Who does he think he’s kidding? He still looks like a bug and not a stick!

And, just when we thought the cicadas had given up all hope of finding their perfect mate, they’ve taken up their chorus again. It’s been colder here with 50s and a few 60s during the day, dropping into the mid 40s at night. Too cold for them. For the past two days we’ve had a spell of Indian Summer with temps in the mid 70s! The warm weather rejuvenated them, but I fear not for long.

I should have done this post right after we went to the Shore which was two weeks ago, so here it is.

Yes, I know. We left our trip to the shore a bit late in the year. Of course you’re supposed to go in season. We just didn’t make it for whatever reason. It was drizzling rain here when we left but the weather forecast for where we were headed was overcast with only a 30% chance of rain. Our destination goal was Point Pleasant. From nearly everyone we had talked to, Point Pleasant was the closest typical boardwalk experience within striking distance of our house.

It rained a bit on the way down and the roads were wet, making for a messy drive on the Garden State Parkway. The traffic wasn’t too bad and it took us about two hours. We headed for Jenkinson’s Boardwalk on Point Pleasant Beach. We were hungry, so we wanted to eat first before exploring. The guidebooks pointed us to Spike’s Seafood, an unassuming little fish market with a restaurant. Inside it was a tiny place, mostly taken up by the fish counter teeming with freshly caught fish of all kinds, with some wooden tables. We were the only ones there except for one couple when we first got there, but it was only 11:30.

We ordered off the Daily Specials menu even though they are known for their Lobster Rolls (chunks of lobster on a hot dog bun drizzled with hot butter). We had an appetizer of Garlic Clams which was good but didn’t really *WOW* us. Rick ordered Crab Stuffed Shrimp and I had the Cod with Tomatoes & Capers. Both were excelllent. The place filled up fast as we ate our meal, and many people came in just to buy fish at the counter. It was obvious that many were locals and most people were ordering huge mugs of chowder followed by the popular Lobster Rolls. Maybe next time we’ll try those. Lobster is not my favorite thing though. Too rich for this gal.

On to the boardwalk! We parked (not a problem at this time of year—parking lots were empty!) and started up the boardwalk. We happened to park on the far end where most of the houses were, so we got to enjoy looking at the empty beach on one side and many interesting houses on the other. Privacy is not important, obviously. Neither is landscaping since yards are made of sand. Some people chose to make little oases in between their house and the neighbor’s. Some houses were gorgeous, while others looked like poor little cousins. It must be a very lively environment in season and I can certainly see the appeal of being right on the beach. Here are is an example of a “street” right off the boardwalk and someone’s idea of an oasis.

After a short stroll we found ourselves at the real reason we came: Jenkinson’s Boardwalk. It was very quiet for a weekend. We can only imagine how busy it was in the summer season. If you’ve never been to a boardwalk before, just imagine a carnival atmosphere with arcades inviting you to try your luck at their game [of course, chances are slim you will ever win one of those prizes], candy shops selling salt water taffy and all kinds of sweet treats, restaurants of all kinds with all the junk food you could ever want, a small amusement park for the kiddies, and much more. We indulged in some wonderful ice cream that was smooth as butter, and just as deadly! Here is what it looked like.

We spent about an hour walking around and then headed back to our car before our parking meter ran out. It was interesting, but I think I’d like to see it in full swing. But then again, on a cloudy September day it still had lots of charm, just a different kind.

On the trip home we drove up the shore as best we could, goggling at the size of some of the mansions along the way. We drove through Spring Lake [wow, the houses—ritzy!], Belmar, Avon-by-the-Sea, Bradley Beach [all lovely] and unfortunately Asbury Park [very ugly]. Once on the GSParkway again the traffic was very heavy. Not my kind of driving, but it doesn’t bother Rick at all. It’s at times like those that we realize how densely populated NJ really is.

Next time I’d like to visit some of the lighthouses, such as Sandy Hook, Twin Lighthouses, and Sea Girt. So much to explore!

Finally our trees are starting to show some color. They are slower than the other trees around town! Taken bright and early this morning.

Life is never dull for long. Yesterday I got back from taking Mom home. I let the dogs out of their basement room. One look at Daisy and I knew something wasn’t quite right. Her face and nose were all swollen up on one side. This had happened to Bart the day before too and I had given him some Benadryl thinking it was an allergic reaction to either a bug bite or possibly poison ivy. His went away. Daisy’s didn’t, so this afternoon she is going to the vet. I think it’s infected; she won’t let me touch it to take a really close look but I can’t see anything.

Also yesterday after I got home from taking Bart to the vet (he has a urinary tract infection) there was a message from Rick saying that the Suburban was not running right and OnStar was trying to direct him to a Chevy dealer. Great. What now? We’ve never had a bit of trouble from the Sub. Turns out that the squirrels where he parks at work have been busy chewing through the wiring harness! So, I had to go and pick him up. They should have the new wiring harness in by this afternoon.

All this on top of not feeling very well; swollen glands in my throat, sneezing, etc. All the symptoms of a head cold or bug. So, I’m going to try and relax now until Daisy’s vet appointment. I have some posts to catch up on but I can’t concentrate on writing them right now, so stay tuned for Manhattan Momma, A Shore Thing, and Pick Me!

Update: Daisy got a big shot of Benadryl and something else for the reaction. The vet found a spot on the inside of her mouth that looked like it could have been a bite or sting. She was running a little fever as well, poor Do. I hope this makes her more comfortable.

Recently we revamped our wall in the kitchen where we’ve created a hearth room effect instead of having a kitchen table. I took our certificates that we earned at cooking schools while in France and a couple of menus, bought frames for them and did my own “ready-made” framing job. We tried a few different wall colors from Benjamin Moore, but couldn’t quite find the right shade. I got some samples from Lowe’s and we ended up with Del Coronado Amber from the National Trust Collection of paints.

It’s known as our “Wall of Fame” because we have certificates from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and Sylvie Lallemand’s Provençal cooking school in Gordes where we went several times. It also includes an autographed menu from Paul Bocuse, and another menu from one of our favorite restaurants, Le Cep, in the Beaujolais wine region.

Here is the wall in before and after mode.