Ferry Fun

watching. Fishing, power boating and sailing are also popular pastimes. A few years back, we boated across the Delaware Bay in our small cabin cruiser to Cape May, docked at a marina for a few days and took a horse and buggy ride to the beach.

Victorian gems with intricate wood tr ims; siding, shut ter and tr im color combinations; and abundant lush gardens. Old and new hotels and restaurants line Beach Avenue facing the Cape May Promenade (for walking, running and biking), the beautiful beach and the mighty Atlantic Ocean. We were a bit surprised to learn that the town charges $6 a day per person to enjoy the beach in addition to hefty parking fees, none of which are included as amenities with oceanfront hotels. Cape May is home to two local live theatre groups, and the performances of two plays during our visit demonstrates the strength of the local cultural offerings. Yearly music festivals are well attended, and historical sites including the Lighthouse, the World War II Lookout Tower and the Physick estate are interesting and well maintained. Cape May is also a world-famous area for observing more than 400 species of migrating birds, as well as a destination for whale and dolphin

Tourists and residents alike collect “Cape May Diamonds” on Sunset Beach and other beaches in the area. The friendly folks in the Cape May Welcome Center shared a “diamond” with me and explained their origin. The stones are clear quartz pebbles that erode out of quartz veins in rock along the banks of the Delaware River and wash down 200 miles to the shore to be treasured by beachcombers. John and I remembered combing for moon shells on our earlier visits near the Coast Guard Station beach, but the Welcome Center volunteers said that the shells were no longer prevalent. A highlight of any trip to Cape May is a visit to the beautiful, bustling tree-lined Washington Street Mall established in 1971. A popular destination, the outdoor mall hosts 58