Last Weekend of Summer

Father Maynard was nice enough to take me down to Sea Girt, New Jersey this weekend. For the last thirty or so years he has spent his weekends in Sea Girt, giving mass at Saint Mark’s Church. From Newark, it is about an hour south. That short distance makes a world of difference. We took the freeway about half the way, and drove the rest along the shore. We passed through the cities of Deal, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Belmar, and Spring Lake before reaching Sea Girt. Each town/city had its own appeal. Deal, Belmar, Spring Lake, and Sea Girt where made up of modern Oceanside mansions. Asbury Park had remnants of abandoned apartment buildings cross-street from forgotten boardwalk hotspots like the Berkeley Hotel and the Paramount Theatre. Ocean Grove was a very interesting town. A strict Methodist community, the Victorian houses and narrow streets hint at its interesting past: it was founded as a religious community and for many years no cars were allowed inside the city on Sundays.

Father Maynard and I went for a walk along the boardwalk on Saturday, and spent the early afternoon of Sunday reading on the beach. Hopefully it was not the last weekend of “summer,” but if it was, it was beautiful: clear skies, a breeze now and then, and temperatures in the 70’s.
Saturday night Father Maynard and I went out to dinner with a parishioner named Collette. We ate at Maria’s in Sea Girt. I had an eggplant appetizer, a Beck’s, and Veal Saltimbocca. Collette had the Veal Saltimbocca as well, and Father Maynard had an artichoke appetizer and the Scrod. Every meal came with a bowl of pasta and a salad. Needless to say, I was stuffed.
As I write this, I am back in Newark, listening to “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got,” by William DeVaughn. If you are not familiar with this song, youtube it.