A Sort of Homecoming

And you hunger for the time

Time to heal, desire, time

And your earth moves beneath

Your own dream landscape. 

"A Sort of Homecoming"

-U2

This "off-season" is the first one since we bought our house in Lake Como back in May, 2015, when Margaret and I spent zero weekends at the beach.  Although it is our summer escape, we use it year-round.  I am my father's son, which is to say that I am parsimonious.  If I pay for something, I intend to get what I deem to be fair use out of it.  The bank that holds the mortgage on our little Paradise by the Sea cares not that we use it as our summer home.  They demand a payment every month.  And since I have to pay them every month, I get my money's worth out of my summer home, even when summer is months away.  

Not this year.  

COVID-19 is only responsible for a very small portion of the disruption in our off-season action plan.  At the end of last summer, we hired a contractor to do what turned out to be a substantial renovation to our home.  Last fall, Margaret and I were in "pre-construction" mode, packing things up, moving furniture, etc. in anticipation of the renovation, which began right after New Year's Day.  Our contractor, John Case, did a masterful job.  I cannot sing his praises loudly enough.  It was a substantial enough project that it took until mid-March to complete...just in time for "the global pandemic". 

So, between construction and contagion, we spent zero nights in Lake Como from September through May.  When here, I love to run on the boards and on the beach.  I had not run a step on either since September - until I went out for a short 2.8 mile run to/from the Shark River Inlet at sunrise on Friday morning.  

I knew I had missed being on the boards.  I did not realize how much until I was running on them north towards Avon and then back home.  

17th Avenue Beach, Belmar

approximately 10 minutes to sunrise

People sitting on beach awaiting sunrise

Belmar

Shark River Inlet (Belmar side) 

approx. a minute or two before sunrise

Belmar Fishing Club Pier

approx. a minute or two after sunrise

16th Avenue Beach Playground, Belmar

approx. ten minutes after sunrise

17th Avenue Beach, Belmar

approx. ten minutes after sunrise

After I reached our beach on 17th Avenue, I headed up 17th to home.  It is truly a privilege and a blessing to be able to spend the time I did in my most favorite place and at my most favorite time of day.  

-AK