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I’m writing this a few weeks later now that I’m down in Long Beach Island, NJ “permanently” (not sure if I’m ever anywhere permanently at this point!) But in early May I came down to the beach for a little getaway. Being here before summer kicks off is very peaceful and relaxing. It’s not exactly bikini weather, but there was enough sun to go for walks on the beach. I forget how much nature is all around this normally busy island. The scenery is filled with gulls, crabs, dolphins, turtles, and all sorts of sea creatures. I ran into a family of geese down at the end of our dock that were guiding their new goslings by the water.

My sister joined me for the weekend and we did all of our favorite things, in quarantine style. It was different than your usual visit to LBI, sure, but we were able to check off some of the traditional activities. We had coffee and split a strawberry poptart by the fire at The Local. They’re open for full service with masks, distancing, and a limited number of guests.

We walked on the boulevard and onto the beach. There weren’t many people around before Memorial Day, but Mother’s Day brought a few families out.

The restaurant takeout scene was already busy before the summer rush. We called our favorite breakfast spot, The Sandbox, and were told there would be an hour wait. That seemed manageable since my sister doesn’t get to come down here very often. For dinner, we ordered sandwiches from Black Whale on the south end of the island. They had almost a two hour wait, but the server shortened it to an hour when she found out we were only getting crab cakes. Both meals were worth the wait since they provide reassurance that our beloved island eateries are surviving these wild times. I hope they stay busy and can do good business this summer in spite of it all.

On Sunday, my sister had to hit the road to go back to work as an essential employee, so I made us oatmeal bowls at home. The whole weekend was a fun girls’ trip and gave me some nice company for island hermit life.