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98 home • PORT A s summer days and sunshine once again bring many people to the Jersey Shore, I've been looking back, reflecting on good days spent at different beaches along the coast. I drift back to the 1970s and some of my early experiences at Bradley Beach...at 9:00 AM, my wife, Barbara, leaves our apartment in the three-story brick building with our three boys, ages three, five, and seven, trailing behind. Over one arm, she carries a webbed aluminum beach chair. On the other hangs a large, canvas tote containing pea- nut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, a ther- mos of lemonade, a small bottle of suntan lotion, and a folded blanket. The boys each carry a towel, a metal pail and shovel, and a yellow Tonka truck. My oldest also carries a boogie board for them to share or fight over. They trudge over the not-yet- hot-sand and find a desirable spot near the lifeguard stand. After they set down the beach chair and blankets, Barbara slathers each boy with coconut scented suntan lotion, and then sets down her rules for the day, ending with, "Don't go out too far, and stay where I can see you!" The three boys run off in different direc- tions towards the water. Like a mother hen, she watches intently as they frolic in the ocean, jumping the rolling waves, splashing each other, and body surfing. When they tire, they settle on the wet sand, each building his own small sandcastle, which is eventually destroyed by an incoming wave or one of the brothers. At two o'clock, towards the end of their beach day, as the sun rises higher and the temperatures climb, she tells the boys that this would be their last time in the water. As tired Fun Days At The Jersey Shore by Frank Finale From Bradley Beach to Long Beach Island as they are from running, swimming, and dig- ging in the sand, they moan, "Aw mom do we hav'ta go? Can't we stay just a little longer?" A sudden storm with a thunderclap and lightning bolt answers their question. All around them people hastily gather their belongings, take down their umbrellas (which were threatening to blow away), and flee the beach. A few miles south at Belmar beach, after a day in the sun, vacationers enjoy going to restaurants, bars, and nightclubs geared to adult amusement. One can find lines of people queuing up outside D'Jais, Bar Anticipation, and Joe's Surf Shack for their turn to eat, drink, socialize, and dance the night away. On the west side of town is the Belmar Manutti Marina. Here, party fishing boats sail out through Shark River Inlet to try the different fishing grounds off the coast. Some people drive farther south to Manasquan. At this beach you can usually find both renters and locals. On First Avenue, I have enjoyed cold drinks and conversations at Leggett's and The Osprey. It was here I learned that Bruce Springsteen had his first legal drink, a shot of Jose Cuervo. At seventy- two years old, the rock icon still stops at one of his favorite Shore burgs. At the inlet beach, one enjoys watching surfers catch a wave and boats going in and out through the Manasquan Inlet. On both sides of the inlet, fishermen can be found casting their lines from the sea walls or rock jetties. Across the inlet is Point Pleasant Beach, where many day trippers and their families Continued on page 97 Surfers at Manasquan Inlet. photo by Michele Chiaia