Monday, July 12, 2004

One last day in New Jersey

Saturday June 10th, 2004 and Jim and I got up and had the entire day to do whatever we wanted. What are two teachers with the summer off to do?

Quick aside: Jim J. has been urged by numerous friends (numerous is an understatement) to join the modern age and obtain a cell phone. He has been resistant, perhaps obstinant, in being a man without a cell phone. My visit was the tipping point. The fact is that I showed up in Jersey last Saturday and then went on my journey to DC and New York. During the time I was in New York, Jim called me on his new cell phone. In fact, he has the same service provider and same exact model phone as I do. I am all powerful and influential.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming. Jim and I decided to drive out to the shore again. This time to the beach at Belmar.




A beach scene taken from the Belmar town web site
 

We spent a couple hours at the beach and just as we were leaving, Tim, Patrick and Elvin plopped down next to us. They were arriving as we were leaving. The weather was great, and the scenery (wink, wink) was fine too. Jim summarized the day, "the beach was littered with and smelled of mussels but not enough muscles!"

We left the beach early. Jim and I continued the theme of the weekend by going to Monmouth Park Racetrack to play the ponies. I will fully admit that I know nothing about racing, but I'm sure that I should stay away from it. If you have ever seen a racing form, it is full of DATA and I know I could get much too engrossed. Anyway, Jim and I bet on a couple of races and left. Races go off every 20-30 minutes. That is not nearly enough action for me to be engaged. At least at baseball games, there is between inning entertainment. At the races, it is 20-30 minutes of sitting around before the next two minutes of excitement.

Speaking of baseball, my last evening in New Jersey was spent watching the Trenton Thunder (AA) play the Norwich Navigators. I was accompanied by Jim and our friend Megan M. If you've been following the blog, the Navigators are the same team that played the Portland Sea Dogs. The Thunder posted a heroic come from behind victory. There were postgame fireworks and at the beginning the fireworks were dubiously anemic. But the Thunder came through with a great show.

Side note: All the music played at the Thunder game was dance/club music. I think the guy in charge of music plays in my sandbox.

No comments: