Northern Neck of Virginia- "the rivah"

is this really "somewhere over the rainbow"?

A land where docks are as common as garages around here!

unparalleled natural beauty everywhere you look!

it is like being in a resort- always on vacation- but without the crowds!

tons of "creeks" coming off the large rivers in the area making natural inlets for the many homes

marinas abound

view from the end of a creek into the large river ahead!

private sandy beaches -very few public ones

croquet games are  a major past time

standard breakfast fare- gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs and fresh from the bay fried oysters!
Oh - and maybe a little OJ to add a tiny touch of healthy vitamins to the meal!

view across the "rivah"

natural flora and fauna on the water

view of the Corrotomin River - still lots of property available here to build on-

Locals with summer places down here call it "going to the rivah".

The Northern Neck of Virginia is the north east section that is surrounded  by the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.  Known world wide for Chesapeake Bay oysters, the area  is home to many  commercial fishing venues.  As we drove in to a cute little town called Urbana to try to find my husbands Uncle William's place ( a place where he spent many days in his youth fishing the day away!), we drove down a street that looked familiar to him.  We got out of the car and walked down to the water to try to find a pier that he remembered from years ago and a rainbow appeared over the water!  Now I am not a particularly superstitious person, but that did seem like a "sign " to me.  While we never found his uncle's cabin, we did find an adorable cute town.  It seems that the old cabins from the 50's and 60's have been replaced with gorgeous new homes and the little town now has "bistros", gourmet food shops and the original drug store from long ago!  There are very few national chains in this part of Virginia - the first Walmart just arrived a few months ago and was fought by the locals for over 10 years!    Driving on down Va.3,  we went to Kilmarnock and Irvington. We stayed at the Tides Inn, an old hotel that was built in the forties.  We had one of the best dinners of our lives at "Trick Dog", a bistro in Irvington- where the chef really knows how to cook oysters and crab!   Getting to "real shopping" is an hour and fifteen minute drive to Richmond or Williamsburg,  but maybe its worth it to live in an area where you are "on vacation" all the time.  Lots of decisions to make about where we will  retire!  Mountains or Rivah?