BEACH WEEK! LONG BEACH ISLAND PT.2

Read A House With A View: Long Beach Island Part 1 here.

We wake up on our first full day in Long Beach Island to abundant sunshine.
After breakfast, we grab our chairs and umbrellas and head to the beach.
It's a little breezier than I'd like, but tolerable, and we manage to stay till about 3pm. 
The great thing about a house right on the ocean
is that even when you leave the beach, you're still there. 
Heaven, I tell you. 

For dinner, we're in the mood for seafood, 
and settle on Harvey Cedars Shellfish Company, named for the town it's in.
After putting our name on a wait list,
Mr. Goo Shoes decides that for the rest of the week,
the name he will give is Mr. Harvey Cedars.
We're doubled-over with laughter at our cleverness,
although it's hardly likely that we're the first to think of this.

After our meal of soft-shell crabs and swordfish,
I scare the crap out of Mr. GS, when I yell,
"Make a right turn here!"
My direction leads us to the bay beach,
and we are rewarded with a perfect sunset.

We decide to sleep with the windows open 
and be lulled into slumber by the sound of the waves,
but the ocean is just too darn loud.
And to think we used to fall asleep to the roar of cars, buses
and garbage trucks when we lived in New York City.
The windows are shut tight, and the AC goes back on.

I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. on Day 2, to get up and walk on the beach.
At 10:15 a.m., I drag my weary butt out of bed.

After spending another sunny, breezy day on the beach,  
the big decision of the day is where to eat dinner.
We feel like something casual, and opt for a seafood shack.
My steamed lobster is very good,
but Mr. GS' lobster roll is a bit skimpy.
It's the side order of about nine french fries for $5.99 
that is enough to make us cross this place off our list for good.

My alarm is set for 5:30 a.m., as I'm determined to see a sunrise over the ocean.
Somehow, I manage to wake up without the alarm.
As I step out onto the deck in my bathrobe, I'm overwhelmed. 

I've seen endless sunsets in my time,
but comparatively, relatively few sunrises;
fewer still, over the ocean.
I feel such a strong sense of awe, and almost feel moved to tears.
Whoa, didn't expect that reaction.
I stay up way longer than I planned to, snapping tons of photos.
Finally sated with bright orange skies,
I go back to bed.

The good news is, it's another sunny day;
the bad news is -- it's really windy.
Mr. GS manages to anchor our umbrella into the sand,
but I'm paranoid that it will pull out 
and clank the people down wind from us, on their heads.
 I hold on to it for insurance purposes the whole day. 
Watching a guy unsuccessfully try to open his umbrella, 
as it turns inside out and outside in,
is comical enough to make us laugh about it the rest of the week.
Beach entertainment is free, folks. 

Finally, the wind dies down around 4:00p.m., and it is absolutely glorious on the beach.

We decide to forego the restaurants tonight, July 4th, 
as they will surely be jammed prior to the fireworks down in Beach Haven.
We have a great dinner on our deck.......
fresh Jersey tomatoes, cheese, crusty bread, a refreshing bottle of rose,
and what may be the best chicken salad I've ever had, 
from a deli in Harvey Cedars.

For dessert, we sit on the beach, 
 devouring the hues of pinks and lilacs, as sunset falls.
Oh, yeah, and the incredible humongous donuts from the market 
that were marked down to 50 cents apiece at the end of the day.

As darkness falls, fireworks are launched all over the beach,
and we've got front-row seats.
It's a perfect July 4th. 

The weather pattern has changed, and not for the best.
It's three days of clouds and drizzle.
There are only so many ways to pass the time.

We take a ride down to the southern end of the island,
reminiscing about places we went when Junior GS was young.
 "Oh, there's the mini golf place where JGS got a hole in one when he was five."

We take a ride to the northern end of the island.
"Remember when I climbed to the top of the lighthouse with JGS?"



We go to historic Viking Village, 
a small shopping area at the fishing docks in Barnegat Light.

We eat. 
And eat. 

One meal is downright awful........
yep, that would be the burger place with "excellent/very good" reviews,
promising the "best" burgers on the island.
The "best" part is that it doesn't rain while we're eating outside.

As a make-good, on our last night in LBI,
we go to an excellent restaurant called Bisque.
It's the second restaurant this week 
where we've forgotten to BOOB (Bring Our Own Bottle),
so we order a Pinot Grigio from a local vineyard that is quite good.
The restaurant offers a lobster soup of its namesake,
and it is outstanding.....perhaps the best thing we eat all week. 

 When we get back to the house, it's time to pack.
Had the weather been better the last three days, 
I'd probably be sad to leave, but I'm ready to go home. 
I'd like to figure out how to take that view home with me,  
other than just on my camera's memory card.

In the morning, a glorious beach day sticks it's tongue out at us,
saying, "Oh, so sorry you can't stay, now that the sun is shining." 😜
We load up the car, and head out on the highway,
with exit 63 fading quickly in the rear view mirror.

 You may also like:

Our House On The Beach: Long Beach Island Part 1

 

Long Beach Island 2012

RESOURCES:

Harvey Cedars Shellfish Company

Neptune Market 
Bisque 
Working Dog Winery

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