Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • S p r i n g 2 0 1 8 63 Body Glove that looks a little sun faded. "I'm the only one I know who wears out boards," she jokes. When I ask if she collects boards the way some women collect shoes, Anthony just smiles. Many assume Cookie must have been surfing or living at the beach since a child. "I grew up in an apart- ment in the Bronx," she laughs. She was a textile designer and art thera- pist in NYC. Anthony was a program- mer. Now that they're retired, why don't they live at the beach? Because they also love the culture of the city. They talk of theaters, restaurants, operas, concerts, museums, gardens, and running into famous people like Shel Silverstein, which Cookie fondly recalls as a special moment. Of course, meaningful moments happen at the Shore too. Cookie says she was really affected by watching the recent eclipse, which they viewed with the crowd gathered on the beach in Spring Lake. "It was really special," says Cookie. "Such a feeling of camaraderie." I part from them and return to my chair—but only for a moment. I shed my beach cover up, sunglasses, and hat and plunge into the ocean. At age forty-eight, I had spent much of the summer feeling old. As twenty-four- hour a day cruise director to two busy kids while writing part time, battling chronic back pain, and what I can only assume were the beginnings of mid-life hormonal flux, I was often exhausted. The first flickers of mor- tality had begun to shock and depress me despite the shining sun. I couldn't get out of my funk. I couldn't find my groove. Until my message in a bottle came in the form a seventy-six- year-old named Cookie. So I grabbed my daughter's boogie board and wait- ed for a wave. u Christine Menapace is a freelance writer and a long time contributor to this maga- zine. She lives in Keyport. HOME PORT INVINCIBLE SUMMER, continued from page 98 Hwy. 35 South, Pt. Pleasant Beach 732-892-2020 2036 Hwy. 35 North, Wall 732-449-5940 A n o u t s tA n d i n g c o l l e c t i o n o f i n d o o r A n d o u t d o o r h o m e f u r n i s h i n g s , A c c e s s o r i e s A n d g i f t s . FURNITURE INC. OpdykeFurnitureNJ.com Style, Comfort, Quality, and The Best Prices Around! Don't be caught without your furniture this season... order now for spring delivery! "Lined Seahorse" Gicleé Print by James Fiorentino "A Mantoloking Bower House" Original Acrylic by Dick LaBonté Please refer to page 59 Please refer to pages 57 and 58

• Cover