine and tacking them to a bulletin board, Pinterest is your online board. For years, I've been bookmarking pages which you then have to click through to try to remember why saved it in the first place. But Pinterest "pins" the picture to your board and allows you to make a caption.

You can have multiple boards. I've created five to start: Beach House Decorating, for interior design ideas; Beach House - Dream Home, for exteriors and home plans; Books Worth Reading, for books I've loved and ones I want to read; Places I'd Like to Go; and Stuff I Find Fascinating. I may do two more in the new future for recipes and clips related to my work in Elder Care.

Another great feature of Pinterest is that you can follow other members and check out their boards. You can "re-pin" items from others boards to yours. And because you're browsing through other boards with the same focus, it's almost like having access to hundreds of magazines or idea books without having to flip through the advertisements and articles that don't interest you!

Check me out on Pinterest @ BeachHouseBooks.

Steamed Crabs

Steamed Blue Crabs with Old Bay Seasoning

We are getting crabs this Saturday - it's a girls afternoon with Maddie and Jessica and Betsy. We've been talking about getting blue crabs for a few weeks and we're excited. If you've never eaten steamed Maryland Blue Crabs, you haven't truly experienced Chesapeake Bay beach house living.  Crabs are messy and not very filling but so much fun and delicious to eat. When I play the list in my head of my greatest beach life memories, there is a place for blue crabs. Catching them, cooking them, steaming them. Years ago, the little beach community I live in used to have an annual crab feast and it was a fabulous time when the neighborhood came together for a full day of fun, food and fellowship.

Everything you could possibly want to know about crabs, the history of the crabbing trade on the Chesapeake Bay, and the lives of the watermen can be found in a delightful book, Beautiful Swimmers by Willam W. Warner. This is the crab lovers Gift From the Sea! The writing is beautiful - describing both the lifecycle of the crab and the lifestyle of the weather-worn and hard working watermen in a romantic prose.  The book even gives you instruction for eating crabs - which is not exactly an easy feat. You will really be amazed at how taken you are by the lyrical writing of this not-to-be-missed book.

I've heard from neighbors that crabs are plentiful this year and there's been a rumor that the crabs from the Patuxent River are fatter than the Bay crabs. So I'll be driving across the river to Benedict, MD on Saturday to pick up our crabs. I drove down there yesterday and did a little recon so I can get around the boaters that will be down there launching. It's a beautiful little community sitting right down on the river.  Naturally, I had to take a picture!

Patuxent River, Benedict, MD

After we get home with our crabs, we'll layer brown paper on the table, pour a little apple cider vinegar out, maybe melt a little butter and put out some crab seasonings that they'll give us with the crabs. Some people use crab mallets but we use the handle of the knife to crack open the claws. The mallets have a way of smasking the shell to smithereens! We'll have the paper towels handy and extra water bottles or whatever we're drinking so we don't have to put our crabby hands all over everything. Just to give you a taste of what we're going to be doing, watch this video about how to eat blue crabs. And if you like what you're seeing, come join us on Saturday!

Books and Reviews

My Beach House Books - a small sampling!

I am in the process of transferring my booklists from Visual Bookshelf to Goodreads. You can see below left that there is a link to my bookshelf at Goodreads. Visual Bookshelf was a service of Living Social and apparently the coupon business they run is doing so well, they've decided to focus on that! Fortunately, they provided a quick transfer link so export over to Goodreads. So if you're looking for a good book to read - check out my bookshelf. Reviews exported only to a file on my desktop so I'll have to add them over time. And if you need a book recommendation today - go with Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier or The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Have a great beach day!

Local Book Stores - Part 2

An area that draws us back year after year is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Generally, our trips involve a weekly rental in Duck or Corolla with side trips out for two of our favorite things: books and coffee. If you're dedicated to patronizing local businesses, there are a few great choices for books where you know your money supports the local community.


Take a drive down below Kill Devil Hills and cross the sound to Manteo on the eastern shore of Roanoke Island. The little historic district of Manteo is reminiscent of 16th century England that offers something for everyone - from a walk back in time at Roanoke Island Festival Park, or the George Washington Creef Boathouse and Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, part of the North Carolina Maritime Museum, to outdoor water adventures such as fishing and kayaking, to shopping and dining. Manteo Booksellers is a lovely store with a fabulous childrens section and showcases local authors. Don't let the facade fool you - there are literally thousands of titles tucked in. One of my favorite memories of Manteo Booksellers is my daughter playing with the house labrador who was more than happy to let a little girl use him as a pillow to lean against while she read. During that same visit, an old woman parked her car right in the middle of the street to pop in and drop off some leftover bones for the dog!  

Manteo Booksellers

Duck's Cottage at the waterfront shops in Duck is both a book store and a coffee shop - my favorite combo! Not just a book store that sells coffee, owner Allen LeHew went to great lengths to educate himself about coffee and determine the right blend for his customers at Duck's Cottage, a signature blend from a small company in Lexington, VA that ships weekly for the highest level of freshness. LeHew offers many different options of specialty coffee drinks, but a nice drip house blend is just as satisfying. I like to browse through the books with a special "Nutty Duck Latte" that includes hazelnut syrup. The Duck's Cottage serves up an eclectic assortment of reading along with its coffee. From their website, "Books for cooks, books for kids, books for sports fans, travel buffs, book clubs and beach bums," and they even find the room for a few magazines, newspapers, notecards and stationary, and a few lovely gift items. Enjoy your new book purchase and your coffee out on the front porch of the cottage.

Duck's Cottage

Although they have several locations throughout the Outer Banks, my favorite Island Bookstore location is in the old Corolla Village. Here you'll find a two-story house, every inch packed with books. The sections are laid out nicely with a lovely and rather large children's section in the back complete with a few chairs for the little ones. Island Bookstore in Corolla has a nice section of Pirate and Outer Banks tales, including several books on the subject of the Lost Colony of Roanoke that I have enjoyed. Lots of employee recommendation cards located throughout the store to help you make your decision. This location is located in the old town section of Corolla behind the Currituck Lighthouse area. 


You can probably guess that I've purchased quite a few books over the course of my annual Outer Banks trips for the last 7 years. I'll be posting my book reviews to this site as time allows. You might even be able to guess which ones were purchased locally at these stores.