In a lot of ways, our 4-day getaway was a study in irony. There was the weather, for one thing: a day of fog, followed by a day of cold rain, followed by a day of cold sun, and culminating in a single, lovely 68-degree sunny day right when we were ready to check out. Rumor has it today will be a balmy 74 degrees there, but why dwell, right? Right.
And then there was my reading material. While surviving on Boardwalk food, which I will freely admit I enjoyed wholeheartedly, I was deep in the pages of A Homemade Life. Molly Wizenberg‘s ideal supper is a salad thrown together from in-season greens she keeps on-hand in her refrigerator, a chunk of artisan bread, some fancy cheese. I read about these culinary delights while scarfing down hot dogs. Delicious, fresh off the grill, hot dogs, made with who-knows-what.
When I finished A Homemade Life, I wandered over to the boardwalk bookstore and picked up a copy of Animal Vegetable Miracle. When I first discovered some of my favorite bloggers a few years ago, they were all reading this book. I’d had it in the back of my mind to read it sometime, too, but knowing how I spend most of the time that I would be reading books, online reading blogs instead, well, it never made it to my wish list. But we still had a day and a half of our getaway left, and I was enjoying a little beach blanket reading, so I picked up a copy. And while Barbara Kingsolver and family were fleeing Arizona and it’s fossil-fuel-heavy foods, I was having my way with of a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Irony.
The good news is that we did get 6 hours or so, after we checked out of the hotel, to be beach bums and enjoy the sun. The breeze off the water was deceptively chilly, though, and by the time I remembered the sunblock, it was too little too late. The sun had already had its way with us and left us looking less like sun-kissed weekenders, and more like dumb people who tempted fate until they were crispy.
Of course, we’re still glad we went, and we will still do it again next year! I’m actually planning on winning the lottery so we can get ourselves a summer place at the beach. Wish me luck. Heh.
I don’t know which is more beautiful.. the ocean view or your quilt! Glad you took it with 🙂
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So glad you got at least one day in the sun and got to use your blanket for it’s intended use. I’m like you with reading. Often the time you have for reading health books is on holidays. Oh, well, hopefully you’ve come inspired to eat more healthily.
Libby
Hi Lisa,
I’m glad to hear that you and your family were finally able to enjoy some sun at the shore. Looking at your photos made me SO nostalgic for our time spent there. I’m going to Nantucket in a couple of weeks so that will have to satisfy my shore longings.
I hope that you enjoyed A Homemade Life as much as I did. I chuckled at your hot dog! Thanks for the recommendation about Barbara Kingsolver’s book. I read several of her books years ago and enjoyed her writing.
Your blanket looks beautiful on the beach!
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love the sunkissed look. wishing you luck on the lottery and a memory to bring me along!)
Hi. I enjoyed reading your blog at the shore. We lived in Gillette NJ all our lives and moved to Apache Junction AZ 6 years ago. I just had a long visit there and mom and I went to AC to sit on the beach and boardwalk. She owns Hillview Farms in Meyersville. Your buttons are beautiful. Our son married Justine from Angelfire Studios in Basking Ridge. Her yarns are beautiful. We did have a summer home in Mystic Islands, NJ where relaxing was wonderful. Thank you. Barb
So nice to meet you, Barb! I just bought eggs and romaine lettuce from Hillview Farms this week! And I’ve been to Angelfire Studios many times, too. It’s always fun to hear from people with local connections, and it sounds like yours run pretty deep.