My Hemingway

Larger than life, I present to you Charley Best.  Superlative.

He lives life to the fullest (pardon the trite phrase but it fits,

Goddammit).  A pure Jersey boy through and through, he

graduated from Manasquan High School before, after, or

with Jack Nicholson among others.  I can't remember if I 

asked him that particular question and frankly, it don't matter.

This guy is the mildest-mannered, friendliest, and one of the

most pleasant people you would want to sit on the porch 

and shoot the shit with.  Between Beaton's and the Florida Keys,

he sails his catboat, rides his Harley, and fishes all year long.  

He's quite proficient with his film editing, and cooks up a storm 

from what I gather.  Since it doesn't look like I'm visiting Florida

any time soon, I'm looking forward to his Northern migration

sometime this mid-May.  You still have 3+ months down there,

Sandscraper.  Make the best of them.  

Icing On The Cake

We had a small gathering of friends last Sunday to

watch the Giants and 49ers.  We asked everyone to 

bring something.  Pete brought some boneless ribs.

And his keyboard.  It quickly became "stand in with

Pete".  It was brilliant, and it was all his doing.

I love that guy.  And yes, that's Metamucil.

I don't know if we can ever have another party without

him. I'm afraid he may start charging a cover.  This last

number came seconds after the winning field goal. 

Funny, before anyone arrived that day I said to my wife,

"I wish we had a piano in this house".

Go Figure

And The Winner Is.............

The new and improved Tall Oaks Yacht Club burgee.  I like it.

Sewn by North Flags, it's so stiff, it won't droop when there's no

 wind.  But no worries, this is the Barnegat Bay we're talking about.

By the way, according to the TOYC website, there are only 53

days 'til Spring.  Geeze, I'd better get down there and 

winterize the head soon.

More than I could ask for

Gravy

It's gonna be a helluva long two weeks.

But that's okay.  Could be worse.

Eat Sopa

Fondue

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, Eli

Cruz control

On a Rolle

Now it's off to the natural amphitheater that is Candlestick Park.

Just Win Baby!

Cats and Canoes

Bottom Paint

Friggin' in the Riggin'

Just Cruisin' Around the Harbor

Old Bay Head, New Jersey

Turn of the century kids playing in the sand by a dock

somewhere in Bay Head, New Jersey.  The Twentieth

Century, that is.

An actual organ grinder, with a monkey!  I can just imagine the kids

running down the lane, giggling, with fresh scrapple in their hands!

The Breeches Buoy, a mainstay device for rescuing shipwreck 

survivors back in the day.  These days you can ride one through

 a rainforest on an eco-tour and pay a healthy sum to do so. 

A surfboat being re-set for a future rescue call.

Sneakboxes racing off the main dock at Bay Head Yacht Club.

To this day they have a somewhat strict dress code on Yacht Club

premises.  I can't recall ever wearing slacks on a dock in the

summer.  Or shoes for that matter.

Now this is more my and my ancestors' speed. 

The upper Metedeconk.  My neck of the woods, well before

I ever had a neck.  My predecessors likely had some more

dirt under their fingernails than the fancier clad folk lining the

main dock at BHYC.  And that's just fine by me.

Quinoa

Souse

Jambon

Salad is Good For You

Unless you plop a big honkin' piece of chicken fried pork belly

crouton, as Michael Ruhlman calls it, on top.  Some foods, when

I read about them, make my salivary glands go into overdrive.

There is a bowl directly beneath my chin right now.

This chunk of pork belly will have been braised, or confited, 

leaving the meat extremely tender, and its fat on the edge of

liquid.  By coating this chunk with flour, eggwash, and panko 

crumbs and then deep frying, the result is a crunchy 

exterior enveloping a core of molten fat and the most tender

 pig meat you've ever come upon.  It's not an everyday meal,

but one that you must try at least once.  Grated cheese optional. 

I'm sure the dressing is phenomenal, but after the pork belly, the

salad is the garnish.

Cricket

Just Win Baby!

It's too early to clean out the lockers just yet.