The “Colorado” Delaney’s just moved from the Rocky Mountains to the lower elevation mountains of western North Carolina. The good news is that altitude sickness can be banished from my vocabulary. The bad news? It takes just as long to fly to this destination as it did to fly to Denver.   I have a feeling the trip includes a banner plane for the last leg to the regional airport 😉
A quick trip- but Nana needs her fix!
In order to really appreciate the homes on the bay, you need to see them from the water. My mode of transportation is a kayak. It works for me for several reasons: I’m cheap…I mean it’s cheap; and environmentally sound; and you can legitimately get close to the homes for the best view while stalking!
I’ve noticed that many of the bay cottages in Stone Harbor have expensive new bulkheads and fancy boats- sometimes bigger than the actual house!Â
The dock pictured (adjacent to a large, beautiful home) has 6 Jet Skis and a large motor boat- required toys when you live on the water 😉
Interesting article  in The Press of Atlantic City regarding new construction along the Jersey Shore: http://tinyurl.com/28bjeok
My observations?  Most homes under construction are not “spec” homes. Long time property owners (as well as those who purchased more recently) know that this is a great time to tear down and build new. The slower real estate market means more competitive pricing from builders and related services.Â
As mentioned in the article, the homes are built for personal use. Therefore, the owners want quality amenities plus functional space. The basic beach house now includes: granite counter tops, flat screen televisions, marble/tile baths, hardwood floors, custom interior trim detail, high end siding, roof, and deck materials, and often a pool!
The morning sky was a mix of storm clouds and bright sunshine. This was the view from my kayak in the back bay looking toward the beach side of the island (just before 7am).
The late morning rain chased everyone off the beach and into the downtown shops.
Sun returned this afternoon…along with cooler temperatures. Should be a nice evening at the shore! Enjoy the weekend.
A sign of possible thunderstorms later. In the mean time, a nice view over the back bay while showing water front homes for sale in Avalon.
Did you see tonight’s sunset? A huge red fireball over the bay clearly defined against the hazy sky.
Unfortunately, my cell phone camera didn’t capture the brilliant color- but it was impressive, even from the beach path.
Kayaking in the ocean takes place only under the perfect set of conditions: low tide, calm water, and WARM water (unlike bay kayaking- I can’t avoid getting wet in the ocean).
My main motivation is to see the dolphins- I’ve had several exciting dolphin encounters. Today, I only saw 2 in the distance- but it was a beautiful morning on the water.
I don’t mind the ride out over the waves- it’s the return to the beach that’s tricky. It’s not an attractive dismount- my goal is to avoid being hit in the head by the boat as I’m thrown to shore 😉
The Atlantic City Press featured a 3 part series about South Jersey families dealing with the loss of their children to drunk driving. A father’s quote  in today’s article jumped off the page: “My son was so full of life. I’m thinking this guy just drank every day. He’s tired of living. It doesn’t make sense why someone who drinks everyday….and uses that to get through life, killed my kid who loved life…”
So sad.  To read the full article:
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/legacies/article_b039be0e-887b-11df-bc96-001cc4c03286.html
Twitter accounts to follow:  http://twitter.com/AnnDelaneyBeach and http://twitter.com/PowerPlayRealty
The Power Play Realty site features rental and sale updates for Avalon and Stone Harbor. The Ann Delaney site has island news and information- plus my perspective as a year round resident.
The popular 7 mile bike path through Avalon and Stone Harbor – it’s like watching the shore stage of Tour de France 😉