Down the shore

There is a time warp surrounding the island of Ocean City, New Jersey.  Crossing over the bridge puts you on a clock that runs more slowly, allowing you to enjoy days that seem to go on forever.  Oh, I know you won’t find that in any encyclopedia.  It’s a secret well-kept by those of us who have discovered the magic of a great beach vacation.

We’ve been here less than two days, and it feels like we’ve been here months.  Walking on the beach at all hours, reading on the porch, moseying up the boardwalk, leisurely meals, catching waves on the boogie board (that’s PJ, Emily, and Pat’s thing, not mine) and doing whatever you want whenever you want all just while away the time.  This is, indeed, the life.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and took no time to move in.  PJ, Emily, and I took our very first walk on the beach within a couple of hours of arrival.  Dinner was a traditional seafood feast (take-out), and evening brought another beach walk and our first round of games around the dining room table.

Pat and I took a long trek up the beach after the kids went to bed and had lots of time to catch up – to talk about work and about life in general.  I managed to trip multiple times and land sitting on the sand in one of the many unseen holes left by beachgoers and tides.  Perhaps I should eat carrots!

On Sunday, we were up and out to the beach by 9 am.  As you can tell, I’m more of a beach-walker than a beach-sitter, so I went for an hour walk leaving the rest of the family to play in the water and lounge on the beach.  I spent the latter part of the morning reading on the porch (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince re-read; the movie comes out in a couple of weeks).  The family came up for a pizza lunch.

After hanging out for a bit, we went up the boardwalk to buy boogie boards (Emily’s first!) and a beach umbrella so I can lounge on the beach later this week.  PJ and I chatted about how much fun it is to be on vacation when you can do whatever you want.  PJ and I hung out watching TV and reading while Lisa, Pat, and Emily ran to get corn for dinner.

Emily crashed for a nap, and I did a little bit of the same while PJ, Pat, and Lisa went back to the beach to try out the boogie board.  PJ took a bit of a tumble under a wave, but I think he’ll get back out there even though he threatens that he won’t.

Dinner was another feast – this time a feast of barbeque ribs, corn-on-the-cob, and cucumber salad – yum.  To top it off, we walked over to Aunt Betty’s for ice cream.  Messy, but delicious!  Yum again!

Watching a PBS documentary on life on the bottom of the ocean occupied the latter part of the evening.  The Lombardozzi family obviously loves these kinds of shows, and we learned a lot about cool underwater creatures.  A great lazy end to a great busy day.

Down the Shore