Stopping Home: LBI & Red Bank

Between trips, I had a couple of weeks at home in New Jersey to visit with family and do some of my favorite things. It was Fourth of July weekend, so I celebrated in the typical American fashion, by eating a hot dog, watching fireworks, and making festive drinks:

I visited some of my favorite LBI places. Breakfast at Mustache Bill’s is a necessity, as is dinner at Harvey Cedars Shellfish Company. They’re not open long after Labor Day, so I made sure to squeeze them in during my short time home. Not pictured were other important stops at Barry’s Do Me a Flavor (for the garlic knots!), The Bagel Shack, Guapos Coffee, and The Local (chicken salad, sushirrito, apple/fig/brie sandwich… basically everything). Hmm, this is making me think I need to do a separate post on my LBI favorites…

I also surfed with some of my favorite people, played beach volleyball, and did a full moon yoga and meditation session on the beach (and my first night surf!) with Surfing Waves of Light.

Bailey met my sister’s new puppy, Hudson. She was mostly indifferent, but somewhat tolerant of her pesky new cousin:

She also surprised everyone by going for a swim in the bay. She usually hates getting wet, but there were geese to chase in this instance.

My sister and her husband moved to Red Bank about a year ago, so we have been getting to explore a new area of New Jersey. I took some great classes at Open Heart Yoga, and Bailey and I found a quiet piece of nature at Fair Haven Fields Natural Area. There’s much more to discover on the northern Jersey Shore, so I’m excited for the months and years to come.

Overall, it was a short and soul-nourishing stop at home.