Archive for the ‘Odds and Ends’ Category

❤️OUR BEAUTIFUL HARBINGERS OF SPRING ON THE EASTERN SHORE 🌊- – OUR SPECTACULAR 💐BLOSSOMS !

Saturday, May 2nd, 2020

Pink tree bay storage( This is a repost from 🌱Spring, 2019. Like everyone else, Blue Heron has been getting organized for #SocialDistancing with little time for photo 📷 taking. ) But, especially now, we all need to take a little cheer where it appears. Since 🌹Spring brings a whole Universe of Pink 🌸 to Virginia’s Eastern Shore 🌊 we decided to repost these beautiful Shore Spring photos. And when we say Pink we mean the whole Pink color 🌸🌺 🌷💐spectrum- – from fuchsia, magenta, rouge and softest rose to barely blushing apple blossom. (Need we say more, it’s truly Pink ! ) And we love it, because of course, Pink is the universal color of 💗love. So, blossoms blazing everywhere…. in yards, along roads, by offices and in woodlands, a special Spring ❤️ Valentine straight from Mother Nature.

And of course, there are other showy Spring colors, the sunny green 🌱stems and yellows and oranges of daffodil blooms, and jonquils, the Bradford pear trees 🌳with myriad white blossoms covering the entire tree with a snow- like blanket. Or the tiny dogwoods with delicate yellow centered blooms, variegated white and red 🌺 camellias, lavender azaleas, lilac- colored 💜laurels, all contributing to the joyful celebration of Spring. So ….Keep Calm, Spring has Sprung ! To borrow a phrase – Live in the Sunshine 🌞, Swim the Sea 🌊Drink the Wild Air 🌬! Because it’s Spring on the Eastern Shore 🌊 and even the Coronavirus can’t stop Mother Nature from showing her true colors 🌈!

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In another Cape Charles first, Bay Haven Inn launches cooking class program on Valentine’s weekend. Who wouldn’t 💕 that?

Saturday, May 2nd, 2020

86350484_1270060220050300_6299163735424499712_oA new tradition got started Valentine’s ❤️weekend at Bay Haven Inn of Cape Charles with the introduction of its first-ever cooking class program. Proprietors Tammy and Jim Holloway have had hundreds of requests over the years for recipes on how to make their Signature 🌟 Sweet Potato Biscuits and other yummy house specialties. So what could be more logical than to launch a series of cooking classes that guests can book when they reserve their rooms ? Planned for the winter season, November through March, Bay Haven Inn will present “What’s Cooking at Bay Haven” as a fun new offering for guests on selected weekends. Non- guests are welcome too if space allows.

For the kick-off last Saturday, Inn guests Kathy and Eric, along with Blue Heron Realty agent Montaigne Cree, joined Jim Holloway 👨‍🍳 in the Inn’s gorgeous new kitchen. An aficionado 🤗 of Southern style sweet potato biscuits, Montaigne was anxious to jump in and learn Jim’s techniques for his delicious biscuit flavor and pleasing texture. I was along as the unofficial 😋 Taster- which is very hard work but…. someone has to do it! After donning special Bay Haven Inn aprons, the group dove right into the 4 Lessons – compound butters, sweet potato biscuits, mile-high popovers, wrapping up with the truly decadent Ooey-Gooey French Toast.

First up, preparing various compound butters to complement the mile-high popovers of Lesson 3. Orange zest 🍊, lingonberry and rosemary/thyme herb butters 🧈were carefully mixed and rolled up log-shape87070696_1270059456717043_3729512929968521216_o in Saran wrap to chill- ultimate goal, spreading on the piping-hot-from-the-oven Popovers to come.

Next, Jim’s famous Bay Haven Sweet Potato Biscuits. Much measuring, sifting, 🥣 mixing, folding, stirring 🥄 plus more stirring and folding before the batter was ready to pat out and cut into biscuits. ( Tip- Jim lines his sheet pans with silpat non-stick silicon liners which he swears by as the only baking sheet liners to use. And he made me a convert after seeing his silpats in action, next stop Bed, Bath and Beyond.) Into the oven for these orange colored yummies and on to making mile-high popovers.

Without exaggeration, Jim and Tammy’s recipe for popovers produces the tallest, tenderest popovers I have ever had ! Mile-high and truly delicious! The secret ? Using an electric mixer 🍜 to blend the ingredients until super foamy and smooth, rest the batter for an hour. Ladle into some really tall, cool-looking popover pans. End result ? Spectacular to look at and scrumptious to eat – – crunchy on the outside and melt-in-the-mouth on the inside. And oh so wonderful with the compound butters from Lesson 1- quite surprised to enjoy the savory herb 🌿 butter best !

Last but definitely not least, the French 🍞 Toast Lesson. So what do you get when you foam butter, Karo Syrup and brown sugar over gentle heat, then separately mix lots of 🥚 eggs, half and half🍶 cream, Grand Marnier, nutmeg and cinnamon in a big bowl ? Well, when you pour the foamed butter mixture into the bottom of a stoneware or Pyrex pan, add bread 🍞 slices, pour the cream mixture over top, refrigerate overnight and then bake in the morning you get …… a magical breakfast of Ooey Gooey French Toast.

85123461_1270059983383657_1073371121077714944_oWhat a wonderful afternoon everyone had, cooking, conversation and delicious, fresh from the oven treats ! Jim is a natural 🧑‍🍳 teacher, patient and fun. The well-equipped kitchen, spacious and light-filled, made everything so pleasant. The “students” got to keep the goodies they made and the unofficial Taster went home with a bag 🛍 of goodies too. So a very successful kickoff for “What’s Cooking at Bay Haven.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The 17 th Annual Eastern Shore Artisan Guild Holiday Tour Was A Huge Success !

Friday, December 6th, 2019

DSC_7373This annual studio tour, held the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving 🍁each year, is one of our very favorite arts 🖼 events of the year. Covering studios reaching from Capeville at the Shore’s very southern tip as far north as Onancock, offering dozens of mediums ranging from heavy oils to silk embroidery to decoy 🦆 carvings, from huge wood sculptures to finely cast bronzes to intricate ceramics and jewelry and much more, this event truly has something for nearly every taste. And a great way to find unique gifts 🎁 for folks on your holiday list.

We started at Danny Doughty’s studio in Onancock which is not on the official tour but which is so close to 4 locations on the tour that it’s easy to drop in to take a peek78318591_1195745894148400_5490258846255415296_o at his new pieces- – not to speak of the beautiful 🎄tree Danny always decorates for his studio. From there, off to Ker Place with decoys, 🖼paintings and jewelry, then off to see Vesna’s new pottery pieces. Heading out from there to the historic Onancock School, which sports a new LOVE ❤️ sign, where embroidery “paintings” , decoys and Bobby Bridges whimsical wind directionals added lots of color to the show.

DSC_7430By The Bay 🦙 Alpaca farm was delightful, such cute and furry creatures, calm and patient. And if you’re looking for the world softest and warmest, must try alpaca sox 🧦! But the other incredibly soft item for sale was a tiny alpaca fur 🧸 teddy bear, so sweet, ready for lots of hugs and kisses from a new owner. Next up, sculptor Moe Spector’s place where several different artists had organized tents for the Tour including Marty Burgess, Guy Shover, David Crane and Brenda Clark offering paintings, stoneware and ceramics. From there to Wachapreague for Jacobson and Bilicki Fine 🖼Art. Sadly, it was not possible to do all the stops, so at sunset we were off to our last stop, Windsor House at the very southern tip, to see the Lewin’s hand crafted fine furniture, Buck Doughty’s steel sculptures and some amazing pots from Gecko Pottery. And that wrapped up the 2019 Tour for us, looking forward to Thanksgiving 2020.

 

 

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GOODBYE EASTERN SHORE SUMMER 2019🌈

Friday, December 6th, 2019

36696286_795095574213436_8869024899788701696_oThough vivid colors of Autumn 🍁 now brightly greet us,
dull Winter’s 🌬 chill surely follows close behind.
But memories of our Summer ☀️ days shall to mind spring ever sweetly.

 

 

 

 

 

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CONGRATULATIONS TO GAIL DREBES, WINNER 🍀 OF THE 1st 🥇 PRIZE IN THE BLUE HERON REALTY DRAWING CELEBRATING THE CAPE CHARLES SUMMER OF LOVE ♥️ FESTIVAL!

Thursday, September 12th, 2019

69542284_1108651932857797_7237632781298171904_nPresented by Blue Heron Realty agent Nicole Killebrew, Gail and husband Jim Drebes, local Cape Charles town residents, came by yesterday to pick up the $900 gift certificate to the fabulous “At Altitude” Gallery on Mason Avenue, the 1st 🥇 prize in our ♥️ Drawing. Gallery owner Gordon Campbell was on hand to congratulate Gail and welcomed them both to stop in the Gallery to browse as much as they wish before making that hard decision on which photo 🖼 to select.

2nd and 3rd prizes in the Blue Heron Drawing were both won by ladies who were visiting friends or relatives on the Eastern Shore when they stopped by to register.69691533_1108651209524536_2364476008658108416_o Cheryl Jones from New Jersey won the 2nd 🥈 prize of the $125 gift certificate to the Oyster Farm Eatery – Cheryl is looking forward to her next visit to Cape Charles to enjoy her delectable winnings ! The 3rd 🥉 prize of a $75 gift certificate to Gull Hummock Gourmet was won by Pat Lasome from Maryland. Pat visits the Shore frequently and now has some delectable treats and wine🍷 to choose on her next visit to town. ( Thanks again to Honey Moore of Gull Hummock Gourmet who helped Barrett Cree with the Drawing ! )

69489158_1108652686191055_2516419161177980928_oThe Cape Charles 50 Days of the Summer of LOVE ♥️ Festival was such fun – – so many exciting 🎉 activities all over town ! For 50 days ! Our thanks to everyone who entered our 🏅 Drawing. Even if you didn’t win one of our 3 prizes, you got a commemorative LOVE♥️ mug and our interesting new Cape Charles Landmarks map. The whole Blue Heron Realty crew enjoyed this Festival so much, we hope you did too !! Come see us at 113 Mason Avenue and catch a ride to find your dream 🏡 home on the HeronMobile

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MERCER FAMILY, THE BRAND NEW OWNERS OF THE VERY FIRST HGTV 🏡 HOME FILMED IN CAPE CHARLES !

Thursday, September 12th, 2019

69263712_1106352966421027_2185455123151454208_oTheir Blue Heron Buyer’s Agent, Gerry Forbes, says Tyler, Tiffany, twins Cole and Kiera plus dogs Copper and Scout are thrilled 🎉 with their new Randolph Avenue home ! ♥️ the beach 🏖 and ♥️ becoming part of one of the prettiest beach towns in America ! Wishing you all many, many happy 😊 years in your new home.

CONGRATS TO ALL THE VIRGINIA LIVING MAGAZINE’S EASTERN SHORE “BEST OF VIRGINIA” OYSTER BAR & OYSTER PRODUCER 🏅 WINNERS ! CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST BELOW !

Thursday, September 12th, 2019

70333187_1110375902685400_5549768560194093056_nHow popular is a tasty oyster on Virginia’s Eastern Shore? Well, perhaps the fact that we have an entire town named “Oyster” offers a clue ! And just how 😋 delicious are Eastern Shore oysters ? Enormously ! Small area- -big flavor ! And the proof of that pudding is in how many Eastern Shore oyster bars and oyster producers were voted as the 2019 Oyster Bar and Oyster Producer winners 🏅 by Virginia Living magazine. Selected by a panel of restauranteurs, chefs, foodies and the editorial staff, these winners from the Shore join a very select group of folks across Virginia being honored as the Best of Virginia 🎉 this year. Congratulations to you all. Clearly, the world is your oyster !

 

 

 

 

OYSTER BAR 🏅WINNERS
Hook-U-Up Gourmet (Hook@Harvey) Cape Charles
Sting Ray’s Restaurant- Cape Charles
The Oyster Farm Eatery -Cape Charles
The Shanty – Cape Charles
Great Machipongo Clam Shack- Nassawadox
The Island House – Wachapreague
Bill’s Seafood – Chincoteague

OYSTER PRODUCER 🏅 WINNERS
Ocean Cove Seafood – Cape Charles
Ballard Fish & Oyster Company – Cheriton
American Shellfish Company – Cheriton
Lynnhaven Bay Aquaculture Oysters – Cheriton
Nottingham Clams, Inc. – Cheriton
Tom’s Cove Aquafarms – Chincoteague
Tangier Island Oyster Co. – Tangier

Cape Charles Summer of LOVE ❤️

Thursday, August 8th, 2019

IMG_1449 croppedWhat do you get when you mix scores of wheels, Flower Power 🌸 🌺 and a bonfire 🔥? LOVEFEST 2019 ! And a fabulous Golf Cart Parade ! Tons of fun and 1960’s costumes to boot, totally groovy ! Kicked off by a group photo at the LOVE sign, on to a “Start Your Golf Cart” command from Parade Master Jim Holloway, they were off to paint the town with peace and love. So many wonderfully decorated carts- I’m sure it was hard for the 3 judges to make call between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. And congrats to Nancy and George Proto on their 50th anniversary. Their wedding 👰🤵themed golf cart was truly a work of art. After the Parade everyone gathered at the beach for a celebratory bonfire 🔥 which was going strong until the storm came up and it had to be extinguished. But LOVEFEST was a great idea- hopefully it can become an annual event and we can look forward to LOVEFEST ❤️ 2020 !

 

 

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MOON OVER CENTRAL PARK’S UKE FEST 2019

Thursday, June 20th, 2019

DSC_5630What a fabulous afternoon last weekend in Cape Charles, VA for the 1st Annual Uke Fest ! Cool and breezy, an absolutely perfect Saturday was winding down into twilight as we arrived. The last act of the day, Rachael Manke, was just taking the stage at the Central Park Gazebo as we found seats on a comfy nearby bench to listen to her performance. After wrestling a bit with her hat, which was trying to go airborne in the breeze, Rachael began by creating a little ditty right on the spot as she tossed that uncooperative topper aside, strum, strum “Goodbye Hat”, triple strum, “Goodbye Hat”. A self-described Lutheran minister, she wisecracked that she couldn’t stay too late because she had an 8 am sermon to give in Richmond on Sunday, then launched into a wonderful repertoire of favorites laced with witty parody songs like “Has Anyone Seen My Mom” to the tune of “Has Anyone Seen My Gal” and the slightly naughty “Shovel Out of Buffalo”.

The music was delightful but watching the audience was heartwarming. I can imagine that this was the very scene that Citizens for Central Park had envisioned as they DSC_5717worked so long and so hard to get the Park funded and off the ground. Folks of all ages, in lawn chairs short or tall, sitting on the wide expanse of grass in front of the Gazebo, enjoying the performance. Colorful bankets spread by parents whose toddlers were swaying to the music. Dads holding infants, Moms wiping sticky Shave Ice from hands and faces. Guys and gals with the munchies tackling tacos and popcorn. Kids on bikes riding the winding sidewalk, teenagers playing soccer and tossing footballs near the fountain. Tiny groups in laughing conversation on the sidewalk, couples relaxing on Park benches. And dogs and owners ! Dogs of every size and description strolling peacefully on their leases, not a snarl in the air. What an amalgam of happiness, what a sense of calm and delight as the full moon rose, softly spreading pearly beams over the 2019 Uke Fest at the amazing and happy Cape Charles Central Park.

 

 

 

 

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“Art & Music on the Farm” 2019 – A Huge Success ! Again !

Thursday, May 30th, 2019

DSC_5442From traditional music rooted in rural Virginia to art in many forms and mediums, from Hog Island fig trees to twirling wind whirligigs, the Barrier Island Center and Museum’s annual bash, “Art & Music on the Farm”, was an exceptional event ! As always ! Even the weather could not have been better – – breezy, blue skies and mild temps conspired to make last Saturday a perfect day for an outdoor festival. This annual Machipongo event is one of the largest art/artisan festivals on the entire Shore, offering something for everyone. Dozens of little white tents filled with amazing decoy carvings, Windsor chairs, sculptures, bronze work, ceramics, plants and garden art, stuffed animals and children’s books, paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic mediums, hand-crafted wood pieces, pottery and so much more were on offer for the numerous enthusiastic attendees. For animal lovers, 2 rare Hog Island sheep from Island View Farm were on hand, sweet woolly characters, Opal, and her week-old baby, Beep-Beep, wowed the crowd. Plus there was toe-tapping live music ! And lush Chatham Vineyard wines !

Of course, all that walking, talking and shopping was bound to work up some serious appetites. Fortunately, delicious aromas floated everywhere, originating fromDSC_5573 vendors like Kitchen Sync, with fresh strawberries in cream, shrimp orzo and chicken salad on its savory bill of fare. Around the corner, while Gordos Food Truck was wowing the crowd with tacos and gorditas, Cape Charles Lion’s Club was rapidly turning out burgers and crab cakes. Over at the Kielbasa tent, grilling was amped up to a fast pace to keep up with demand, their mouthwatering subs pairing well with ice cold liquids from the adjacent Beer Garden. For those craving a little caffeine, Coastal Roasting had its famous Marsh Mud iced coffee and fruity iced teas ready to pour. Plus their beautiful new custom ceramic coffee mugs were available to add a little pop of color and pizzazz while sitting on the porch enjoying your morning Joe.

DSC_5559For many, the music was unquestionably the highlight of the day. From 11 am till closing, over on the main stage 4 talented groups performed throughout the day. Adjacent to the stage, a tiny dance floor was in place for those who might want to accompany the lively music with a little free style dance. Fortunately, local clogging enthusiast Bill McLaughlin was on hand – he and several energetic youngsters added some impromptu entertainment with their spirited flatfooting. Toe-tapping and delightful, rooted in the genres of old time rural Virginia bluegrass and country, with styles and traditions that go way, way back, the music absolutely captivated the audience. In the Education Building, various Musician’s Work Shops were held- although we didn’t make it to any, they were likened to being “on the porch of the Floyd General Store during Floydfest – but right here on the Eastern Shore”. All in all, simply a terrific day, filled to its fresh, breezy brim with beautiful art, delicious food and timeless music. In short, another wonderful Art & Music on the Farm ! And hats off to all the volunteers, vendors and sponsors who make this fabulous event possible each year – thank you !

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