We went back to one of our most favorite spots on the East Coast for our summer vacation this year. Asbury Park is our little piece of Hampden on the shore. This village is filled with the greatest independent shops, restaurants and bookstores just three hours and fifteen minutes away from Baltimore. We were back our first day and ran into people we recognized from two years ago. It's great to see that hurricane Sandy didn't devastate this part of the shore as much as further north. We also felt so overwhelmingly thankful that we were able to come back to this Inn and enjoy such a long break together. Last year at this time we were huddled down, freaked out beyond belief, both of us without jobs. God is good and we continue to thank the Lord for our wild and precious lives!
The B&B where we stay, Asbury Park Ocean Inn, was just as welcoming as before, if not more so. I posted about our anniversary trip two years ago here. Chip and Betsy welcomed us "home" as if we had just been away at college. We got a tour of "our" new room. The guest cottage got an upgrade in the last two years.
The happy pink chair welcomed us back in the living room.
The bath got a much larger sink, counter top and the shower was raised so that a 6'4" brother could get his clean on without having to duck. The bright colors make me want to rip everything out of our house and start fresh. See earlier note about not having jobs a year ago. That is not going to happen for sometime, but a girl can dream.
The bedroom was a HUGE surprise. They took part of the garage and extended the guest cottage to include a queen size bed and lovely bedroom in a whole new addition.
How cute is the little window in the bedroom? There was a great ceiling fan and the whole cottage stayed cool as a cucumber during the heat wave.
The chairs above used to be where the bed was located. They added a great closet with tons of space. The cool skinny sink was so tasteful and a great use of space. The bathroom was bigger with a gorgeous vanity with white quartz countertop.
Chip and Betsy brought us our tray on the first day with a bottle of wine. It was such a nice welcome and so wonderful to see these dear people.
After our welcome wine break we took my new bike for it's virgin tour to our favorite coffee shop. My sweet Charlie gave me a bike for our 6th anniversary. The sixth anniversary is sugar...good shuga indeed! We rode our bikes together every day of our vacation. Makes my heart purr.
Cafe Volan was the first order of vacation business. We love this place and were welcomed with big hugs from Paul.
We took a 20 mile bike ride BEFORE breakfast on our first morning. We needed the extra exercise. Betsy's cinnamon muffins were hot out of the oven.
Homer was sacked out on the sette in almost the same exact spot. This is what we aimed for by the end of the week. Pure relaxation.
The powder room in the main house is so neat with this old blown up post card from Asbury Park.
We were here later in the month than our first trip and the hydrangeas hadn't fully bloomed yet. The garden looked so beautiful with full blooming hastas and big impatiens.
The signature stain glass windows are what inspired the logo. The house was built in the 1880's.
The bikes are complimentary with your stay. I love the color of these beach cruisers.
We were greeted by morning glories on our way to the big house each day. We tried to have breakfast at 8:30 am or 9 just to get the day going.
Besty is the baker. The peach and strawberry muffins were my favorite.
Chip's breakfasts did not disappoint.
It rained almost every afternoon. We loved getting back from the beach and enjoying our tray of cheese, fruit, nuts and wine with the garden door open. We made sure to turn in our breakfast order before heading out for dinner. The cottage was truly so comfortable and we just couldn't have asked for a more restful week. Every time we go on vacation I think we talk about opening a B&B. It's when you fully relax that you can dream and scheme. Maybe one day.
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