July 7th, 2015

Destination? Milford, Delaware, Causey Mansion Bed & Breakfast, Small Town America has its Charm!! Southern Delaware

Not sure if you got stuck in one of the traffic jams this holiday week-end.  If you did, I feel your pain.  Some of us that live here year-round take a road trip to other towns in Southern Delaware, where life is a little more calm during these holiday week-ends.  My destination with my neighbor, Chris, was the town of Milford, Delaware, known as The Heart of Kent and Sussex.  It is just less than half hour from Rehoboth Beach going north.

Milford is a community with respect for its past and great promise for the future.  It is the gateway to Southern Delaware.

For some years, Downtown Milford has been going through a revitalization, which brings residential streets in small towns back to life.  It has coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants, and a Riverwalk.

The Mispillion Riverwalk is a greenway space that preserves the town’s waterfront.  Milford has over 2 centuries of shipbuilding.  At one point there were 7 shipyards, located along this walk.  And, between 1680 and 1927 they produced over 600 wooden sailing ships.

The displayed boat sculptures around town are all decorated with the theme of Milford’s “River town”, “Art Town”, “Home Town”.

The inspiration was the Augusta, a private yacht built in 1927 at Vinyard Shipyard.  In 2010 it was restored to its original beauty.

I grew up in a small town on the eastern side of the island of Puerto Rico.  Sundays were so quiet.  You could take a leisure stroll through the town and maybe not see a single person.  Sundays were days for worship and family time.  Arriving in Milford on Sunday brought back those memories of so many years ago.  So, I took the photos of a quiet Sunday in Milford.

CAUSEY MANSION BED & BREAKFAST

I remembered that a few years ago I stopped at this mansion to take some photos.  There was a “for sale” sign.  Well, let’s see what happened to this historic home.  First let me tell you a bit about this home.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The original part of the house was built in 1763.  The rest in 1865.  It was the former home of two Delaware governors.

The address is 1 Causey Avenue, Milford, DE 19963  Tel. 302-422-0979  Website?  http://www.causeymansion.com

Delaware is becoming the place to retire.  Among the many benefits of living in this small state is the fact that our property taxes are low.  Jan Broulik and Joe Phillips decided that moving from the Chevy Chase area to Milford was going to be just perfect.  They are the new owners of the Causey Mansion.  We met Jan who took us through the gardens and gave us a tour of this historic home. Later on we met Joe.  Please visit the above mentioned website for more information on the history of Causey Mansion, rates, and events happening at the Mansion.  You may also find Causey Mansion Bed & Breakfast on Facebook.

They moved in and then their work has been non stop.  Jan loves to work in the garden and he is laying all the stone in the property.  Causey Mansion is the perfect place for a wedding so they are making it just right for that special event in someone’s life.

The Boxwood is over 150 years old, from some of the rooms you can see them.

At the present time there are 4 rooms for rent.  They are spacious and with their own bathrooms.  Following are 3 of those rooms.

Every nook and cranny has a story, just like every piece of furniture has one, as well.  The majority of the furniture is French, Japanese, and some Italian.

The Grand Piano caught our attention.  It was a 1904 Steinway Grand Piano.  Jan picked the music, sat down, and began to play All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera.  He brought us to tears.  The sounds were amazing.  It was truly so beautiful and totally unexpected.

Causey Mansion is a Greek Revival, Georgian Style home.  Governor Peter Causey modified it to Greek Revival when he lived in this house from 1849 to 1871.  He served as Governor of the State of Delaware from 1855 until 1859.  It is still believed that he roams around the home.  He is a friendly ghost

There is a dining room with a big round table for easier conversation.

And a friendly kitchen area.

The Causey Mansion is about 5,000 square feet so you will feel comfortable and at ease in any room.

Jan and Joe are so easy to talk to.  They have immersed themselves in the community and are enjoying the fact that Milford is now their home!!  Please stop by to see all the work they are doing to this beautiful historic home.  If you feel like getting away from it all…..then, make a reservation!!

Thanks Jan and Joe for making our day!!

March 10th, 2014

Destination? Dolce, Bakery, Coffee Shop, Milford, Delaware, Winner of 2 First Places and One Second Place at The 2014 Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival!!

For some time my friend Debbie has been telling me to stop at Dolce on one of my road trips.  And, that’s exactly what I did the other day.  It was cold and gray as it has been practically all winter, so entering Dolce in the Downtown Milford brought a smile to my face.  Bakeries and coffee shops are a great combination.  This is a trip worth taking.  Only about 25 minutes or so north of Rehoboth Beach.

The heart and center of Milford is the Mispillion River which runs through the town.  Main Street is Walnut, and Dolce is located at 36 N. Walnut St., Milford, DE 19963.  Tel. 302-422-5760.  Website?  http://www.dolcebakery.com.  The bakery is open everyday, but closes on Sunday.  Their busiest day is Saturday.

The owners are Chuck Stanko and George Carroll.  Besides delicious baked goods which by the way are all made in house from scratch and without any trans-fats, they also offer soups accompanied with a home baked roll.  They also serve breakfast sandwiches, as well.  You can visit the above mentioned website to see what soup Dolce will be serving on the day that you might want to visit.

For customers, Dolce offers comfortable seating and free Wi-Fi.

Dolce entered the 2014 Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival and were awarded 2 First Places and one Second Place.  This is not the first time they have won.  It has happened year after year.

The Gooey Chocolate Cookie….you see it here on my plate.  It looks very simple, but once a bite is taken you will be hooked.  That cookie took the First Place on the Cookie Category by a Bakery.

Another First Place was their Stick in the Mud Brownie.  This chocolate brownie is topped with marshmallows and then topped with a chocolate ganache.

The new Philadelphia Butter Cake took the 2nd Place in the Bakery category.

It was great meeting Chuck and he graciously let me take photos.  Check the cupcakes.

The Cheesecakes!  And, Strawberry Granola Bars!

Other baked goods like the Bear Claw and Croissants looked so good!

I sipped my coffee which was exactly what I needed…a pick me upper late in the day.  I had to go but I will be back….Milford is one destination I am interested discovering further.

Dolce is open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.