Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2010: 2
Monday, June 28 was another in a string of very hot days. We were still camped at Steamship Landing RV Park in Milton, Delaware on the Broadkill River. We were using our Sprint mobile hotspot extensively for Internet access and had no TV reception of any kind. We were waiting to talk with our realtor, Pat Campbell White, at 9:00 AM, so we drove to Cape Henlopen HS in Lewes and parked across Kings Highway from the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach hiking/biking trail. We walked for about 10K on the beautiful wooded trail. We spoke with Pat en route and told her to expect us at her office in Rehoboth Beach at around 10:00 AM. When we arrived, Pat sat us down and discussed various properties with us. She introduced us to her daughter Carla and sent her daughter off to schedule appointments for us to view some properties. Pat showed us where the Grub Grocery was and suggested that we get lunch there and get back to her office at 12:20 PM. We both chose salads, with Bill choosing all fruit. We sat at a shady table in the sweltering heat of 97 degrees and ate the refreshing lunch. Carla took us to several places. We liked two of the places: a townhouse at Eagle Crossing and a single house at Keys of Marsh Harbor. We looked at a few others, but those two were the only acceptable ones for the day. Carla dropped us back at Cape Henlopen HS. We returned to the RV just in time for a T-storm to roll through. Afterward, Bill took a shower and then we drove to downtown Lewes and parked on Second Street. We stopped in the bakery for a cappuccino for Bill and walked over the Striper Bites restaurant for an excellent seafood meal. We had great Rockfish and Asian Tuna entrees. We stopped by the post office and picked up our mail before driving back to the RV park. We both spent some time on emails and FaceBook using our mobile hotspot.
Tuesday started out cloudy and ended up clear and hot. Bill went out for an early kayak paddle down the Broadkill River. He was amazed at the lack of insects in the river as it meandered through Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Because we had a 10:00 AM appointment at the realtor, Bill only paddled for 4 miles down the river and back. It was a very pleasant ride. We drove into Rehoboth Beach to meet Carla Smith at the realtor's office. We three drove to Plantations East, where we saw another house that we liked. Then we went to Reserves of Nassau and didn't find anything appropriate. We stopped back at the house in Keys at Marsh Harbor for a comparison look. After returning to the realtor's office, Cathy and Bill went to the Grub Grocery again for a lunch salad. Bill stopped at Starbucks for a cappuccino after lunch. We stopped at Superfresh for some food shopping on the way back to the campground. We picked up Jim and Chris Devine at the Hampton Inn in Rehoboth Beach and drove to Big Fish restaurant to meet John and Diane Hartnett. We all enjoyed great seafood meals and a lot of laughs. Afterward, we drove Jim and Chris to the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk and walked around for a while. It was our first look at the ocean since arriving in Delaware. We arrived back in the RV at around 9:15 PM.
Wednesday was much cooler in the morning. Bill got up a 5:00 AM in order to get in a solid workout. We both used the one mile stretch between Steamboat Landing and Route 1 as a training ground. The road was very lightly traveled and the pavement was in great shape. Cathy walked while Bill started with a 4 mile run and then moved to a 10 mile bike ride. Afterward, we went to a laundry to drop off clothes and linens to be washed, dried, and folded for $1.00 per pound. We had 21 pounds of laundry. When we arrived back a the campground, we repeated our earlier workout. Bill did another 4 mile run and 10 mile bike ride and Cathy ended with a total of 6 miles. We ate lunch in the RV. Later, we drove to All Cycles to drop Bill's bike for a tune-up. Then, we stopped by the YMCA in Rehoboth Beach to get information about workouts and classes and memberships. We had quinoa and grilled chicken for dinner. After dinner, we watched some episodes of "Arrested Development" on Bill's laptop.
Thursday was Bill's 70th birthday. He started with an early 13 mile paddle to Roosevelt Inlet. He encountered more powerboats on the river, but it was still a beautiful trip. The north wind was blowing hard, but the current was in his favor most of the way. After lunch, we drove to the parking lot of Jungle Jim's and walked up to a unit in the Keys of Marsh Harbor that we had seen on the Internet. Then we walked to the YMCA and signed up for a senior family membership. We continued to Starbucks and then to Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. After we returned to the car, we drove to the post office to pick up mail. Later, we drove back to Rehoboth Beach, struggled to find a parking spot, and went to Hobo's for a good birthday dinner. When we returned to the RV, Bill had a date and walnut dessert.
Friday morning, we drove over to Eagle Point to see if there is a way to walk or bike across Route 1. We discovered that there isn't, so we decided that we would have to have two vehicles: a gear vehicle for kayaks and bicycles, which would also serve as a shuttle vehicle to Florida; and a runabout vehicle, maybe a small convertible, that would stay in Delaware to serve as a "fun" car and for running errands that don't require heavy gear. We decided that the combined cost of the two vehicles would have to stay under $50,000. We thought that a smart car might be a good convertible and a Toyota Highlander or Honda Element might serve for hauling gear. We showed up at our realtor's office at 10:00 AM to meet with Pat and Carla. Carla took us to Eagle Point to look at an end unit townhouse that Cathy had discovered on Wednesday. We fell in love with it as soon as we walked through the door. It was being sold furnished and it was as upscale as it could be with tile, granite, and stainless steel appliances. The interior decorating was awesome. The only thing we would have to change would be to replace the double bed box spring and mattress in the master bedroom with queen size components. There was even a finished office in the basement as well as shelves and a work table in the main room. We weren't a bit interested in the other two townhouses on the list and didn't even go upstairs in them. We drove back to the realtor's office and Cathy and Bill went to lunch at Grub Grocery. We reconvened with Pat and Carla and formulated a sound game plan for negotiating for the townhouse that we loved. Pat had solid logic behind the strategy that was fair to both buyer and seller. By late afternoon, we were under contract. We also shopped at Food Lion. The settlement date was set for July 23, or earlier if the parties agreed. We went to dinner at Annabellas to celebrate. Cathy had veal marsala and Bill had his gnocchi appetizer with a rigatoni entree. When we got back to the RV, Pat was emailing us to set up a time on Saturday morning for us to sign the official contract. Bill got his stuff together for the Saturday 5K race and we both went to bed fairly early. The campground had filled up with rednecks and their dogs, so Cathy's white noise machine saved us from being disturbed all night.
Saturday morning came early as Bill arose at 4:45 AM and Cathy at 5:20 AM. We got ready and then drove to The Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach for a 5K race with the Seashore Striders. It was cool and dry with a light breeze as the race started at 7:30 AM. Bill had a good run and finished with a time of 24:32 (7:55 min/mile), which earned him first place in the 70-74 age group. Bill had already developed a friendship with Jack Noel, and Lee Maser, who finished 2nd and 3rd, and enjoyed chatting with both of them before and after the race. At around 9:00 AM, Cathy walked to the realtor's office to sign the contract, while Bill talked with Katie on the cell phone and received his trophy. Afterward, we walked to Starbucks for a treat. We drove back to the RV for lunch. After lunch, we tried to drive south on Route 1, but it was jammed solid. Then, we tried to drive to Cape Henlopen State Park, but it was filled to capacity. So we stopped at Roadster's Liquor Store and drove down Oyster Rocks Road to sit on our beach chairs at the edge of the Broadkill River. This, finally was a semi-secret spot. Many, many, powerboats and jetskis sped by while we sat there. By mid-afternoon, we headed back to the RV. Bill wanted to research kayak trailers and Cathy wanted to take a walk. We enjoyed watching the rednecks driving their golf carts and ATVs around the trailer camp. We had quinoa and grilled chicken for dinner. After dinner, we sat around doing not much.
Sunday was July 4. We got up early again and drove to Dewey Beach for the Jimmy's Grill 5K run. There were over 700 runners, probably because of the free beer after the race. Right before the start, I realized that my GPS watch battery was dead, so I smiled and relaxed and decided to take it easy. Although we had chip timing, it was hard to get into any kind of a pace for a while on the narrow streets. I finally found some space and got into an easy rhythm. A big guy elbowed his way between me and another runner at about mile 1.5. I mumbled something about running like a linebacker and decided that I was going to kick his ass in the race. At mile 2 I picked up my pace and starting reeling in other runners. I finished with a chip time of 25:01 and a pace of 8:04 min/mile, much better than I expected. I came in second in the 70+ age group to a guy who ran 7:50 min/mile and set a course record for the age group. There were a bunch of Penn Staters drinking lots of beer after the race. I claimed to come from Penn State when I picked up my medal. We stopped to wash the XTerra and shop at Super G on the way back to camp. After lunch, Bill paddled up to Milton, a 12 mile round trip. We went to Fish On in the Village of Five Points for an excellent seafood dinner. Definitely a repeatable visit. We viewed "Sherlock Holmes" on a DVD from Red Box. Very enjoyable film which Bill had already seen the night before the Atlanta Marathon.
Bill and Cathy