Last I left you, we had pulled into Blue Water Harbor Marina in Hampton, VA on September 2 (Wednesday). This particular marina was not situated smack dab in the middle of a charming town but we tracked down an AC mechanic to take a look at our broken unit and scheduled him for Friday. YAY!

We spent our first afternoon at the pool discussing plans with our traveling buddies Glenn and Maureen on Baboo and Tom and Mary Frances on Island Moon. Maureen mentioned a restaurant downtown called “Mangaeux” and we planned on dinner there Thursday night. It was opened by some ladies who love mangoes and there were lots of delicious dishes and drinks incorporating mango in one way or another. The ladies were featured on Shark Tank for their Mangeaux sauces and preserves.

On Friday, the AC dealer sent over their repairman. Rush was the guy’s name and he hailed from Iowa. Once we started talking Chiefs football with him, he became a fast friend. He was so accommodating and professional and went over and above to help us out. I should probably review him on Google.

He eventually informed us that we would need a new unit and that one would be in stock at some unknown time in the near future. Since we had planned not to stray too far away anyway, we decided to leave Hampton and make the trek across the bay to Cape Charles, VA just 27 miles northeast. We figured that should the unit arrive, we could come right on back to Hampton to have it installed—you know—just in time for fall.

Our last day in Hampton was spent lunching at a local yacht club and taking a dinghy ride around the river. It was a gorgeous day to explore a bit before taking off to Cape Charles across the bay.

I think I speak for both of us when I say that we didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy about Hampton. 

The most memorable part to me was the fact that Blackbeard’s head was proudly displayed on a pole somewhere nearby after he was caught. I guess the powers that be had had enough of his robbing and other pirating activities. They displayed his head to make an example of him and to dissuade others from pirating in the area.

We tied up in Cape Charles on Monday, September 7 arriving a couple of hours after our travel buddies. It being Labor Day and all, our group decided to hang out on a boat and enjoy appetizers and drinks in lieu of dinner. 

We chose one day to take off with our friends on some rented bicycles to check out the area. We rode a few miles ending up at  the beach and then finding ice cream to reward ourselves. 

Cape Charles was settled as a railroad town but there is no railroad here now. The main street, just a few hundred yards from the marina, is Mason Street. We found a few good restaurants, some interesting and unique boutique stores, a distillery, a cool Irish Pub housed in a former bank and a water tower painted to look like a lighthouse.

Again, I found the houses to my liking here. Most of them fit into the Victorian category and several were painted in bright colors. One of them looked haunted (I’ll let you pick it out below). I also noticed that many of them have that 3rd story or attic window on the front and that the yards and gardens were well tended.

We left Thursday, September 10th for The Tides Inn, a classic resort on the water built in 1946 (that’s what Tom said and I didn’t fact check him) in Irvington, VA. We have met up with a second cousin on the Mullen side who lives just down the road. She goes by many names, but we are calling her Josie and she’s a hoot! More about our adventures with her in the next session.