I’m up at 7:56 this morning, luckily early enough to be included on the only pot of coffee made (errand #1: get more coffee).

On the deck, as others wake up and join us, we’re reading the news of Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden. Cell phones are clicking on news sites and political commentary video plays from the laptop.

Breakfast Buffet: the kitchen is crazy busy, Jeff cooking up breakfast for thirty, although there are only seven of us in the house. Bagels, yogurt, grapes, another pot of coffee, fried eggs, bacon, two kinds of sausage and yet one more pot of coffee.

The overcast clouds are breaking apart, blue skies coming through and shadows being cast throughout the yard. It’s almost time to pack up and hit the sand!

Time: 5:55. We’re back from the beach, what a day! The sun finally broke through and we got some really good sun. I’m a little pinker but I’ve just dunked my entire body in lotion so I should do okay.

Three of us found three different dollar bills today, one of them floating in the ocean! So we took the floater and bought a ticket for tonight’s lottery with a prize of $54 million. Our lucky numbers are 15, 22, 39, 45, 46 and Powerball 02. Cross your fingers.

We’re energized for a night out and start it off by going to Blue Moon (which was dead) where I noticed their calendar had Pamala Stanley performing just about every other evening, all summer long, but unfortunately she was not performing tonight. A little history of Ms. Stanley: one-hit wonder singing the club hit “Coming Out of Hiding”, a staple at Lost & Found in 1984.

All of a sudden, Ms. Stanley’s name is called out (not by me) and I turned around and there she is walking down the sidewalk! I excitedly went over and talked to her and got some pictures taken. She was gracious and only a little tipsy but a good sport about the adoring fans.

After the Ms. Stanley happening dinner was in order and Chris wanted us to go for seafood at Fin’s Fishhouse. I opted for the North Carolina swordfish steak with broccoli and the best mac-n-cheese that I’ve had in my life. Everyone else’s meal was equally fantastic and included shrimp, scallops, mussels, oysters, clams and just about everything else under the sea. We were all so full from out meal that it was almost painful to walk the four blocks to the car. Needless to say, there was no late-night chit chat on the back porch, we all wanted to get in bed and be asleep as quickly as possible.

We’re off to a little bit of a late start, and thankfully it is not all my fault. After a little bit of sleeping in and some last minute packing my ride has arrived, complete with luggage already strapped to its roof. This caravan ain’t messin’ around. On board: Jeff, Kristal, Michael, Scott and Natalie. No one is traveling light for our 3-day excursion.

A brief detour: Rolling Pin Bakery in Bladensburg. After many of Kristal’s pining for cake I’m happy to finally learn where this bakery is located and also to go inside the store. It’s small inside, with views of the actual bakery in the back, and the staff is friendly and helpful. We pick up a yellow sheet cake they have (half-sheet) and ask them to write “Eat Me” on it. They oblige with a little giggle and even give us two exclamation points. Back on the road.

The playlist starts out with old disco, new Kylie and bubblegum pop remixes, which I’m enjoying but soon enough the iPod controls are hijacked to country songs that I don’t know but everyone else seems to be singing along with. And that’s fine, it’s all about the journey.

Our black boat arrives just shortly after Chris (who traveled separately with Lagerfeld, the big black dog) and after claiming sleeping rooms_I’m in the constellation room with skylights_we retire to the back porch for catch-ups and cosmos. And a big ole piece of that cake. I can’t imagine finishing that entire cake this weekend, but worse things have happened.

Next stop: happy hour at Aqua and Blue Moon.

But then… We skip Blue Moon and instead opt for dinner at Casa DiLeo which has delicious pizzas and we ordered enough to have a couple of boxes for takehome, which I’m sure will disappear as the weekend progresses.