......

"THAT IS AN ABSOLUTELY brand new ATM machine," said the owner of the little shop at Sunset Beach* to The Yard Man. "YOU are the first person to use it!"

So then, since The Yard Man had a pocketful of brand new cash, we went out onto the beach and saw the sunken ship, looked in the small information-wildlife center, studied the Martin houses (Just so you know, Dear Reader, the Martin is a kind of bird--a swallow. And get this--[if it sounds unbelievable, don't blame me; it's what we were told]: East of the Rockies the Martins are totally dependent upon human-supplied housing for their survival!

"I've been wanting to get me a Martin house!" said The Yard Man as we studied the four large houses in the parking lot. However, there were none for sale.
(So much for his pocketful of cash!)



They weren't selling turtles there, either.
......

So we carried on with our Cape May caper...

much as the grapes are carried along from the vineyards to the winery (our next stop).


Truthfully, I have no idea how the grapes are transported, but somehow
they end up in the casks,



and then...wait for it... into our glasses!


When our hostess at the winery pours for us the Port (our sixth sample), she makes my eyes pop open! What's that she's saying?!! Chocolate?! (It's only a few chocolate chips, Reader Dear, but chocolate is CHOCOLATE and it's starting to feel like Christmas....[uh.okay. it may be the wine)

Alas, The Yard Man is not a wine enthusiast.
(When we leave that place, his pocket still bulges)
......

But. Then. "Let's go find that cheese shop we heard about!" says he.

We spend a half hour in that tiny shop! We eat samples. The Yard Man hobnobs with the owner; he is very enthused about his cheese! So is The Yard Man! When we drive away from that store, there is a large smelly hunk of blue-veined cheese nestled on the back seat of the car beside the bottle of wine that someone purchased at the winery.
(And The Yard Man's pocketful of cash is slightly more like a pancake).
.....

*We're not in California, Reader Dear.
We are EAST of the Rockies!