It is February and my thoughts turn to love.  Hey– it’s either love or the prospect of six more weeks of winter. I choose love.

  I got so excited when I realized how many true romances are right here on our little island. I have four Valentines for you. In each case, an islander found their true love by being in the right Cape May haunt at the right time.

  Our first story is about Cape May City Councilman David Craig. The Craig family owns the prestigious Washington Inn Restaurant, Cape May Winery, the former Pelican Club, and the soon to be opened Lucky Bones Restaurant, located across from the Lobster House Restaurant.

  David says he met his wife Kristen at the Ugly Mug. “I saw her sitting at the bar drinking a glass of red wine and I was intrigued by anyone who would drink red wine at the Ugly Mug. That was Labor Day weekend 1998.”

  David, I must tell you, is a wine connoisseur. The Washington Inn has one of the best wine cellars in South Jersey and, guess what – they make wine at the Cape May Winery– hence the curiosity about Kristen’s choice of wine in a place that, traditionally caters more to the beer crowd.

  One year later, they were married. October 2^nd, 1999 right here in Cape May at the Episcopal Church of the Advent by the Rev. Jim Fisher. One year after that – October 11^th, 2000 – their first son Zeke was born. Two more mini-Craigs have followed – 3-year-old Matthew and Baby Caroline who is six months old. David? Please. Details, details. I have to call this man’s wife.

  Kristen couldn’t have been nicer and agreed, they really did have a whirlwind romance. But, after thinking for few minutes she came up with some swell details. Kristen, a native of Upstate New York, worked for a pharmaceutical company in Narberth at the time. “My sister and dad and I came down for a vacation,” she said. “One night my sister made me go out even though I didn’t want to. We ended up at the Ugly Mug. David came over and introduced himself. He was a real gentleman and a nice guy.”

  For their first date, they went walking on the beach. “We dated for five months,” said Kristen, “when he proposed.”

  Now hold on. Before you start ahhhing, the details of the proposal will just bowl you over– “We had dinner at the Ugly Mug,” she said, “And then, as we usually do, we went into the Fudge Kitchen for a special treat. I bought a bag of chocolate covered almonds. David took the bag from the clerk and slipped the ring inside. When I opened the bag, I saw the ring, and I thought ‘Oh my gawd…that girl lost her diamond ring. Don’t they wear gloves?’ “

  It didn’t take too much longer for it to register that the ring was intended for her finger and yes they do wear gloves. David took her out on the bench in front of the Fudge Kitchen, got down on one knee and proposed right there with the “fudge sample” person as witness. Hey, I just did the math. Five months later would be February. Down on his knees in February?  Now that’s chivalry as it was intended to be.

  And how was the transition from suburban life to resort life for her? “It was a transition but I love Cape May. It’s a great place to raise children and David is a really positive person and really nice guy. We’re very lucky. I just think you know when the right one comes along.”

  Their favorite romantic spot? “The Washington Inn,” said David, “No,” he said noticing my scoffing glance. “Kristen really likes dining there.” And David really loves the family discount. You know what they do to remind themselves of that special evening at the Fudge Kitchen? Whenever they’re on the mall having dinner, the Craigs, big and small, stop in at the Fudge Kitchen for “special treat.”  OK everybody all together now – Ahhhh. That’s so sweet.

There's more.

  Our second story is about Cape May Jazz Festival director and newlywed Bernadette Matthews. Bernadette was living outside of Philadelphia and working as a computer specialist for IBM. She used to attend the Jazz Festivals regularly with her husband, KYW newscaster Brahin Ahmaddiya. When Brahin died suddenly of a heart attack in 2000, she didn’t come down for a couple of years but the lure of jazz brought her back to Cape May.

  “I decided I wanted to do some volunteer work for the November 2002 Jazz Festival,” she said, “They put me to work on the operations committee and Danny Matthews was on that committee. One night while we were both working the venue at Convention Hall and listening to Herbie Mann, we started chatting.”

  And chatting and chatting. Danny, a Cape May local, offered to escort Bernadette around to the other jazz venues as well as to the social parties afterwards. One of Danny’s jobs at the Jazz Festival is to chauffeur Jazz Fest co-founder Woody Woodland as he visits the artists playing around town. Danny invited Bernadette to come along so they could continue chatting.

  Well, I don’t know how well you know small town life, but the rule is:
if you’re seen twice in public, you’re officially an item. Bernadette and Danny were inseparable that weekend and looked so natural together, that people started asking about “Danny’s new girl.”

  “When they called me Danny‘s new girl, neither Danny nor I corrected them.”  Fast forward please. “He asked me to marry him a year ago at our favorite place – Sunset Beach. It was just before the fall Jazz Festival – 2004.” But she would have to give up her job with IBM. What to do? As luck would have it - and let’s face it, when it’s in the stars Lady Luck is always there to help - an opening for the position of director of the Jazz Festival became available. Fast forward again please to October 14^th, 2005, a few weeks before the fall Jazz Festival – that’s the day they tied the knot. Honeymoon? Right here in Cape May. Where else?

  “Ah Cape May is for lovers,” says Bernadette, “the warm, salty air, the beautiful waters…the whole atmosphere here” is so romantic “and the people are so friendly you just want to call Cape May home and now I do.”

  Their favorite romantic spot? Well, Sunset Beach of course but Danny and Bernadette also like to pack a picnic basket and walk out to Cape May Point State Park to the picnic benches where they can enjoy the birds, the lighthouse, the water and each other.

  Our third story is a true Cape May romance all the way around. Vickie and David Tryon first met when Miss Vickie was a waitress at the Ocean Deck Restaurant (now Henry’s) on the promenade. David was a cook, you know, back in the kitchen. Vickie was 22. David was 21. I guess he likes older women. They started a lovely summer romance and dated until fall when it was time for Vickie to go back to college. They always remained friends and still saw each other every summer when Vickie returned but they went their separate ways, romantically speaking. Both David and Vickie married – other people.

  They kind of lost touch for a few years. David divorced and was working in Connecticut but still coming back to Cape May to visit his parents when Vickie became a divorcee. Not long after the divorce was final, like maybe three days, Miss Vickie put a call into David’s mom and asked her what David was up to and where he was hanging his hat these days. David's mom gave Vickie his home phone number and suggested she call him NOW. She did and the next weekend David was at Vickie’s door.

  “Well,” he said when she opened the door, “are you going to marry me this time?”

  “Yes, I just don’t know when,” was her answer.

  While they were courting, they spent a lot of time at the Washington Inn. “We found it was a place where we could be at ease with each other.

  Five years later David showed up at her door, 18-years after their summer romance, David and Vickie were married in a backyard ceremony with the Rev. Robert Davis officiating and 250 people in attendance. They marked their 10^th anniversary this past August.

  “Actually,” said Vickie, “David was my only summer romance. He gave me my engagement ring at the Old Shire Tavern (formally located on the Washington Street Mall in the 300 block) I’m an avid gardener and he handed me a little statue of a cupid holding a basket of flowers. Inside the basket was the engagement ring.”

  Ahhhhh.

  Their favorite romantic spot? The Washington Inn and the Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel are at the top of the list, but the Peter Shields Inn is a particular favorite. They celebrate their anniversary there each year. They insist on being seated out on the porch and they don’t mind if a thunderstorm or two intrudes on their romantic dinner.