‘Cape May’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Concrete Ship “Atlantus” {Sunset Beach, Cape May Point, NJ}

March 28, 2013 · Narrative

During my childhood and teen years, our family spent many, many summers down in Cape May and Cape May Point. Or DTS (down the shore) as Jersey folk sometimes refer to it.

Since we were there so often, we quickly developed a list of favorite haunts. Frozen coke on the boardwalk. Uncle Bill’s Pancakes for breakfast. George’s for the best chicken salad and most gigantic cinnamon rolls known to mankind. A trip to Sunset Beach to find shark’s teeth and “Cape May diamonds.” And a visit to the concrete ship.

When the kids and I took a day trip to Cape May last Spring, I took them to a few of those places. Some, unfortunately, were not open yet for the season. But the concrete ship at Sunset Beach? A must.

The critical shortage of steel during World War I is what prompted the building of twelve concrete ships. Originally launched in 1918, the concrete ship S.S. Atlantus actually *did* float and was used as a coal steamer. Eventually she was pulled out of commission, because her weight made her go really slow. No surprise there.

After she ceased being a “working” ship, she was brought to Cape May to be used as a loading dock for a ferry service, but her moorings broke before she could be properly placed there.

And every year, since she’s made from concrete, the Atlantus sinks deeper and deeper into the sand. It’s amazing to see just how far she’s sunk since we first started going there some 30 years ago. Wish I had pictures from back then!

*what’s left of the concrete ship as of April 2012

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Visit: Barnegat Lighthouse

July 23, 2012 · Narrative

When the kids and I were down the shore for Spring Break, I took them to some of my old stomping grounds. Light sightseeing gave way to a stop at the Cape May Point Lighthouse (that picture and its accompanying beautiful sun flare is at the bottom of this post here). Madeline was enamored.

Like love at first sight.

I didn’t know about her infatuation with lighthouses before then.

Otherwise I would have timed it so we arrived there while the lighthouse was still open.

Unfortunately, I didn’t.

And it wasn’t.

And she has reminded me I promised her a lighthouse visit. Politely. Nearly every day since.

And this weekend, I made good on it. Albeit a different lighthouse.

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Visit: Cape May County Park & Zoo

April 12, 2012 · Narrative

I have loved road trips for as long as I can remember. At least since Junior or Senior year of high school. When I was single (before getting married and divorced, not this time of being single), my girlfriends and I would take road trips to the Jersey Shore. Way before it became known as this Jersey Shore. Road trips to Boston were a frequent occurrence during the summers. The Ex and I even road tripped for our honeymoon, heading to Disney World (for my first time ever). I’ve road tripped with Joanne and Patsy. My mom and sister. With the kids by myself. With Mystic and his kids. And with many of our friends.

What I love most about road trips? That you can stop at any time. For any reason.

When I was making the plans for last week’s Spring Break, although I had a couple specific things I wanted to do with the kids, I also kept our schedule loose so we could succumb to detours. To whimsy. To just because moments.

And hitting the Cape May County Zoo was one such moment. When my sister and I were kids (and even through after my high school years), my parents had a house in Cape May (South Jersey to non-local readers). We spent many, many weekends down there. It holds a special place in my heart, and I loved introducing the area to the kids last week, as one of our stops. Nick was there once when he was a baby, but we haven’t been back since.

Although we spent countless summers in Cape May growing up, I had never been to the zoo there.

Pity that.

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Wordless Wednesday

June 1, 2011 · Photos, Wordless Wednesday

Nick might have looked a little absent from the Weekend Photos in Review, but I assure you, he wasn’t. Just ask Sadie. Any time you needed to find him, just look for her. I love seeing how much she adores him, and how good he is with her. Too cute. Today, she turns two – Happy Birthday, Sadie!! xoxo

She was determined to make him wear her hat:

Then Eli got in on the action:

Love Nick’s face in these pictures as they share goldfish:

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Recipe: Butter Pecan Fudge

June 30, 2009 · Narrative

During the summers when we were kids, we spent a lot of time on the beaches of Cape May. When we got there and headed for the boardwalk, my sister and I would make a beeline for our first fudge purchase. A quarter-pound would last us all week, and we would each choose a different flavor and share. Our favorites were the peanut butter and maple walnut varieties. Finishing off the week with a little bit of obligatory salt water taffy, it made for some very sweet summer memories. No pun intended.

I met up with an old high school friend at the farmer’s market last weekend, and that presented the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe… to bring her sweet treats, of course! When it comes to making candy or fudge, I pass by a lot of recipes, particularly the ones that require a candy thermometer. I have one, somewhere, most likely buried in the drawer that holds kitchen gizmos that I’ll likely never use (note to self: that’s the next spot for the big purge). It would probably take longer to find the thermometer than to actually make the recipe, and frankly, I can’t be bothered. I want it quick. And now. It’s all about instant gratification these days, baby.

So when I spied an uber-easy recipe for Butter Pecan Fudge in a holiday issue of Taste of Home magazine that didn’t require the use of a candy thermometer, or any other fancy gadget for that matter, I was sold. Seriously, the recipe took no longer than 10 minutes to make, start to finish. It was all I could do to wait for it to set up.

About an hour later, I headed back to the kitchen to give it a try. I cut off a small piece and popped it in my mouth. Commence heavy swoonage. As the sugary crystals quickly became heat-seeking missiles for any cavities I might have, I closed my eyes to savor the sweetness. This one is a keeper. It’s creamy. It’s buttery. It’s caramely. It’s everything you want in a piece of fudge, and then some.

With ingredients you likely already have on hand in your very own kitchen, you are just a short hour (from beginning to the fudge setting) from savoring these babies in your own mouth. What are you waiting for?…