hey everyone--we have nothing exciting to report so this will be a short one, but we wanted to say hello. We have both been so busy with work this week! Pretty much everything else has just been put on hold. We are really looking forward to the long weekend thats just 2 short days away now.
Fall seems to be coming faster here this year than last. Its still really nice weather, but the mornings and evenings are brisk.
Well, told you this is short. Hope everyone is doing well! More to report after the weekend away. We don't have any real plans--maybe an overnight trip with John and Li.
:-)
In my b.t. days (before Tom) many of you know that I had as my most prized possession, a 1977 VW Westfalia bus complete with stove, sink, fridge and slept 4. The fact that it needed a serious paint job and getting it to start required a serious pre-key turn prayer didn't matter to me... I loved it. But alas, I lived in Seattle and while these are common modes of transportation in Seattle... its so not a beach lifestyle and my bus was not used for its true purpose: surf bus.
Now, here on the East Coast, the vw busses are not so common; the rusty conditions overpower them, but oh how much I would love to have mine back, and here. Why you ask??
For my newest sport: SUP! Stand Up Paddle!! Its related to Surfing in a more movie-stars-are-doing-it and I-can-pick-it-up-pretty-easily-kind-of-way. Its really big on the West Coast and in Hawaii and I have been dying to try it out out here. I found a surf shop that demo'd them for free so Lisa and I picked it up Saturday am and spent a good part of the day on the water. At one point, Lisa stood on her kayak and we both "sup'd" all over the area near our marina. We mainly stayed in flat water and even with a random wake now and then from a boat, managed to stay up right the entire time. Its a great core workout and so much fun--I like it far better than kayaking. A few more times on flat water and then I think I will be up for trying it in some small waves in the ocean.
Tom took pics from the boat and due to the awkwardness of learning the right position and therefore the sometimes less than flattering body shots, only a few are posted. More to come. :-)
Other pics from the weekend too!
*frank, tom, ollie and di on john and lisa's little boat at Treasure Island, di on a sweet beachcomber in Long Beach Island (LBI)
hey everyone-- its officially been a year now since we moved to the East Coast. Its been a full year, but has gone by pretty quickly.
As you can see from our entries, we have no complaints. Of course we miss family and friends very much, but we've seen a different side of them (and us) as we now play host and tour guide.
We had a great weekend at the boat and I will blog on that later with some pics. Lisa and I did Stand Up Paddle which was AWESOME and I am completly loving this surfer-dudette lifestyle I try to imitate (Tom makes fun of me!) :-)
Happy Monday!
we had a wonderful vacation! wow! we are home now and while that is nice, we wish we were still at the boat. We had so much fun and being just an hour from home? Unbelievable!
after AC we went to Long Beach Island (LBI) and docked at Barnegat Light--a very, very small fishing town. We walked all over the island visiting the famous lighthouse. It was a beautiful marina, and town and very relaxing. After LBI we stopped at Tyces Shoal where we swam in the warm water and then crossed through the state park by foot and hung out on the beach before heading back to our marina and relaxing the rest of the weekend with some kayaking, long walks around Point Pleasant and hanging out with John and Li.
We lucked out with weather--mid 80's and not that humid all week. Today, just as we got home a storm came in and the temp dropped to 64! We threw on some "winter" clothes and just vegged at home getting ready for our back to work week.
Have a great week everyone!
Here are some pics:
*tom the dogs and I heading from the boat to the shore to cross into the ocean at Tyces Shoal (the dogs "surfed" in on the floatie), frank on the boat, our marina--look at those clouds, barneget light light house, john rounding up the posse of dogs.e
...and meet me tonight in Atlantic City".
- lyrics from 'Atlantic City'
I could not resist quoting one of my fave Bruce songs especially since its so fitting for our current location!
Atlantic City is about a 3 1/2 hour boat ride from our Marina so it was a perfect choice for a 2 day trip. We considered some other locations, but some windy weather and time factored in so this seemed like the perfect idea and it is turning out to be just that--perfect!
We are docked at Trump Marina (the hotel attached was just bought by Jimmy Buffett so soon it will be themed Margaritaville! We will be back for that for sure!!). The Marina and boats here are gorgeous--some of our "neighbors" here seem to be doing very well for themselves.
We got in yesterday and after getting settled, checked out the famous boardwalk. I LOVE Boardwalks! This one is complete with countless fun to watch "win a prize" booths, instant weight gain snack shacks and tons of amusement park rides (sometime ask Tom about the go-cart race he and I had overlooking the Ocean. Lets just say he is demanding a rematch. :-)
We are not big gamblers and even Vegas grows tiring for us after a day or so, but down here the beautiful beach is a nice bonus that distracts one from the casino life that runs day and night. The boardwalk is quite long--we walked about half yesterday and then went for dinner. We'll head over there soon to explore some more.
Here is some background: First the facts starting with the best one in my opinion... the streets of Atlantic City were used in the original Monopoly game. There are little bridges leading off the boardwalk onto the beach with names you will recognize: St James Place, Marvin Gardens, Indiana Ave, Pacific Ave and more. The boardwalk was first established in 1870 and as with all boardwalks then, were designed for the sole reason of helping store owners keep sand out of their shops. The salt water taffy is famous here (and delicious).
Now the opinions: Atlantic City is a bit cheesy-- but thats sort of expected and thats ok! Aside from the Ocean, it reminds us of Reno. It is much smaller and less showy than Vegas, but slighty larger and more lights than Reno. You can people watch all day here and of course the casino's are always packed. Caesars seems to be either re-done or fairly new. Its huge and well kept. They even have designated no smoking floors which for a Casino, is pretty rare. I especially like it after I turned $5 into $40 on video poker last night. Big spender I am.
The weather is perfect--mid 80's and sunny.
John and Lisa are going to drive down tonight to visit and go to dinner!
Have a great Wednesday!
*pics- tom on the boardwalk, hard rock and elvis, the dogs keeping watch and the marina area as we pulled in.
Hello everyone! We are vacationing this week and for the first time ever, we did not leave our home state. We are at the boat all week and while we may venture into NY waters (Montauk) or even up to Block Island, we are just happy where we are. No airplane rides, no hotels to deal with and we have the dogs here too!
The only obligation I set for myself today was to get the special issue of People with the Jolie-Pitt twins featured. Once that chore was done, its been non-stop relaxing. :-) Ahhhh vacation.
Tom and I hung out at Pt Pleasant and Seaside Heights today visiting the boardwalk, some surf shops and the nearby beach towns. We found a place that rents Stand Up Paddle boards so either we'll rent them this week or next weekend! I am very excited to try it!! It truly feels like summer down here. We love it!
