We slipped away to the beach over Memorial Day weekend to spend time with John’s family at their lovely beach house near Bethany Beach, Delaware, and thought we’d share a few highlights from our house-related adventures. A reader (thanks, Ann!) suggested we check out The Old Screen Door in nearby Lewes (about 30 minutes from Bethany), so we took a drive and found a charming little town that proudly claims to be in the first town of the first state. Here’s the front of the shop:
The shop is compact but full of fun vintage finds mixed with newer pieces that keep things interesting.
Clara loves bikes — and many other things (birdies, duckies, doggies, kitties, cars, blocks, and her stuffed giraffe she calls Gee) — so she immediately gravitated to a cool metal tricycle on display.
Like typical parents with weak resolve, we bought it for our office. It’s not really meant for riding, but it’s a charming little accent and we like collecting one or two pieces from trips so they carry a vacation memory. It wasn’t free at thirty bucks, but worth it for the sentiment. We snapped a few better shots back in Richmond:
We haven’t found the perfect spot for it in the office yet, but once we add more storage and cabinetry it will likely look great there. Of course, after loading it into the car we both realized it had a slightly creepy vibe reminiscent of the tricycle from the Saw movies:
Despite the slightly spooky feel, it makes us laugh — and we like it even more for its quirky personality. A little eccentricity is important for making a house feel like a home.
I also fell for a tiny outdoor chair in a perfectly weathered gray color. It was only $65, which is reasonable, but we passed it up this time and left it for someone else to take home.
We then wandered into downtown Lewes, a picturesque tree-lined area full of shops and treats (including a place called Cake Bar). Clara had a blast at Kids Ketch, a delightful toy store filled with imaginative finds. She checked out a monster collection that hung across the entryway:
She liked a small green doll named Groody. The doll’s tag was hilarious — it described Groody as a relaxed, energetic, stressed-out, moody mess searching for inner peace — a description that made us laugh out loud.
We also found snap bracelet watches that brought back memories of wearing snap bracelets as scrunchies in grade school. Nostalgia is powerful, but we left the store without Groody or a snap watch — sometimes window shopping and a cone of ice cream are exactly the right purchases for a day out.
I also spotted a charming pig planter in a flower shop window that perfectly matched my sense of fun. It gave me a good chuckle and a “oink, oink” moment.
One of the best discoveries was a small alley marked “Antique Mall.” Inside was an amazing assortment of vintage treasures, like oversized mercury glass finials and an antique bronze porthole mirror that caught my eye:
There was also an impressive carved wooden horse priced at $250. I admired it, gave it a hug, told it I loved it, and moved on — sometimes that’s as close as you get to taking home a treasure.
I also admired a beautiful print celebrating Kalamari, but at over $200 it stayed behind while I daydreamed about it for a while.
A whimsical tin whale toy stole my heart as well — it rocked back and forth while its mouth opened and closed and its eye moved side to side. Pure amazement in mechanical form.
There were also tightly nested baskets for sale; the whole set was pricey, but they were available individually if you wanted to collect them one by one.
As we were leaving, we noticed a small stand of iron birds and sea turtles priced at $6 each. I’ve always had a soft spot for sea turtles thanks to a moving-day memory and a special necklace, so we picked one up to bring home.
All told, our day out cost about $40: the $30 tricycle, the $6 sea turtle, and a little ice cream as we strolled. It was a lovely day full of small discoveries and charming sights. We admired houses with oversized concrete dogs out front and a bright beach house with crisp white trim and a picket fence:
We also enjoyed family time and beach antics — here are a few snapshots for Clara fans (hi, Mom):
On the drive we listened to Bossypants, which I read aloud to John. It kept us entertained — Clara and Burger slept while I handled the narration — and we both found it hilarious. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a road-trip audiobook.
That’s our Memorial Day weekend in a nutshell. What did you do for the holiday? Any beach trips or window-shopping adventures of your own? Anyone else remember using snap bracelets as scrunchies?
Psst — Creepy Saw tricycle image referenced during the post.