The Great Bay Head Duck Derby Returns -- Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 11:00am

Bay Head, New Jersey is having its second annual rubber duck derby to benefit the Bay Head School Foundation. Scheduled for Saturday, July 18th, at 11:00am, the Great Bay Head Duck Derby includes a $10 Duck Race, gift auctions and silent auctions. The day's events will begin at 11:00am, with the races taking place, rain or shine, on Scow Ditch in Centennial Park.

Continue reading

Bay Head Summer Recreation is Back, Starting July 6th

Callie just stopped by my Bay Head Blog post from last year about the terrific summer camp for Bay Head residents, and reminded me that camp is back and better than ever this summer (see her comment below). Last night, Rex and the girls and I came back up north to the Roxiticus Valley after nine days of sun and fun at the beach. We never seem to be down at our beach house in Bay Head, NJ, for enough of July to really take advantage of the terrific Bay Head Summer Recreation program, but whenever London and Maddie have the chance to participate they have a blast.

When: Monday, July 6th through Friday, August 14th (I think)
When, Part II: A half day program, Mondays through Thursdays, 9:00am - 12:00pm

Where: Bay Head Elementary School

Who: Children of Bay Head Residents and Renters
Who, Part II: Children Ages 5 through 12. Birth Certificate required at sign-up.

How (much): $50.00. For the whole summer. Not per day, not per week. For the whole summer.

Now, for that price, the nice teenagers who supervise your children at the Bay Head Elementary School are NOT going to teach them to swim, sail, or scuba dive. But your kids will come home with lots of cool arts and crafts and play outside when the weather is nice.

Callie said, "Love the write up! We are having camp again this year at the Bay Head Elementary School Monday through Thursday, 9Am-12PM. Our fee has increased to $50 for the summer, but in my opinion that's still a steal for 6 weeks! We are including more sports and other activities as well.

Thanks for calling us teenagers, so flattering!!,but most of us (there are 4 counselors now) are either teachers or finishing up education degrees. We incorporate a lot of our teaching experience into the development and running of the camp. :-)

Hope to see you at camp!"

Music Monday: Muskrat Jack to the Rescue!

This week's Music Monday pick at the Bay Head Blog is a tribute to Muskrat Jack, who came to the rescue last week while Rex, London, Maddie and I were up north in the Roxiticus Valley, and a couple of adventuresome raccoons decided to pay a visit to our Bay Head beach house via our chimney.

If you've got critter problems in the Point Pleasant - Bay Head area, give Muskrat Jack a call and tell him Roxy sent you: (732) 295-1618.

And now, enjoy the video from Captain & Tennille...



If you'd like to sing along with Roxy and Muskrat Jack, here you go...

Muskrat, Muskrat, candle light
Doin' the town and doin' it right in the evenin'
It's pretty pleasin'
Muskrat Suzie, Muskrat Sam
Do the jitterbug at a Muskrat Land
And they shimmy, Sam is so skinny

And they whirl and they twirl and they tango
Singin' and jinglin' a jangle
Float like the heavens above
Looks like Muskrat Love

Nibblin' on bacon
Chewin' on cheese
Sam says to Suzie
Honey, would you please be my Mrs
Suzie says, yes, with her kisses
Now, he's ticklin' her fancy
Rubbin' her toes
Muzzle to muzzle
Now anything goes as they wriggle
Sue starts to giggle

And they whirled and they twirled and they tango
Singin' and jinglin' a jangle
Floatin' like the heavens above
Looks like muskrat love

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Second Annual Shout Out to Point Beach Painting

It's time for another shout out to our beach house painter: Steve of Point Beach Painting!

After Rex and the girls and I spent the past couple of weekends up north in the Roxiticus Valley, New Jersey, we grabbed the girls out of school early and returned to our beach house in Bay Head, NJ this afternoon. While we were away, Steve of Point Beach Painting had been busy freshening up the blue and white paint on the porch of our Bay Head NJ Beach House. He also did some touch up work in the dining room and one bedroom where an older paint job had started to peel... the salt air down here really gives the paint a beating, inside and out. Steve's family has been in the painting business forever, his prices are fair, and he's done nice work for us two years running.

If you live in the Bay Head - Pt. Pleasant Beach area and your beach house needs a refreshing paint job, call Steve at Point Beach Painting: (732) 779-4551.

Bay Head Historical Society Celebrates the Holidays with a Victorian Christmas Party at the Museum on Saturday, December 6th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm

It may be cold at the beach, but the Bay Head Historical Society invites you to come inside and warm up with a Victorian Christmas Party at the Museum on Saturday, December 6th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Bring the kids to see the Christmas tree with authentic turn-of-the-century decorations. The Christmas trolley, with Santa on Board, will be running free of charge.

The headquarters of the Bay Head Historical Society Museum is the Loveland Homestead, an authentic farmhouse which was built in 1867 by the Loveland family, a prominent family from England. It is located at 1643 Bay Avenue on the corner of Bridge Avenue, at the base of the Lovelandtown Bridge. Phone: (732) 892-0223.

Today's the Day for the Bay Head Halloween Parade

It is eight o'clock on Sunday morning and we are waiting for London and Maddie to wake up at our beach house in Bay Head, NJ and begin the countdown to the 11:45am Bay Head Halloween Parade. Witches, goblins, ghosts and Disney princesses will start gathering on Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey, shortly after 11am for the 11:45am parade start.

As my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know, we stayed up north in Mendham on Friday night for the big Joan Jett & the Blackhearts concert at the Mayo Center of the Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. We waited until late on Saturday afternoon for the drive down, and made it here in time for one of Rex's specialties...the last lobsters of the season. The weather forecast, including howling wind and rain all day yesterday, may have scared some other fair weather residents off, but we were determined to get down here and march in the parade...come hell, Halloween, or high water. Thankfully, the high water on Lake Avenue has gone down overnight to make way for the parade.

London and Maddie decided to go as a pair of Sharpays (the High School Musical character, not the dog breed) -- one Sharpay Golf and one Sharpay End-of-Year Celebration, complete with gold lame (pronounced la-MAY, not sure how you'd spell it differently than adding an accent over the "e") pants.


Rex and I are going as Barbie and Ken, and we're hoping this motley family can win a trophy this year. Rex really looks the part, and London promised to style my hair in Barbie pigtails, but the competition is always tough... we're not the only family in Bay Head that takes Halloween seriously!

Wish us luck...and if the girls' costumes, wigs, and oversized sunglasses turn out to be a suitable disguise, I may even share some photos here on Monday.

Sad News from Artisan's Galleria on Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey

Just got down to our beach house in Bay Head this afternoon to learn that one of our favorite shops, Artisan's Galleria on Mount Street, will be closing its doors at the end of this year. Maybe you can change the owner's mind if you'll get out and shop, shop, shop...Maddie just picked out a beautiful set of handmade pajamas and robe for her American Girl dolls...get shopping!

Introducing Roxy's Best Of...Bay Head, New Jersey

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a gal of wealth and taste
I've been bloggin' around for three long, long years
Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when The Bluffs
Served beer and cocktails shine or rain
Made damn sure that
Dennis Foy
Washed his hands before you ate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name (Roxy)
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around Bay Head Bistro
When I saw it was a time for a change
Theresa's South served up dinners
Mueller's Bakery set out a cake

I rode a tank
In the East Avenue rank
When summer camp raged
And the mussels stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, whats puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

I watched with glee
While London and Maddie
Caught their first waves
Out on Mount Street Beach


I shouted out,
Who's got clothes for me?
When after all
It was The W.A.S.P. and The Bee

Let me please introduce myself
I'm a gal of wealth and taste
And I made plans for Crab Shack dinners
every weekend 'til we reached Labor Day

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But whats puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game

Just as every Point Beach cop calls me criminal
And Martell's Tiki Bar sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me ROXY
cause I'm in need of some restraint

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name (Roxy)
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game (Roxy)
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
Tell me baby, whats my name (Roxy)
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name (Roxy)
Tell me baby, what's my name (Roxy)
I tell you one time, you're to blame (Roxy)
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who

Now, I have to say that when I rewrote the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil as Sympathy for the Housewife to introduce Roxy's Best Of... over on my Roxiticus Desperate Housewives blog, weird (bad) things happened. My computer crashed a few hours later, taking Roxy out of commission in the blogosphere (not to mention my investment banking career) for about a week. Here I am, back in business, taking a chance by rewriting those risky lyrics yet again on the Bay Head Blog. Please click on any of the links to explore my new Roxy's Best Of...Bay Head and the rest of the Roxy's Best Of...WordPress MU (Multi-User) Community, and do let me know what you think!

Thanks!
Roxy

Jersey Shore Artists: Kate Leigh Cutler's New Show, "The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast" Now Through Labor Day at the NJ Museum of Boating

This past weekend, Rex and the girls and I had the pleasure of attending a reception for our neighboring artist, Kate Leigh Cutler at the NJ Museum of Boating. Kate's show, The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast, opened with the reception on Sunday, July 27th, and runs through Labor Day Weekend 2008. I've said it before, but now that I've seen all of the paintings in the show, I'll repeat that this study really breaks new ground (or water) for her...most of the new paintings are dark and ominous, tales of storms and shipwrecks.

I purchased the painting shown above for Rex's birthday, but there are lots of other moody Kate Leigh Cutler paintings left for you, and you'll have the rest of the summer to check it out...the show runs through September 1, 2008, at the New Jersey Museum of Boating (at Johnson Brother's Boat Works) in Bay Head, NJ.

Jersey Shore Artists: Wendy McCarthy... Mermoments Is More Than Just A Trilogy!

As I posted earlier in the week, our lovely Mermaid Swim Team has been on vacation, back at the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ, for local Wall, NJ, artist Wendy McCarthy's Mermoments show. Tonight, Rex, Maddie, London and I attended the opening reception and learned that Mermoments is much more than a trilogy....the ambitious artist painted three more in the series for this week's show, and has a total of twelve in the works for a Mermonths calendar!

I snapped a photo of the amazing Mermaid Cocktail Party (above). Wendy uses her entire family as mermodels...that's her daughter with the polka dot bikini! While we don't have a space in either of our homes that is grand enough to hang the original painting, I know that our family will have to own a giclee (print). The Mermaid Swim Team for the girls, the Mermaid Cocktail Party for the Roxiticus Desperate Housewives!

Mermoments opened with tonight's reception at the Anchor & Palette and runs through August 4th on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ.

Jersey Shore Artists: Kate Leigh Cutler's New Show, "The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast" Opens This Weekend at the NJ Museum of Boating

Our neighboring artist, Kate Leigh Cutler, has a new show opening on Sunday, July 27th, that really breaks new ground (or water) for her: The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast. At least in the peek I've seen, her new paintings are dark and ominous, tales of storms and shipwrecks.

I purchased the painting shown above for Rex's birthday, but there are lots of other moody Kate Leigh Cutler paintings left for you. Rex, London, Maddie and I are planning to attend the opening reception on Sunday, July 27th from 5-8pm. If you can't make it to the opening on Sunday night, the show runs through September 1, 2008, at the New Jersey Museum of Boating (at Johnson Brother's Boat Works) in Bay Head, NJ.

Fourth of July Weekend 2008: Another Great Dinner at Dennis Foy’s Bay Point Prime Restaurant on the Jersey Shore

We had quite a crowd on Saturday night after the Fourth of July at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey and all sorts of reasons to celebrate, including Rex's birthday. PostBoy and MathGirl came for the fireworks on the beach and stayed for the weekend, and TallBoy showed up in time for dinner after a round of golf with a friend from college. I had booked a table of seven at 7pm, so as soon as the crazy downpour ended we headed over to Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime for another spectacular meal. We had the same waitress as last time, Lindsay, who made sure everyone got what they wanted…with one not-so-minor exception that she really had no control over.

Over Father's Day weekend, London had ordered the Cherry Hill Farms Roasted Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille ($42). It was so beautiful I wish I had taken a picture, and Rex stole one bite and declared it the single best bite of lamb he'd had in his life. So I was ready for Rack of Lamb on Saturday night, and brought my appetite. Uh oh…it wasn't on the menu…but no problem, Lindsay announces that one of the entrée specials is a Rack of Lamb. Lindsay also recommends the Sautéed Wild Atlantic Salmon, with Grilled Fennel and Spring Pea Ginger Emulsion ($31) for Rex, but warns that Dennis is running out of salmon, so Rex puts in his order ahead of the rest of us. But when Lindsay returns to our table to take our order, she's got some bad, bad news: while eyeing a blonde beach couple making out on a nearby banquette, oblivious to the appetizers on their table, Lindsay says she just gave away the last two orders of Rack of Lamb. "Can't you tell them that you only have one order left, and let them share? He's really only interested in another kind of rack…" But it's too late…my Rack of Lamb is being served to someone else. So I start with the appetizer special, a Jersey Tomato Salad (which turns out to be tasty, even though it's really too early in the season for real Jersey tomatoes), and order the appetizer size of six Classic Shrimp in a Basket ($15), new to the Bay Point Prime menu this year, as my main course. The girls each start with an order of French Fries ($6), then share the Prime Aged Sirloin with more Steak Frites ($34).

TallBoy wisely chooses Dennis Foy's signature Sautéed Tian of Crab ($19) -- the word crabcake doesn't even begin to do it justice -- and also orders the steak. Rex starts with the Warm Confit Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Chive Oil ($15) and, as always, is surprised when it is warm, not cold. PostBoy starts with the shrimp appetizer and has the Veal Bolognese with HomeMade Fettucine ($26), so hearty I frequently get my leftovers wrapped to go and then tragically forget them on the roof of our SUV. MathGirl enjoys the Ten Spice Cajun Chicken with French Fries and Salad Verte ($25). Everyone at our table thought that their meal was the most delicious, with very little sharing allowed.

Of course, we all had our eye on the couple with the rack, and before we even finished our appetizers, they packed up to go, leaving one full rack and most of the other chops completely untouched. I guess I've got my excuse for an imminent return to Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime. The menu changes daily, so I'll plan to call ahead (732-295-5400) to reserve my table and my Rack of Lamb! I see that the Bay Point Prime team (and menu) is also available for off premise catering, and my attentive readers may remember that we've got a Bay Head Family Reunion coming up in August!

Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime; Phone (732) 295-5400

Also available for off premise catering; please contact Estella Quinones at (732) 295-5400. You can visit their Manhattan restaurant Dennis Foy in Tribeca (Phone 212-625-1007 for reservations). Web site: http://www.dennisfoynyc.com/ (the web site is only for Dennis Foy's Manhattan restaurant, menus and wine....everything looks yummy but we haven't been there yet)

She Sells Sea Shells Down by the Seashore: Kate Leigh Cutler's Amazing Portrait of My Girls in Bay Head, New Jersey

Bay Head Summer Recreation is Back, Starting July 7th

Rex and the girls and I are never down here at the beach in Bay Head, NJ, for enough of July to really take advantage of the terrific Bay Head Summer Recreation program here, but last year both London and Maddie were eligible for the first time and they had a blast.

When: Monday, July 7th through Friday, August 8th
When, Part II: A half day program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:00am - 12:00pm

Where: Bay Head Firehouse, 81 Bridge Avenue

Who: Children of Bay Head Residents and Renters
Who, Part II: Children Ages 5 through 12. Birth Certificate required at sign-up.

How (much): $30.00. For the whole summer. Not per day, not per week. For the whole summer.

Now, for that price, the nice teenagers who supervise your children at the Bay Head Firehouse are NOT going to teach them to swim, sail, or scuba dive. But your kids will come home with lots of cool arts and crafts and play outside at Centennial Park when the weather is nice. We're definitely signing up, and London and Maddie will most likely be there on Monday, August 4th; Wednesday, August 6th; and Friday, August 8th.

Happy for Theresa's South...The New Bay Head Restaurant Opened on Thursday Night for Dinner, but Had to Turn People Away Because They're Too Busy!

Rex cooked dinner at the beach tonight -- an amazing Bobby Flay recipe for pork tenderloin with an Asian sauce -- but we checked on our new restauranteur neighbors at Theresa's South, and found they've been open for business since Thursday night. Our neighbors are giving them raves, but rejected diners are marching back down Mount Street because the restaurant is too busy to feed them on Saturday night!

Despite the earlier protests of our year-round neighbors in Bay Head, New Jersey, we've had a restaurant on the corner of Mount Street and Route 35 for several years. It started with Heat Wave, which changed to Bay Head Bistro. The location changed hands again over this past winter, and a sign outside the restaurant proclaims that the owners of Theresa's, Mojave Grill, and Isabella's, all in Westfield, New Jersey, are bringing Theresa's South to Mount Street in Bay Head.

The restaurant won't take reservations, but you can call Theresa's South (732-892-1555) about 45 minutes before you're ready for dinner to get on their waiting list. Rex and I are planning to take the girls for dinner on Monday night. One of our neighbors told us that the appetizers, priced $8 to $12, are huge portions, and that Theresa's South serves up a mean linguine with baby clams for my Jedi clam eaters.

Theresa's South is located at 530 Main Avenue (Route 35) at the corner of Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ. Phone (732) 892-1555.

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Art in the Park is this Saturday, June 14th!

The weather forecast is looking pretty nice for this year's Art in the Park celebration in Bay Head, New Jersey. Mid-70s, with just a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, and low 80s and sunny on Father's Day Sunday. Unless it rains, Art in the Park 2008 will be held this Saturday, June 14th, from 10am to 4pm in Centennial Park (use the municipal parking lot just off Bridge Avenue). In case the showers and thunderstorms prove to be a problem, the rain date is Father's Day Sunday, June 15th.

Join Rex and the girls and me at Art in the Park! There will be music playing all day long, and you can check out the following local Jersey Shore artists:

• George Allsopp from Brick, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Patricia Arroyo from Neptune City, NJ -- Pastels, Watercolors, Oils
• Mary Jo Austin from Lavallette, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Al Barker from Bordentown, NJ -- Watercolors (his painting, "Summer Beach" is shown at the top of this post and is available at the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ)
• Lisa Begin-Kruysman from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Ken Bernhard from Bridgewater, NJ -- Watercolors
• Lisa C. Budd from West Creek, NJ -- Watercolors
• William Bunting from Iselin, NJ -- Oils
• Beverly Canham from Manchester, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Miroslaw Chelchowski from Laurence Harbor, NJ -- Watercolors, Pencil
• Joy Clayton from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors
• Carol Colvin from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors, Pastels
• Marie Demarco from Wall, NJ -- Pastels
• Catherine Detrich from Middletown, NJ -- Watercolors
• Donna Ferrante from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolors
• Joel Garh from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Pen & Ink
• Alexander Gletow from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors
• Beverly Golembeski from Seaside Park, NJ -- Watercolors, Acrylics
• Ann Hayes from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Andrew Huntley-Robertson from Summit, NJ -- Oils
• Paula Kolojeski from Princeton, NJ -- Pastels
• Steve Lambert from Manchester, NJ -- Oils
• Jack Loder from Brick, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Rober A. Loder, Jr. from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Lise Masson from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Ramona Maziarz from Middletown, DE -- Pen & Ink
• Bert McNomee from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Philip Meyer from Totowa, NJ -- Oils
• Pauline Mickle from Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sheila Mickle from Brick, NJ -- Calligraphy, Pen & Ink
• Mary Monagle from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolor, Mixed Media
• Raymond Moran from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ninetta Nappi from North Bergen, NJ -- Watercolors
• Demetrius Patterson from Tinton Falls, NJ -- Acrylics
• Virginia Perle from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ellen Ricci from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Tracy Roccanova-Miller from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors, Giclee Prints
• Gloria Salmestrelli from Seaside Park, NJ -- Oils
• Ellen Scharfenberg from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sal Sorce from Manahawkin, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Amanda Viggiano from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Susan Wagner from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Watercolors
• Tom Williams from Valley Forge, PA -- Oils, Prints
• Gregory Zach from Wall, NJ -- Oils
• Joanne Zezula from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Point Beach Painting

Time for a shout out to our painter: Steve of Point Beach Painting!

Rex and the girls and I are spending the next couple of weekends up north in the Roxiticus Valley, New Jersey, while Steve of Point Beach Painting freshens up the blue and white paint on the porch of our Bay Head NJ Beach House. Over Memorial Day Weekend, we received estimates from several local painters, and Point Beach Painting is the one we chose...Steve's family has been in the business forever, his prices are fair, and he was able to get started right away, so that when we return to the beach for Father's Day Weekend, our porch will be ready for us to settle in for the summer. I will be sure to post a picture of the completed project, so check back in mid-June.

If you live in the Bay Head - Pt. Pleasant Beach area and your beach house needs a refreshing paint job, call Steve at Point Beach Painting: (732) 899-8020.

Bay Head NJ Artists: Kate Leigh Cutler

One of our neighbors in Bay Head, Kate Leigh Cutler, is a fabulous artist. She did one painting of our girls several years back that I will post here soon, and has promised to have her newest painting of them complete when we return to the beach for Father's Day Weekend 2008. For now, I'll leave you with another Kate Leigh Cutler original painting of one of the neighbor boys surfing near Mount Street Beach in Bay Head, New Jersey.

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Christmas Shopping

Rex and I close up our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, every year right after the annual Halloween Parade that starts on Mount Street, heads down Lake Avenue, turns left on Bridge Avenue, and proceeds into the fire station. By the end of October, all of the "bennies" are long gone, and the year-round Bay Head residents are left to enjoy the quiet tranquility of our beautiful beach town.

Leading up to Christmas, the local Bay Head merchants' association puts on a special night of holiday shopping, when all of our favorite stores stay open late and create a festive Christmas shopping atmosphere throughout the town.

Bay Head, New Jersey is not the type of place where people wake up at 5am on Black Friday (or sleep out in tents in front of the big box retailers) to stand in line for bargains. Especiallly off season, Bay Head is a sleepy little town where residents forego the thanksgiving ads from the big box retailers in favor of shopping at the old classic stores right in town... like the Jolly Tar or the stores in the Shopper's Wharf on Bridge Avenue, or head over to Mount Street to the Artisan's Galleria, maybe even commission a beautiful painting from local Bay Head artist Kate Leigh Cutler or find a special watercolor or oil painting by another Jersey Shore artist featured at the Anchor & Palette gallery in town.

If my Bay Head neighbors are looking for a big-screen color TV or Playstation or Wii, I bet they either wait for Santa Claus to bring it down the chimney or they avoid the crowds at the mall and purchase Black Friday items online.

Update on Our Bay Head Family Reunion

As I've posted once before, we're planning an August 2008 Bay Head family reunion for Rex's family. Everyone is pretty well confirmed, and they're all staying at The Grenville. I'm afraid we're stuck with the picture from their web site until I get back down to the peach with my good ole Canon Digital Rebel XT.