My Little Car Takes Some of the Beach Home with Him

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It was our last day at the beach and I wanted it to last - I've never been good at leaving the beach, but this time, I felt more than ever that I would be back.

We made it to the beach by nine, and the morning is really the best time to relax on the beach. After setting up our chairs, we could sit in peace and quiet and watch the few lone fisherman guard their poles in their search for the perfect catch. At that time of day, the sunlight literally glitters on the water and the coolness in the air made us forget all about the previous day's humidity. The sand has fresh tracks from the lifeguard's trucks the night before, but they have yet to arrive, so the few families on the beach encourage their kids to be content with building sand castles or digging holes. I kept scanning the horizon, hoping to see dolphins, remembering back to all of the dolphin-spottings we had during previous years. Jess and I enjoyed two hours on the beach, mostly fly-free, until we had to check out.

We packed up the car, and I misplaced my beach badge, which caused a hasty search during the check out process (I did NOT want to pay the $35 fee for a lost beach badge!). I finally found it and we were on our way to breakfast. We thought we would try Cafe Bacio first, which hosted a s'mores evening the night before. It turns out they offer only dessert and coffee (and muffins), and we were looking for something heartier, so we went on our way. I would definitely head back there though to try some of their desserts (especially the s'mores!). We eventually parked by the Engleside Inn and attempted to find their restaurant, which it turns out is closed for lunch - you can eat at the bar by the pool, but who really wants to eat and watch other people you don't know swim by? So we wandered up to Long Beach Boulevard, and found Uncle Will's. It looked busy, but we figured we'd try our luck and we did manage to snag a table in the back. Although it's in the middle of a strip of stores, Uncle Will's has false windows along both sides of the restaurant, which is a little strange. Maybe not as strange at the papier mache pig that resides at a table in the front, but still strange. Pigs are the theme there, with a motorcycle hog on the cover of their menu, and pigs for placemats. We did have cow salt and pepper shakers, though I'm not sure how any of this relates to the Uncle Will's name.

I was surprised to learn that Uncle Will's had been a staple of LBI for about sixty-five years - I didn't really remember it, and I know I've never been there. I decided to forego my usual breakfast of French toast (my staple when dining out for breakfast), and I went for some watermelon, applesauce and a cinnamon bun. The waitress looked at me strangely, but we assumed it was because it's a weird combination of food. It turned out that it was actually because I had ordered almost half of a watermelon and a cinnamon bun about the size of my head! The watermelon was delicious and juicy though, so I enjoyed most of it and most of the cinnamon bun, as well as my fresh applesauce. That pretty much kept me from being hungry until about six o'clock though!

We decided we would walk off breakfast on the beach, as well as work on our training for the Avon Walk. We set off towards the Holgate end of the island, walking along the water's edge and managing to soak our shorts (good thing we were wearing our bathing suits still!). We privately scolded all the parents who left their little kids to play in the wild waves while they sat yards away in their beach chairs and we looked to avoid the odd jellyfish and fisherman. The shells were finally out on the beach, but unfortunately, they were all broken clam shells. I used to consider these the more boring of the shells, since they don't have an interesting shape. But when they are wet with seawater and glistening in the sun, the colors that are visible are really incredible. If you try to take them away from the beach, though, and keep these colors for yourself, the shells soon dry out and the colors fade. I always wished I could keep some of this magic of the beach at home with me, but it seems that it can only stay right there.

After our LONG walk, we decided that we would sit on the beach for a while, and do our last bits of shopping before we headed home. Since we had parked at probably the busiest part of the island, it was wall-to-wall people on the beach (so to speak). We managed to find a tiny piece of sand to accommodate my chair and Jess' towel and armed with our Italian ices, we proceeded to relax again for the next couple of hours. It really was idyllic, and I have perfected drowning out the noise around me and just focusing on the waves in front of me. This did get a little harder when the pouty teenager on the blanket next to us insisted on playing her iPod with speakers instead of headphones. I came very close to telling her that if I wanted to listen to music instead of the waves, I would have been sitting in my car. But I refrained, and tried instead to enjoy myself - and I did. All I need is a beach chair, a book, and the sand and ocean. I admitted to Jess that as a teenager, all I wanted to do when I grew up was move to the beach and become a writer. The moving to the beach part was definitely more important than the writing part, which I saw more as the best occupation to have at the beach. Maybe someday!

Finally, it was time to go. I tried not to take one last longing glance at the water as we headed to the car and packed the sandy chair into the trunk.

We headed out on our final stops of the trip - first destination, Country Kettle Fudge, the best fudge shop on earth - click on the fudge link and you can even get some for yourself! Jess thought that I was exaggerating when I said that it was the best fudge ever, until she walked inside. The smell of fudge hits you immediately and melts in your mouth. The shop is small, allowing for only a few customers at a time to come in and watch the fudge being made as they place their orders. With about fifteen flavors, there are a lot to choose from! I had a coupon, so I picked out the big box of eight flavors for my family, and made sure that three of them were Irish Cream - my absolute favorite. I also got heath bar, vanilla, chocolate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate marshmallow. Delicious. The experience was over all too quickly, and it was on to the Labrador Store, a relatively new shop on the island. I've never been, but since I love labs and so does Jess, we wanted to check it out. However, when we arrived, the door had a sign that said the owner would return at five. It was already four thirty, so we headed to another LBI staple, the Hands Store. They have literally everything there, and as I said to Jess, "If you're looking for a hideously ugly beach lamp, this is where you come." They really do have everything though, from boogie boards to kitchen supplies, to hardware to island tee shirts and other knicknacks, to our main reason for being there, calamine lotion for Jess. I also picked up the Sandpaper, the local LBI paper, always a good read.

After some time there, we once again tried to go to the Labrador store, which now had a sign that said the owner would be back at 5:20! Since we weren't prepared to wait another twenty minutes - especially if she only came back to change the sign yet again! - we decided it was time to leave the island. I tried to soak it all in as we drove up the boulevard to the causeway, passing all the familiar places we had gone as kids - the Haymarket, the Wicker store, the movie theater by the Acme, Howards Restaurant, and so many more. Each of them holds memories for me, and it's strange how just a passing glance at somewhere from your past can bring it right back.

But even with all of the memories, or maybe because of them, we had a great (albeit short) trip. I think it was the first time either of us had really relaxed in a while and it was nice to be somewhere that we were forced to slow down and enjoy our surroundings. I will absolutely be back. And hey, my little car brought most of the beach back with us in the trunk anyway!

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Photos

Not my bicycle
But apparently, it's the only way to ride - maybe next time, we'll rent some!

Comments

[Stephen Paul]

I didnt know!
Where are all the cities, freeways and Chemical Factories? I didn't know New Jersey was so beautiful, its about time someone started spreading the news! :)