Nomad Life - Day 226

Even before I was fully awake this morning, I saw the light from the sunrise (coming from the opposite end of Kim and David's condo in Ocean City) - what a wonderful wake up!  When I finally did get out of bed (at 0635, before my alarm), I immediately started teleworking.  I also opened the window again to take full advantage of another beautiful day (sunny, clear and in the low 60s).  Since I didn't want to make a mess in the condo, I skipped breakfast.  While getting ready, I realized there were no towels so I went out to my car to get one.  Within a few hours of beginning my day, I found that all of my meetings had been canceled - this left only document review to get my full eight hours.  At 1115, I took a break from my computer and walked from 51st Street to about 40th Street.  My destination was the Dough Roller, which I'd noticed the day before - they purported to have some of the best pancakes on the Eastern Shore.  Taking them up on the claim, I ordered "brunch" (pancakes, eggs and sausage).  The food was actually good.  Afterwards, I walked back to the condo and resumed teleworking by 1215.  With the window open, every moment of my telework day was very relaxing.  The sound of the waves, along with the sunlight streaming into the room, was so nice.  The temps stayed below 70 inside the room because of the natural shade (as the sun crossed overhead).  Outside, I could see a lot of sunbathers enjoying the beach and surf but I never had time to join them.  Instead, I worked until 1615 and then transitioned to the (seemingly never ending) task of catching up (at least the Nomad Life entries) on my travel blog.  Along the way, I ended up in phone calls with  with Joe R (coordinating a visit to his home), Mollie (Thanksgiving Planning) and Brother Jim (checking in).  My original plan had been to leave the hotel in the afternoon (to stay with my friend and his family) but Joe told me his wife had gotten sick.  As a result, I offered to stay at the condo for another night and, instead of me heading to Delaware, have Joe come to meet me in Ocean City (Joe accepted).  Meanwhile, Kim kept asking how the condo was - I made sure to let her know how wonderful this break had been.  At 1700, Joe R arrived at the condo and I showed him around.  After that, he drove me north until we passed into Delaware.  We continued until we reached the Indian Inlet so we could have dinner at the Big Chill.  This restaurant was located on South Indian River Inlet Beach and inside Delaware Seashore State Park (South Unit).  I got a good fish sandwich and a local beer.  During our meal, Joe and I had a great seat on a balcony with a view of the ocean, surfers, and a Coast Guard vessel running drills near the channel buoy.  We finished eating at 1900 and then Joe drove me (via DE-1) across the Inlet so we could visit the State Park (North Unit).  After parking, we went walking on the beach (I reached the wo mile mark for my daily step goal).  Joe told me about (and showed me) how sand was being pumped from the South Unit beach to the North Unit beach to preserve the northern one from eroding away.  We also admired the efforts of the fishermen who were working the heavy current just under the bridge.  As before, we were blessed with wonderful weather and I enjoyed watching the sun set across the Indian River Bay to the west.  Joe sent photos to Kelly and Stephanie ("wish you were here").  Afterwards, we headed back to Ocean City.  As we approached the condo, I suggested that we stop for some ice cream at Dumser's (1850).  We got lucky on the length of the line and I was able to enjoy a (small) sundae while Joe got a frappe.  I'm not sure I agree with the hype about Dumser's but it was nice to have the tasty treat after such a nice beach day.  At 1910, Joe dropped me off at Kim and David's condo and I went walking towards the north (as far as 63rd Street) to get the rest of my 10K steps for the day.  On the way, I encountered lots more college age kids - I think they far outnumber the rest of us!  I finished my step goal and my walk at about 2000 and then returned to my blog (slowly catching up).  After that, I watched movies and YouTube videos until 2230.  Like the night before, I left the window open in the condo until the last minute but closed it just before going to sleep (I still wasn't sure about the overnight temps).  The image of the moon rising just above the moonlit surf was magical!  Just before I turned out the light, I realized I'd forgotten Duolingo exercise so took care of that first.  Finally in bed for good at 2245.  Amazing beach day!