Tag Archives: Sandy Hook

I Love The Dead

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Today was another beach day and another excellent day. Today it was Annemarie and myself along with our nieces Hillary and Cassie, our brother Brian and his wife Karen’s girls. They have a son also who was working and couldn’t make it. It was another gorgeous day with temperatures in the upper 80 degree range and the ocean temperature was about 76 degrees. Annemarie has been staying in Saddle Brook and this morning drove up further into Bergen County to pick up the girls while I waited in Hoboken. There was traffic and things started a bit later than we had planned.

It was all good though, I was sitting on the stoop as they pulled up. Cassie was in the front seat not willing to give it up. I rarely pull rank but this morning I had to. I am an adult, much older than Cassie and therefore she had to sit in the backseat while I took the front seat. Though the car manual says there is an adapter for an iPod or some other device, there was no adapter so last night I made a few CD’s for the drive down the Jersey shore and I think they went down well.

An uneventful ride to Sandy Hook, no need to stop off for food or snacks or sun block since we got what we needed yesterday and also made food to bring down. It was a tight schedule since Cassie had to be back home by 6:00 this evening. The ocean was like bathwater once again, we all went in except for Cassie who just stood at the waterline. We tried talking her into jumping in with us but she was not having it and would rather see us frolic in the water. To each their own, so we frolicked.

The time flew by as we had fun and huddled under the umbrella and before we wanted to, we had to head home. There was no time for an ice cream stop which turned out to be the smart idea since we hit bumper to bumper traffic on the way home. We made it just a few minutes past 6:00 which was just fine. There was Brian and Karen waiting for Cassie. Hillary being 20 years old does her own thing lately. Whatever functions they had to attend was their own business and Annemarie and I were back on Route 17 headed south.

We were both pretty hungry and decided on pizza once we got to Hobkoen. Being in a car meant parking would be a problem but I remembered a coal oven pizzeria across from Julio & Stine’s place. Since we were so close I invited Julio to join us, he’s going to Denmark tomorrow. But Julio was stuck at work, needing to stay longer than he liked. We sat outside on the sidewalk and enjoyed a so-so pizza near a mockingbird’s nest with newly hatched mockingbirds making noises while mama flew around looking for food.

Now I’m home, and that’s about it. Tomorrow won’t be a beach day. We’re heading into the city to have dinner with a friend of Annemarie and her husband Rex. Instead we will probably check out some galleries in Chelsea and maybe check out the latest Woody Allen movie. It seems fitting since Annemarie and I saw a few Woody Allen movies back in the day when we were both living in Lodi. Tomorrow would make it extra special since it would be the first time we’d be seeing a Woody Allen movie in Manhattan. Who cares that it takes place in Rome?




Hillary, Me, Annemarie and Cassie


Sky-Larking

I Love That Man

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This has been the best Monday in a long time. It started out with me getting up with the alarm clock again, about an hour after Bill left for the day. The goodbye kiss and Bill telling me to have a good day at the beach with Annemarie was a very nice send off. I got up, made some coffee and poured a bowl of cereal and stepped into the shower. After the shower and the cereal and the coffee I was applying sun block that expired last year. I didn’t think anything of it as I checked the emails.

I met Annemarie on the street as she pulled up and after an errand or two we were on the road to Sandy Hook once again. I hadn’t seen Annemarie in a year and since she came in yesterday we talked a few times in the past 24 hours. It was just us two going to the beach, we wanted some time alone, time to catch up. I was fine with that. No music on the way down the shore, just us talking. A short stop at Foodtown on Route 36 and soon we were looking at the majestic ocean.

We asked at the entrance to Gateway National Park if there was a pass we could buy for the week and the park ranger said no. Annemarie mentioned that we would be fine with the daily pass (which went up $5.00 from last year) since she was on vacation from California. The park ranger then waved us through without having to pay which was awfully nice of him. As usual we drove to the farthest beach from everything. Less people basically means easier parking. We unloaded everything and carried it as we strolled towards the sands, finding a spot between life guard stations.

We settled in under an umbrella and ate some food before jumping into the water. It was warmish at first, the temperatures posted were between 75 and 78 degrees which made it very comforting. After that it was more lounging under the umbrella just having a real good time. I told Annemarie that I was a lucky guy. I have got good friends and a loving family and some people do not have that. I am humbled and grateful by my family and my friends. And I am fortunate to have a good friend as well as family in my sister Annemarie.

She really is the best and my favorite sister. It’s safe to say that since Annemarie is my only sister. After a few hours at the beach and another dip in the ocean we headed back to civilization. We drove to Rumson and went to Crazee’s Ice Cream Parlor and enjoyed ice cream cones before jumping onto the Garden State Parkway and then the Turnpike. We had dinner in Hoboken at Mamoun’s Falafel followed by a stroll through Hoboken. Now she is back in Saddle Brook, I am in Hoboken with my loving spouse, Bill. Back to the beach tomorrow!




"then she jumped on a Caterpillar bulldozer, causing mayhem in Hoboken...!"


Lazy Day