Casey of the Cove

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Chapter Ten - Jersey Girl

“Casey, you are everything a Jersey Shore girl should be - smart, funny, tan, the best boogie-boarder and ice-cream scooper ever.”

“Really? Why, Zack, you are the most handsome, sweetest, tannest North Jersey boy I’ve ever met. Please carry my beach chair for me? I want to see your big muscles protrude from under that tank top you are wearing.”

“Oh Casey, please let me kiss you...Smack! Slobber!” What the...heck?

“Sasha! get off my bed!” I yelled at my GoldenDoodle who has just returned from a romp along the bay and has obviously decided to test the water and then run through the sand and come back to the house to let me know all about it. Her course tongue cleaned any bit of drool that may have dripped down my chin from the dream I was just having about me and…. Zack? What? I glanced at the clock. It’s 9:00 am and I was reminded that today was wakeboarding day with Nick, Zack and Phoebe. We wanted to get onto the water before a lot of boat traffic appeared as its easier for beginners to learn the sport on a flat bay rather than a choppy one...

@caseyofthecove

Casey of Cranberry Cove Website

Hibernian Publishing

Chapter Nine - Night time at the Cove

There is nothing like the beach at night. The sounds of the ocean waves breaking on shore, and the stillness of the night make for a very relaxing, almost spiritual experience. The beach is black - no lights at all - except for the moon shining over the water. Many of the vacationers will stay on the beach until around 8 at night flying kites, watching their children build sandcastles, and just taking in the cool breezes, but once night falls, it is virtually empty. Except for the few stargazers (lovers) who will venture up when its dark to talk (ahem) and talk some more (ahem)...

@caseyofthecove

Casey of Cranberry Cove Website

Hibernian Publishing

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Chapter Eight - Palace Happenings

Phoebe and I continued to take care of our customers while belting out the tunes that were wafting in from The Crabby Tuna next door. The Palace closed at 10:00 p.m. on the weekends, and we had about a half-hour to go. Clean up after that was a breeze, since Phoebe’s specialty is wiping down anything that moves during the quiet periods in between customers. For the most part, the evening ran smoothly with just one mishap that occurred when a young boy decided that the vanilla cone his mother ordered for him wasn't as much fun to eat as the chocolate one his brother had and proceeded to throw it at his grandmother who tried to talk him down from his tirade. It ended up in her face, on her shirt, and on the lady sitting next to them who had just had her hair done for a wedding she had to attend the next afternoon. How did we know all this? She screamed it at the top of her lungs at the young boy’s parents who seemed to want to disappear under the bench before anyone recognized them. After a brief visit from Cranberry Cove’s finest men in blue, the matter was resolved and we were able to resume our duties without further incident...

@caseyofthecove

Casey of Cranberry Cove Website

Hibernian Publishing

Monday, May 4, 2015

Chapter Seven - The Polar Palace

The Polar Palace isn't a palace at all, but a run down yet cozy nook of an ice cream parlor that is decorated with wooden replicas of beach badges from all the neighboring beaches on the island. Beach badges are a Jersey thing - you need to buy one and wear it or they don’t let you on the beach. The rest of the United States seemed to have this thing called “free beaches” going on, but here in Jersey, you paid. Not that anyone really minded here at the Cove. The beaches were kept really clean, and people liked noticing everyone else’s badge. People seemed to wear them like a badge of honor.

Phoebes and I parked our bikes outside at the bike rack. It was already crowded but we found ourselves a spot. Phoebe pulled out her bike lock and locked up her sherbert colored beauty, but my rusty old hunk of aluminum just sat freely. Believe me, no one was going to take mine with the smorgasbord of pretty colored Schwinn Cruisers on the menu that were out here tonight...

@caseyofthecove

Hibernian Publishing

susankotch.wordpress.com

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Chapter Six - The Town

The Polar Palace sat in the center of town, nestled between The Crabby Tuna, and Benny’s, the local pizza joint. All of the businesses do well in the summer as scores of tourists walk the sidewalks enjoying the fresh salty breezes, beautiful sunsets, and the fact they paid for a week of bliss and they plan on enjoying every minute of it. The shops in town offer touristy trinkets, clothing, beach essentials, gifts and boxes upon boxes of salt water taffy, the perfect item to bring home to the neighbors who are stuck back up in North Jersey watching your dog while you spend time at the beach.

Besides walking, the second most popular mode of transportation in town is the bike. Beach bikes are the bike of choice, which allow for cruising the streets without the hassle of hand brakes or gear shifting. You sit up straight, and simply pedal backward to stop. No hassle. The beach bikes of choice for the locals are the old rusty ones you’ve had for years, but the summer residents and tourists prefer the new sherbert-colored ones, and you’ll see them all over town parked in bike racks at the beach and in front of the stores. Cranberry Cove is like a fairy tale town in that no one locks their bikes or their homes. It’s as if everyone thinks that because they are on vacation nothing will happen. Usually it doesn’t. Sometimes it does.

@caseyofthecove

Hibernian Publishing

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Chapter 5 - The Comp

“I’m getting out! I’m freeeeezing!” I heard Phoebe yelling out to me from the spot where the waves were breaking right on her. After 6 perfect rides into the shore (all after my run-in with the old-timer and the bathing suit mishap), I was exhausted, so I nodded to my fellow bodysurfers and began to head in.

“Nice riding,” my competition said to me with a nod of his head.

“You too.” I returned the compliment. We actually bonded when I found out that bathing cap lady and the old timer were husband and wife, and she complimented me on how gracefully I was able to take him out with my first ride in. She swam in after that to check on him, and I just turned to my competition and shrugged my shoulders in an “I’m sorry” sort of way...

@caseyofthecove

Hibernian Publishing, LLC

Friday, May 1, 2015

Chapter Four - Getting Wet

The water was chilly, but felt good since we had baked for an hour in the sun. We made our way gingerly over the small breakers, turning our backs to the waves and jumping as we reached the point where they were rolling in and breaking on our thighs. Never sure why people did this, since its inevitable that everyone at this point was going to be wet anyway, but we held our arms up out of the water like that was going to help. It didn't. I guess it was just a reaction to do that.

The next wave rolled in and I decided it was time to bite the bullet. I dove into the wave as it broke and came up the other side of it, hair slicked back. I adjusted the suit. No need to have the cops called at this point.

Phoebe still continued to dodge the waves, so I decided to help her get on with this swim. I headed over to her, wrapped my arms around her and brought her down into the next wave. We emerged and she spat water in my face...

@caseyofthecove

Hibernian Publishing, LLC