And *Some* of the Rest...

Day 2, Sunday, was phenominally busy.  Somehow we managed to cram breakfast out, a boardwalk jaunt in a surrey with a yellow top, a visit to the playground, time on the beach, Sammi's first ride on a rollercoaster, and dinner with my folks into about 12 hours.  Bearing in mind that anything involving the word "beach" also involves showers, hair washing and hair drying, never a terribly quick process for either Samantha or myself. 

The high season here doesn't begin until next week, when the New Jersey school system lets out for the summer.  As such, many businesses still are not open during the week.  Frustrating, but understandable, given the lack of people wandering around here.  But Sunday, as part of the weekend, was still pretty well-populated by visitors, and most doors to food and entertainment were open.  The little bike shop, with its red and yellow surreys lined up along the wall outside, was open, as it had been 2 years ago when we were here in the off-season before.  And 8:20 in the morning is an excellent time for a ride on the boardwalk, jockying for space only with dog walkers and runners, the sun not so high yet and the temperature still tolerable.

 

Samantha still fit comfortably in the basket at the front, and when she tired of that and wanted to join us on the bench, she sat still, crossing her ankles to keep her feet away from the pedals while we worked to propel forward.  1 hour was plenty of time for an enjoyable ride, and after returning it to the shop, we went for a drive to the playground in town.  After playground, we hit the beach, noting that, while crowded, there were none of the drunk students from the day before, and we could play without fear of getting beaned by a football.  The water was (relatively) warm, which in my mind just means that after getting over the initial shock and lowering my body temperature to match, I found it very pleasant.  Samantha loves playing in the waves, being held by me as I jump over the breakers rolling towards us.  And more than anything, she loves just sitting in the sand and digging, placing dirt into a bucket, leveling it off, dumping it out into the shape of a tower, knocking the tower over, and beginning the process again.  But do note, if you ever build something you are proud of, be it tower of sand, blocks, sticks, cards, whatever, nothing is sacred to her, and it will not last long.

After showers, we took advantage of the still-weekend-only hours at a local children's ride "pier."  It's not really a pier, and is in the center of town next to Fish Alley, on the bay, where local fishermen bring in their catches, but it's got lots of rides for little kids, including a mini-rollercoaster.  The ticket prices were exorbitant, the rides way too short, and our time there, blowing through $20 in about 20 minutes, was extremely disappointing, but Samantha enjoyed the rides (most of which I had to ride with her), and was a real rock star on the rollercoaster, this being her first time on one.

Monday was our last beach day, the sun poking through just long enough to give me a painful sunburn, before poor weather arrived to mar the next 2 days.  50-block only works when the wind doesn't blow the spray away before it can touch your skin.  I don't actually remember what else we did on Monday.  I don't think it was all that much, although my parents came by to take Samantha out to dinner while Steve and I went out on our own for a few hours.

Tuesday, which included a day of fun visitors, will be for another post.  I've rabbited on too much here already, and suspect I can hear you snoring...