Bayday 2010

My Brother and his family came from 

Massachusetts to NJ for the weekend.  They usually

come for one long weekend each summer, and at least one

of those days we plan to spend on the boat. Sunday was

the day, and being Olivia's birthday proper,  it was great that

her cousins were there to spend it with her. Bob and

Mom came along too, and including my niece's friend,

we had eleven all day.  A good boatload!

We spent the day sailing first, then anchoring at, you guessed,

Tice's shoal. The kids pretty much humor us while we sail,

but when we turn and head for the shoal, they start blowing up

the rafts and tubes and talk turns to clam-digging and walking up

to the ocean beach for some fun in the waves. A unique setting,

Tice's Shoal is just inside the western shore of the thin strip of land

known as Island Beach State Park. From your anchored boat,

you can swim, wade, or motor by dinghy to that shore,

follow a boardwalk through bayberry bushes, across the road,

through more bayberry, then through the dunes and out onto the

pristine beaches of the park. Dump your flip-flops and towel

and into the surf you go. You don't even need a badge, provided

you arrived by boat! One of the still free things in life!

The bay was like bath water, seeing how many brutally hot

days we've had lately, so when we made it up to the beach and

stood at the water's edge, the chilly ocean water made us hesitate

for a moment. The brisk westerly wind had blown the warm surface

water out to sea and the iciness beneath had taken its place.  After

a few minutes of acclimatizing, we forged ahead, squealing and

 hooting into deeper and deeper water.  I don't know if you 

ever become completely used to frigid water, or if the

 partial numbness just makes you think you do.   

Later, back at the boat, the kids clammed.  No digging around

with their toes; it's just dive straight down and scratch around

with your hands.  It seemed like shooting fish in a barrel how

quickly they were coming up with the clams.  In retrospect, I

know that it was the spot in which I chose to lay my anchor

that provided them with the fertile hunting ground.

When we got back to the dock, I went right over to the picnic

area and dumped the bag of Matchlight  (I'm not messing with

the chimney charcoal starter tonight) into the grill and lit it.

First on went the 19 clams they dug.  They steamed open perfectly

and all partook in the festivity.  Salty, creamy, chewy, lovely.

Barnegat Bay on the halfshell.  Pinch me.  Marinated chicken

breasts went on next, cooked by my older daughter.  They were

accompanied by a german-style potato salad that Mom made.

Birthday brownies and s'mores finished the evening just as the

Jersey state birds (mosquitos) started to move in.

We all departed around 9:15, going our separate ways.

It was a great day, as it always is, and I left wanting more.

With me, it often seems like I don't realize how much 

I need to be with my brother and his family until they've 

gone home.  As different as the two of us are, we still

share alot of great memories and always laugh really hard

at a few things, at least.  And our kids love the hell

out of each other.  I wish they could be together more often.

We'll just have to work on that.