From Beach to WIP

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I’ve been off the radar for several days, taking some time to recuperate and unwind. My husband and I decided to celebrate his birthday by taking an extended weekend trip to the beach. The weather in March along the eastern shore is hit or miss. We’ve been visiting this particular beach since we were teenagers in high school. When we were in our twenties, his family owned a modular home there, and we became part owners in a pontoon boat. During the summer, we spent most every weekend at the beach for approximately fifteen years. It’s a four hour drive from Central PA, but for fresh seafood, crabbing, flounder fishing, and sunning on the shore, those trips were worth it.

These days, we normally head to the beach once or twice a year, shelling out for a hotel. I’ve been at the shore when it’s been 80 degrees in December, and when it was freezing cold in June. This trip, the weather was perfect—full sun and only a light breeze. We were able to be outside in sweatshirts.

As we’re much older now, we did a lot of reminiscing of those early trips when we were just kids, and how much the area has changed. We’re no longer “June bugs” but prefer the less crowded months of March, September (still hot enough to use the beach) and December for our trips.

Here’s a few shots from the hotel where we stayed.  The place is styled after an old Victorian boardwalk hotel, and is one of the two hotels we regularly use. This trip, they were hosting two weddings in the banquet rooms, but other than closing their cocktail lounge for three hours one afternoon (I vented to the front desk when leaving), the stay was one of the best we’ve had. More memories of our “home away from home.”

This is the entrance, with registration and the main lobby up on the second level. If you walk back through the hall there are elevators to the upper floors, or you can continue straight to the beach.

a hotel entrance with a split staircase

This is the main lobby. There’s a jewelry shop off to the side where I’ve purchased multiple pendants through the years. There’s also a huge covered porch that faces the beach and extends the entire length of the hotel. It’s lined with high-backed rocking chairs, perfect for enjoying the view with a drink or reading.

Hotel lobby with seating

The view from our hotel balcony.  My husband took shoots of the sun rising each morning but I was slept through it. Something about the coastal air always makes me sleep extra soundly.

view of beach and ocean

We spent an afternoon on the boardwalk. See the huge JEWELRY sign in the background? I picked up a sun pendant there, while hubs checked out M.R. Ducks, next door.

boardwalk with shops and eateries

Mae Clair on standing on balcony with beach and ocean in backround

Now that I’m rejuvenated, I’ll be concentrating on finishing my WIP, End of Day. I have an April deadline, so if I’m a little scarce over the next few weeks, it’s because I’ll be burning extra hours trying to reach “The End.” Cross your fingers I can finish it up by the middle of the month. I normally treat myself to something when I finish a manuscript, but in this case, I put the “treat” ahead of the finish. *gulp*

For all of you trying to pummel your WIPS into submission, I wish you happy writing—and a break to rejuvenate, even if it doesn’t involve a beach town!

69 thoughts on “From Beach to WIP”

  1. I love the beach (I actually live there in an alternate reality somewhere), so your pictures made me smile. It’s also the best place to read, IMO. The hotel decorations are spectacular and perfect for a Victorian boardwalk. Glad you got some rest – also glad you’re back! And good luck with the deadline, Mae.

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    • I would live at the beach if I could afford it—in a less touristy town than the one I visit. DH and I still kick around the idea of retiring there. And you’re right, it is the BEST place to read. Glad you enjoyed the photos and thanks for the welcome back!

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  2. I love the beach this time of year. Looks beautiful and love all your pictures. Fun to get a little shopping in too:) Glad you got a nice break and always fun to go back to our favorite places! Good luck with your impending deadlines and have an amazing weekend.

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    • Thanks, Denise. I positively love the beach—and well, shopping, too, LOL. Put them together and I’m one happy camper. The break was wonderful. Now I just need to kick butt on the deadline. 🙂

      Wishing you and amazing weekend, too!

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    • That’s so true, Alicia. If it hadn’t been my husband’s birthday I probably wouldn’t have suggested the mini vacation so close to a deadline date, but I wanted him to get away too. We both had a wonderful time.
      Thanks for dropping by and saying hello. Hope all is well with you!

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    • Hmmm.. I might have to take that suggestion about the hotel into consideration for a future story. Thanks, Jacquie 🙂

      It was a wonderful time. And thanks for the well-wishes on the deadline, too. I need those votes of confidence to make all these plot bunnies behave, LOL!

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  7. I believe one of the most important things we can do in life is to rejuvenate and there is NO better place than the beach or its counterpart – the mountains. Good luck with finishing your story! Loved the hotel and beach pictures! I could put myself there for a few seconds.

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    • I love the mountains too, Jan. My husbands parents had a cabin in the mountains when we were dating. I remember hiking through the woods and loving every moment of it,,,,well, except for being worried about bears, LOL.

      Thanks for the well wishes on the story. Now that I’m rejuvenated, I’m ready to tackle it!

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  8. A gorgeous place to get rejuvenated. Glad to hear your WIP is coming along well.I keep hitting walls. Can’t identify my problem. Perhaps I need a week at the beach 🙂 I did start Kundalini yoga classes and had quite an awakening yesterday, so there is that.

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    • I used to do Namaste Yoga for years and found it so energizing and relaxing. I’ve had problems with it since having a back injury but would love to give it a try again.

      Good luck with finding ways around your walls. It’s great to have you visiting again!

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  9. That’s idyllic, Mae! 😀 Having had 2 bad experiences with heat exposure, I much prefer my beaches in the cooler months and in fact, I prefer the sea storm-tossed and/or windy vistas… 😛 The hotel looks wonderfully characterful too! 😀

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    • Idyllic is a good word. It was thoroughly relaxing, Jan.

      So sorry to hear about your experiences with heat exposure. We have a pool at home and I admit to spending most of my summer soaking up the rays. I need to be more careful with that, especially now that I’m getting older. Ugh! 🙂

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  11. Mae, this is heaven! I can hear the waves reaching shore. Thanks for sharing this with us. 🙂
    Delighted to hear you enjoyed a lovely weekend. You look fabulous, too. Cheering you on to reach your deadline. You got this! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Natalie, for all of those wonderful thoughts. The beach was indeed spectacular, and it was great to kick back and relax. Now it’s time to hustle-bustle that deadline into submission. I’m on it! 🙂

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    • I am so envious that you get to enjoy a beach town every day, John 🙂
      Hubby and I were chatting with a local couple who used to be Keystoners. Every now and then we still kick around the idea of relocating. It’s going to have to wait until after I retire though and all the funds fall into place. In the meantime, enjoy all that wonderful inspiration you get to experience every day of the year. Twiggy is going to love it!

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    • I’ve got until the end of April if I need it, but I’m hoping to finish mid-month. At least that’s the plan, LOL. And wouldn’t it be great to have all the sun and warmth without the crowds? Happy writing, back’atcha, Diana!

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  16. What a fantastic place to stay, MC. Hubs and I are heading down to the beach next month for just such a weekend – the crystal coast is spectacular this time of year and I have a favorite hotel right on the beach. Yours looks awesome.

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    • Noelle, that’s awesome! I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. There’s nothing like a beach vacation to put everything in perspective. Especially when you’re going back to a favorite oceanfront hotel. Have fun!

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  18. What a great break (even though the deadline’s looming, you deserve it 😀 ). I have to say I’m envious–that hotel looks like a great place to hang out, and the beach! Being in the middle of the country, the closest big waters are still ice-clogged. Good luck on the last stretch to ‘The End’!

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    • Thanks for the well wishes, Julie. I’m closing in on the finish line. 🙂

      It’s great having the coast within travelling distance. I’m sure when the big lakes become ice-free you must enjoy visiting them. I’ve seen Lake Michigan, and keep saying I have to get to Eerie since it’s in my home state, LOL. One of these days!

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    • Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ve got my fingers crossed on the MS. The break was great, but it’s always hard coming back. Hope you get some time to recharge when the busy season is over!

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  21. Playing catch-up today. Looks like you had a wonderful time. I’m a mountain person, but hubby and I went to the beach for our vacation last summer. We had a wonderful time and I’d do it again!

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    • I enjoy the mountains, too, although between them, the beach will always win for me 🙂 Vacation was wonderful and now I’m playing a bit of catch up on my own with my WIP. Glad you’ve got a bit of beach in you too, Joan. Happy Friday! 🙂

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      • Our beaches did suffer from all the storms we had this past month or so. But the time you come in the summer they will be in much better condition. I haven’t been to the beach in ages. I go to Aruba each year for three weeks and love their warm water. Our water at the beaches here is cold until August. Brrr! 😆

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  27. That’s a beautiful beach – true sand yachting fare! And the hotel looks very laid back. Like yourself, I spent a lot of my younger years beside the sea, leading a very different daily life of walks along the shore and wildlife conversations. A seagull raised a ‘nest’ of chicks right outside my bedroom windowsill. Wierd how life changes, don’t it? Happy deadlines!

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    • Life does change, but I still have that inherent sense of love for the coast and all things along the shore. The hotel was wonderfully laid back, which is my preferred speed these days.

      I would have loved to have seen those seagull chicks. I once had a sparrow nest outside my office window and watched her eggs hatch and saw her feeding her little ones. I’m such a sap for stuff like that!

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    • Have fun on your trip, Lauralynn. Breaks are re-energizing and the beach is a treasure any time of year. Thanks for the well-wishes on the WIP too. I’m now at 76K with only a few scenes remaining. YES!!! 🙂

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  30. There’s nothing like a beach trip on the cusp of spring. We went to Daytona Beach for Coastal Magic Con in February, and it was lovely, except we returned to Virginia and got more snow in March than we did all winter long. Needless to say, beach or mountains, I’m just happy for some sunny, warm weather! Bring on summer. 🙂

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    • Hi, Denise! Thanks for dropping by my blog. I’m with you about sunny, warm weather. I was just saying to my husband last night that as much as I do enjoy the change of seasons, I could live someplace where it’s sunny and warm all year long.

      Daytona Beach in February sounds awesome! We got clobbered with snow in March, too. It was a ridiculous winter. So glad it is finally behind us! 🙂

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