Happy Birthday Luke!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Luke is the other half of our Golden pair that serves as our family’s pets. He’s three today and still a puppy at heart!

Luke came into our lives right after we lost our first family dog, Tyler. He had to adjust not only to a new surrounding, but to having a BIG sister who honestly though him stupid at first. But it wasn’t long before he captured her heart and is now her bestest friend.

Luke is one smart Golden who can handle catching a Frisbee with not only his teeth, but his two front paws as well. He can catch a soccer ball by standing on his back feet and catching it with both front paws! He’s awesome. He’s got a quiet personality and rarely barks, but when he does, he wants and demands our attention 100%. He’s a mush and a love.

The two of them add so much to our lives and I couldn’t imagine life without them. Dogs add to our lives more than I could ever put into writing.

Summer is Here! (and so are the Bennies)

OY Vey! The summer season at the New Jersey shore is now officially open for business, which means the bennies have arrived! The traffic gets thicker and the area more congested with summer tourists. Oh sure they do bring in extra cash, but…

Despite the extra annoyances living at the shore during the summer bring, I wouldn’t like, nor can I imagine living anywhere else during the summer months. I like that I can drive a few minutes and get to the beach and the boardwalk. Okay, maybe not “minutes” during the summer, but I can get there faster than someone living near Trenton or North Jersey!

I like that I can go from the beach to the local grocery store all damp and sandy and no one notices me. I blend right in. Unlike the beanies who stand out on any given day. (see below)



Being a local, I know all the quiets spots yet undiscovered by the "bennies." So when I want time alone on the beach without all the hubbub they bring, I head to my secret place and pay that it is never discovered. Or I avoid the whole traffic mess and stay at home on my deck, which has not yet been discovered by any group of tourists!

So the summer has begun, but then so has the count down until the "bennies" go home again and the peace and quiet of the New Jersey shore can be seen and heard again without the noise of traffic congestion.

From the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/) the definition of “bennies” is as follows:
“The stupid tourists from up north, they increase traffic, pollute the beach (they say it is the locals fault), and all round cause havoc.”