Sure, we went to the Shore.

Sure it's a little early in the season to be going to the Jersey Shore, but we're not complaining.

We had the entire beach to ourselves, and once we got numb, the water felt just fine.

Elisabeth loved playing in the sand, but was very concerned about the waves, so she kept her distance. The boys and I attacked the ocean with all of our might, and like I said, once we got numb, it was just fine. Mild hypothermia never hurt anyone, if ya ask me.
 

We also went to the Cape May County Zoo, which was really nice. The grounds of the zoo are beautiful. It’s not like the zoos in Baltimore, or Philly, or even Washington D.C., where you make a special trip just to see the zoo and can plan on spending the entire day there, but there is a lot to see and it was a nice way to spend part of our day. They had giraffes, zebras, a nice reptile house, birds-o-plenty, lions, tigers, and bears. The only glaring omissions are the lack of great-apes and elephants, but the visit to the zoo was well worth it. Besides, if Simon and Garfunkel taught us anything, it’s that “elephants are kindly but they're dumb,” and of course, “Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages, and the zookeeper is very fond of rum.” So, we don’t mind missing these dumb skeptics and their drunk handlers. Oh, I forgot to mention... the Cape May Zoo is FREE of charge!

Overall, it was a good trip, especially when we decided to take the long way home, and ended up lost in some “town.” Here’s how lost we were: I asked a guy at a gas station where we were and he couldn’t give me a straight answer – “I don’t mean to be a smart, but you’re here.” I pulled out a map, and he's like, "That map ain't gonna help you 'round here, boy." Great. It’s “Deliverance” all over again. We jumped back in the van and ran roughshod over everything in our way until we found the turnpike. Speaking of turnpike, New Jersey is one big turnpike. Here in Pennsylvania, when someone tells us they’re from New Jersey, the proper response is simply, “which exit?” I wonder if New Jersey people have Pennsylvania jokes.

It was a fun trip, but it's good to be back home. I was born and raised in Lebanon, PA., and I like it here. Very rarely do we have earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, or things of that sort. We have four distinct seasons, which is nice. And if you want to see stuff, a few hour drive will get you to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, the Jersey Shore, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and a host of other places I like to visit but sure wouldn't wanna live there.

Thanks for getting the mail, Jason. I found it right where you left it. Um, Mr. K... what exactly did you feed my cat? He don't look so good.