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Candles And Carols, Lights And Smiles Highlighted The 1st Annual Grand Illumination In Cape Charles, Virginia

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Follow The Luminaries To Find The Gazebo

Newly dedicated this past September,   the Cape Charles, Virginia  Central Park was the site of  the  1st Annual Grand Illumination scheduled for  6:30 Saturday evening,  December 4th.  My granddaughter and I arrived  early after having had a nice afternoon on the Victorian Stroll,  touring three lovely Cape Charles Victorian B&B  historic homes.  ( If you are thinking about buying a Victorian home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,  check out our website,  www.blueheronva.com . )  Volunteers,  like busy elves, were lighting the hundreds of  luminaries that had been placed on each side of the  Park’s long curved walkways and around the perimeters of the fountain, welcome  points of light gleaming in the falling darkness.   About 6:15  people started to arrive,  eager to participate in this very first Illumination event for the Park, young,  old,  teenagers,  toddlers,  everybody wearing  a smile,  ready with cheery  holiday hello,  heading over to the Gazebo,   following the curving path outlined by glowing  luminaries.

Chris Bannon, Master of Ceremonies, With The Choir

Chris Bannon  ( of  Seagate B&B,  part of the earlier Victorian Stroll ),  dressed in a bright red Santa jacket and hat,  acted as Master of Ceremonies.  Once everybody had gathered round the huge Park gazebo,  organizers passed out candles and a  choir sang a selection of carols,  audience joining in.  It was a pretty chilly night by  Eastern Shore Virginia standards and I hadn’t brought a coat,  just a blazer and scarf,  having not properly accounted for the strong breeze factor.  So  by the time everyone was singing  Jingle Bells,  I was stomping my feet to the beat of the music to keep warm.  Jingle bells,  stomp, stomp, stomp,  Jingle Bells,  stomp, stomp, stomp…  You get the picture.  Fortunately,  my granddaughter had come prepared —  jacket,  beanie,  mittens,  so at least she was toasty warm even as I was doing  jazzercise steps.   The candles were then lit,  in honor of  and in memory of loved ones,  by the  Town Manager, the Chief of Police and a representative of the Cape Charles Coast Guard Station who all came down into the audience to do the honors after being introduced by Chris.

Candles and Carols

Candles burned brightly,  another round of carols was sung,  more jazzercise for me.   Then the big moment was almost there,  time for the Countdown to Illumination,  time to turn on the thousands of lights that had been strung to decorate  Central Park by the Cape Charles Public Works Department.  Mayor Dora Sullivan did the honors ….  5, 4 ,3, 2, 1.  Simultaneously, as instructed,  the audience blew out their candles and as they did so,  Mayor Sullivan threw the light switch.  Voila,  lights shone brightly throughout the Park,  beautiful to behold,  a reward in sparkling  colors,  a gift to everyone there from  “Citizens for Central Park”,  a  group  which worked tirelessly over the years to help make the Park and moments like this possible  for the Town and its residents ! 

Straight From The North Pole, Santa And Mrs. Claus

 With  the dazzling blue lights  decorating the roof  of the  gazebo shining brilliantly above them,  Santa and Mrs. Claus made a  “surprise”  appearance,  even did a little  North Pole style do-se-do for the delighted crowd,  then settled down to visit  with some very excited kids.   Santa dispensed smiles and hugs,  kids shyly whispered their gift requests,  then said goodbye,  smiles on their faces,  candy canes in their hands,  no doubt visions of sugar plums dancing  in their heads.   Candles, carols and candy canes,  lights,  smiles and friendship —  highlights of  the very first of what we hope are many more Grand Illuminations to come at  the Cape Charles Central Park.

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A Jam Packed Day — The Victorian Stroll And The 1st Annual Grand Illumination In Cape Charles, Virginia

Friday, December 10th, 2010

It’s that time again,  the celebrations of  the holidays  are upon us !   This year,  three of the  Bed and Breakfasts  located in the historic area of  Cape Charles, Virginia offered a new afternoon event,  the Victorian  Stroll.  Entirely fitting of course,  because Cape Charles is Virginia’s prettiest  Victorian coastal town, especially during the holidays.  ( See our listings  of  Victorian historic homes for sale in Cape Charles at  www.blueheronva.com )  Throughout town,  eves,  gables and front porches are aglow with thousands of twinkling lights in reds and greens, blues and yellows.  I especially love the strings of  white lights,  they glitter and burn with such intensity.  Also scheduled for early  evening that same day was the 1st Annual Grand Illumination in the newly dedicated Cape Charles Central Park.  So my six year old granddaughter and I decided to do the town pink and go to both events.

Seagate B&B

First off  on our tour was  Seagate B&B,  located just a stone’s throw from Cape Charles’ excellent sand beach. ( www.seagatebb.com ) Proprietor Chris Bannon gave us the grand tour of his lovely home which has the notable distinction of being the  longest continuously operating  B&B  in Cape Charles.  Chris had his entire home dressed to the T  for the holidays but our favorite room was the formal dining room.  Featuring  a library area and lots of antiques, the beautiful  dining room looked as it must have looked in yesteryear,  mantel decorated with pine roping and other greenery, elaborate stockings hung  for Santa to fill,  sideboard festive , classic table set with holiday candles,  plush oriental rug in deep reds gracing the hardwood floor.  And presiding over it all, lounging in her antique chair with soft  red velvet cushions, was Raggedy Ann,  large as life and awfully cute,  keeping a close eye on the nearby Christmas tree, watching for more presents to appear.  Then we said goodbye to Chris,  who was off  to Central Park to help get ready for  the 6:30 Grand  Illumination.

Cape Charles House B&B

Next stop,  Cape Charles House. ( www.capecharleshouse.com )  Walking into the wide foyer area, we were greeted by Carol Evans, who together with her husband Bruce, operates  this elegant  B&B,  a recipient of the coveted Governor’s Hospitality Award.  Carol said that Bruce had been a bit short of time and hadn’t finished all the planned decorating but the house looked lovely to us,  festive garland strung around the doors, stockings hung beneath the mantel.   The large dining room table featured a luxurious arrangement of magnolia cuttings, the deep green shiny leaves perfect for the season,  tastefully complementing the green wall color.   Upstairs, I especially loved the decor of the   “Thomas Dixon Room”, with its spinning wheel,  dressmaker’s form hung with a 1900’s silk dress  and  ladies’ old fashioned high boot hung from the mantel.   However, the hit of  Cape Charles House  for  my granddaughter was not the great decor or the festive Christmas greenery– no,  it was a huge,  fat and furry white cat asleep on the bed, completely undisturbed by the swirl of people  touring thorough.  When  she decided to pet it,  kitty  just raised his head,  stared at her,  then lay back down again,  completely bored by it all— until suddenly up he jumped,  making  a beeline for the back stairs to the kitchen,  leaving all his admirers behind !

Sterling House B&B

Final stop on the Victorian Stroll tour,  Sterling House  ( www.sterlinghousecapecharles.com ),  run by proprietor Steve Hairfield with  his rescued greyhound, Duelin,  as the second in command.  When we entered the long foyer with its gorgeous  hardwood floors,  Steve was kind enough to ask Duelin to come downstairs to greet my granddaughter.  Definitely it was love at first sight !   Child and dog settled on the sofa to discuss secrets of the season,  lights from the beautifully decorated tree glowing softly beside them.    Steve has a great deal of  Cape Charles artwork displayed and the paintings of scenes from the beach and marina really add to the flavor of  this home where the Chesapeake Bay can be seen from the front porch.  Like Seagate and Cape Charles House,  the dining room at Sterling House was dressed in its best,  decorated for the season and looking  picture perfect,  with greenery, candles, mantel pieces, striking  red tablecloth and poinsettias.  Dusk was well settled as we were leaving about 5:30.  Outside,  the long strings of  bright white lights  sparkled and glowed,  illuminating this striking home and the be-ribboned wreathes hanging from its windows,  a dazzling holiday sight.   And more festivities yet to come at the Grand Illumination later !

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Spending An Indian Summer Day In Williamsburg, Virginia

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

A few weeks  ago I woke up on a beautiful fall morning on a day that promised to be one of the last days of Indian Summer here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.   Temperatures were forecast  to be in the low-70’s,  sunny,  not too breezy —  in other words,  virtually perfect.  As I got the coffee started,  I began plotting as to the best way to get my husband,  who was in the middle of a project,   to  turn the potential  of this virtually perfect day into a little trip I’d been wanting to take to Williamsburg.   Now there are three crucial stops when first visiting  Williamsburg, Virginia:   1) Its amazing historic area,  a world class restoration project done by the Colonial  Williamsburg Foundation,  2) The College of William and Mary,  a college with a stellar reputation,  attended by Thomas Jefferson, among others,  and 3) The  Williamsburg Outlet Malls .  Or you could put them in reverse order– ha,  ha,  just kidding,  Freudian slip.

Lunch at Gabriel Archer Tavern

So it was a leisurely walk down Duke of Gloucester Street that beckoned to me that fine day.  ( And afterwards,  if truth be told,  a brief side trip  to the Outlets,   just a tiny little visit,  hardly anything at all,  really.)  From my house to Colonial Williamsburg is about an hour and a half drive down I-64 west, which for much of the trip  cuts through beautiful wooded scenery and over small bridges with winding waterways below,  an easy and pleasant drive.   Although we often have lunch at the Cheese Shop or the Trellis on Merchant’s Square when we visit,  that day I wanted to stop at  Williamsburg Winery  ( www.williamsburgwinery.com  ),  located  just a few miles from the historic area,  for lunch at  Gabriel Archer Tavern.  On a beautiful day this pretty cafe  with an outdoor seating area overlooking the vineyards at the Winery is  especially delightful.  And its  French Country Platter,  a medley of pates,  assorted cheeses and fruits served with a crusty baguette,  is excellent,  especially when accompanied by a glass of the Winery’s buttery  Chardonnay.

                                    

The Shoemaker's Shop

After lunch we were ready for our walk in the historic area,  the warm day so pleasant,  the fall foliage on the huge  oaks and  maples absolutely vibrant.   Although I’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg  ( www.history.org  ) dozens and dozens of times I never tire of  it– thank you,  John D. Rockefeller,  your money and your interest made this fabulous restoration happen.  The historic area is located on about three hundred acres and involves the full restoration and reconstruction of  hundreds of  Colonial  buildings including homes, out buildings and commercial buildings  ( including the reconstructed taverns,  the restaurants of  olden days,  now re-opened serving delicious food prepared from Colonial recipes,  my favorite being  King’s Arms Tavern ), common greenway areas with grazing oxen and sheep,  beautiful Colonial style vegetable gardens and  interpreters in costumes  ready to explain the history and answer just about any question.   The Williamsburg Foundation bills this fascinating slice of 18th century Virginia as  “the world’s largest living history museum”.   Something new is always going on,  new restorations  are constantly getting  underway,  new historical features are  frequently popping up on their excellent website,  one of the latest being Thomas Jefferson’s  “blog”.  In my opinion,  Williamsburg is one of Virginia’s greatest treasures,  worthy of  repeated visits,  especially in different seasons,  with Christmas as a  “must visit”  time for us nearly every year.

                                  

Just A Little Peek, See What's New

And then,  like a small but tasty after- dinner mint,  a quick trip to the Williamsburg Premium Outlet,  my favorite outlet mall,  primarily for a peek around to see what’s new.  Also a stop at Bass for a pair of boat shoes and a stop at Nautica for a shirt for my oldest grandson.   Did the quick peek,  got the new shoes and shirt,  also checked out  the brand new Calphalon  cookware store,  poked a quick nose in at Harry and David for a jar of their cherry preserves,  tempted but said  “no”  to a bag of Moose Munch.   Then,  lickity-split,  as requested by my husband who was hoping  to get back to his project,  on the road again headed back to the Eastern Shore,  our delightful Indian Summer day in Williamsburg officially over.

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Our Historic Homes For Sale – Enjoy The Romance Of Living In A Yesteryear Home On Virginia’s Eastern Shore

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Grand Old Homes Along The Beachfront

If you are thinking of buying a historic home on the  Eastern Shore of Virginia,  you’ll be happy to know that most  of the older  homes here have not been razed to build something modern but instead have been lovingly restored.   As a consequence,  for our size and low density population,  the Eastern Shore of Virginia boasts  a  substantial number of beautifully renovated and modernized  Victorian era or older  homes.  And some spectacular historic real estate on the Eastern Shore of Virginia is  for currently sale at very attractive prices.  ( Check out our historic home listings on the web at  www.blueheronva.com .)

  Indeed,  several of  our little Northampton County towns,  including Cape Charles, Virginia  and Cheriton, Virginia,  were  actually founded around the late 1800’s  and their  architecture consists substantially of   Victorian style homes along with Georgian Revival,  America Four Square, etc..

The Amazing 17 Mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel

Now for a   brief history lesson…  Discovered in 1608,  with English settlements dating from the  1620’s,  the Eastern Shore of Virginia  was,  for a long time,  geographically very isolated.  Farming and seafood were the economic engines and remain important  today.  Travel to mainland Virginia was by boat trip across the Chesapeake Bay,  a very substantial trip.  ( Even today,  most locals here say “I’m going across the Bay today” rather than “I’m going to Virginia Beach/etc. today”,   a throw-back to the days before the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel when traveling across the Bay by boat was lengthy and possibly arduous.   If a sudden storm were to come  up   “going across the Bay”  back then was a pretty big deal.  Now , with the truly amazing 17 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge,  ( www.cbbt.com ) this previously difficult  journey has been reduced to a scenic 15 minute car ride. )  Families tended to stay on the Shore and on the farm because,  back in the day,  farming and seafood here were both very, very lucrative.  Beautiful homes were built,  both in-town and out on the farms  and these homes were passed down through the generations.  Today,  neither farming nor seafood is quite so appealing and some farms and and a number of lovely historic homes in our towns have been purchased by people  moving here from out of the area,  as my family and I did,  to enjoy the Eastern Shore’s relaxed, coastal way of  life.   The point of this being that homes that have been torn down in other areas to build new developments have generally been renovated and restored here,  enabling the Eastern Shore of Virginia to retain a certain romance,   a true sense of yesteryear that many other rural areas have already lost.( www.esvatourism.org/history.asp )

5 Bedroom, 5 & 1/2 Bath, 3000 Square Foot Historic Craftsman Cottage Style Home

Two very different examples of  historic homes for sale on Virginia’s Eastern Shore include a beautiful  in-town Craftsman cottage style home built in 1913  and an amazing waterfront historic home,  situated on five acres in the country,  the earliest section of which was built in the late 1600’s.    The Craftsman cottage style home (www.antiquehomestyle.com ) ,  has been meticulously restored,  with over  3000 square feet,  featuring  five bedrooms and five and a half  baths,  located only about 500 feet from the wide sandy beach in the quaint coastal town of Cape Charles, Virginia with amenities like beach,  golf and marinas.  Shown on HGTV’s  “If Walls Could Talk” ,  it’s  currently serving as a very successful B&B.   However,  its open, airy floor plan and modern conveniences  will make it a wonderful personal residence,  offering great entertaining spaces.  Friends and relatives— come on down !   All the  “must have”  historic treatments are here — ten foot ceilings,  raised panel doors,  wainscoating,  columned room dividers, moldings, etc.  Walk to the beach in 30 seconds,  enjoy water views  and dazzling sunsets from the huge  front porch.  Golf carts are  “street legal”  in Cape Charles so you can  “go-green”  and zip over to the Cape Charles Coffee House,  etc.  for lunch in your electric cart.  Offered at $585,000,  this fine home can be a wonderful personal residence or kept  as a B&B,  the perfect opportunity to have a home business.

                                

On the other end of the spectrum is the nearly 4000 sq. ft.  “Wellington House”,   located on the water  in the country about 20 minutes from Cape Charles.  Situated  on a colorful, deep saltwater inlet from the Chesapeake Bay,  this amazing four bedroom, three bath home  with an existing backyard dock  is a rare opportunity to marry a love of  historic homes with a love of  boating.   An absolute gem,  built of  brick,  Flemish bond style,  this home’s earliest section dates back to the late 1600’s .  When you enter the original quarter kitchen with its huge hearth and beams, used now as a sitting room,  it’s like going back in time to the Colonial days.  High ceilings,  additional  fireplaces and wide plank floors throughout lend this special home an authenticity and ambience that few historic homes can rival.   Add to that its amazing waterviews,  backyard pier for a  boat  and the seclusion offered by its five acre size and it totals one terrific historic home,  all this offered at the attractive price of $1,495,000.  

                                  

We’ll have more posts soon about the opportunites to purchase historic real estate  on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  In the meantime,  some of our unique historic home for sale listings can be viewed at   www.blueheronva.com  with prices  starting at $199,000  to over $3,500,000 for a home on 100+ acres.

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Cape Charles, Virginia Is A Great Place To Buy A Historic Home In A Victorian, Queen Anne or Gothic Style

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Looking to buy a  historic property  in Virginia ?   Consider purchasing real estate  on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in the quaint  historic  town of Cape Charles,  perched along the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay.  Cape Charles today continues in its historic coastal traditions and many of the town’s activities center around its deep water  harbor,  marinas  and its beautiful sand beach.  Most of  the 500 buildings in the original part of town date back to the late 1890’s and this section of town has been designed as a  “Historic District” .  In addition,  about 10 years ago,   the acreage which now comprises  the golf resort  were annexed by the town and now form its northern and southern boundaries.  Most of the new  homes built there are of a traditional style and blend well with the homes in the Historic District,  creating a harmonious whole from the sum of  several  parts.

Cape Charles has an interesting history– it was actually created from scratch by a Pennsylvania Congressman,  Wm. Scott,  who purchased the land which is now Cape Charles after learning that its deepwater  harbor was to become  the southern terminus of  the railroad.  ( Obviously,  insider trading is not a new phenomena ! )  In 1883,  Scott  began the process of development,  laying out the town as a square,  creating a five acre space for a future central park  (see the Sept. 11th post on the dedication of the beautiful new Cape Charles Central Park),  naming  the avenues  for famous Virginians  (Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison, etc., )  and the streets for what I’m assuming were his favorite fruits  ( Fig,  Strawberry,  Peach, etc.)  and then proceeded to sell  building lots.  Between the strong economy generated by the new railroad,  which ran from Manhattan to the Eastern Shore,  and the busy ferry service from the harbor ( which took both rail passengers and cars across the Chesapeake Bay,  landing  in Norfolk ),  Cape Charles quickly became a busy and prosperous  waterfront town.  Grand homes were built along the beachfront and in the beach blocks,  more modest homes further back.  By the early 1900’s,   most of the lots had been built out,  in a potpourri of architectural styles ranging from Victorian,  Queen Anne  and Georgian  to Sears Craftsman cottage style homes, with  Gothic and  American four square as well.  Sadly for Cape Charles,  by the mid-1950’s,  the railroad retained freight service but terminated passenger service and postal service  to Cape Charles.  And in the cruelest cut of all,  the ferry company moved to a new terminal at what is now part of  Kiptopeake  State Park,  nearly  five  miles away.   Adios,  so long,  sayonara  to Cape Charles, which sank into a slow decline with the loss of its two economic engines.

Circa 1906 Georgian Revival Home For Sale In Cape Charles, Virginia

Fast forwarding to 2010….   With the completion of much of  the golf  resort and the revival of interest in buying and restoring historic homes in coastal towns,  the renaissance of  Cape Charles and restoration to its intended glory is nearly complete.   And it’s exciting to see  a variety of opportunities for people to be able to purchase  real estate  in the historic area of Cape Charles  and to be able to enjoy  the ambiance of  yesterday in a home which has been restored  to its original elegance.  This post will feature a lovely restored historic home  listed by Blue Heron Realty Co.,  a  marvelous Georgian Revival.   Interestingly enough,  this home  was previously a B&B  so the  restoration  fortunately included adding a  private bathroom to each  bedroom,  the acute  shortage of bathrooms  being to my mind one of the thorny issues that always has to be dealt with in restorations of historic homes. 

Entry Foyer With Fireplace, Ceiling Medalion, Antique Chandelier and Columns

Built in 1906,  this 4200 square foot Georgian Revival home has been fully restored to its former  glory !  Located just two blocks from the beautiful Cape Charles town beach,  this home reflects the best traditions of gracious Virginia living.  With spacious formal rooms and seven bedrooms plus eight and a half baths,  there is plenty of room for private entertaining or it could be returned to its  B&B status.  The stately entry foyer features the original ceiling medallion with light fixture and original leaded glass windows.  Wood floors have been beautifully restored and the 12 inch baseboards have top and bottom shoe molding.  The large dining room is light -filled and simply spectacular with four floor-to-ceiling windows,  original ceiling medallion and gasolier chandelier.   Original carved  fireplace mantel adorns the gas-converted  fireplace in the spacious living room which also features pocket doors.   Warm and cheerful,  the   gourmet kitchen features  Wolf range, Viking hood and  side by side refrigerator– everything you would need to fix a fabulous crab au gratin with your fresh- from- the- Chesapeake-  Bay lump blue crab.   Large Butler’s Pantry,  plenty of  storage.  

Go Green- Slip Over To The Marina Just Five Minutes Away In An Electric Golf Cart

Outside,  a lovely wisteria-covered pergola and a hot tub as well as a  detached office with a sleeping loft create private spaces for work and leisure.   Located on a corner lot in the Cape Charles Historic District,  this gracious, lovingly restored home is but a short stroll to the beach and a quick golf cart ride to the two marinas,  Palmer or Nicklaus  golf, little  shops,  art galleries,  the Palace Theatre and fine and casual dining.  Could it get any better ?  So  get ready to live the sweet beach life in the romantic ambience of  yesteryear.  Priced at $599,995.  ( For more information on real estate and historic homes for sale on Virginia’s Eastern Shore,  click on the  “historic home  listings”  section of  the  Blue Heron Realty Co.  website   www.blueheronva.com  .

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