By: Chrysa Smith

ptpleasantbeach

I’m hardly a loner, but I do like my time alone.

And I sure love my summer beach time, but I also like it about now.

Weird? Not really. Because there’s a silent beauty, awe of nature and the divine when you walk along the shore when nobody is there. Plus the sun is just a lot warmer these days. Dare I say I get more spirituality there than I do in church these days? (OK—thunderbolt) Being alone in the beauty of creation can’t be beat—and especially when your own internal thoughts are good ones—aahh—nirvana! But enough on the deep side. How about a little treasure? Well today I found it once again—all good blessings.

I happened to be in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey for a school visit. Four blocks from the beach, I had to surrender. So I walked along the boardwalk at 8:30am and it was grand. Sun shining on the ocean and on me; everything boarded up tight for the soon-to-be in-season seaside dwellers. After my work, I asked about lunch, and was pointed toward the cutest, quirkiest café called The Beanery. It reminded me of so many off-the-beaten-path, but unique finds that warm your heart. Eclectic interior design (pieces of plates and cutlery were bound into the stucco wall) and creative lunch menu made a great little respite mid-day. Things like herb mayonnaise, croissants, thick-sliced multi-grain, homemade-tasting bread, grilled veggie and cheese wraps, spinach and cheese quiches were followed by luxurious desserts including a snowball—cake layers with coconut ganache and chocolate shavings. Wow! What can you give up today to make that calorie count work in your favor? If I were a coffee drinker, I would have opted for one of the delicacies of the day—it smelled absolutely scrumptious.

While eating, I noticed some cute boutiques across the street, and they were all open. So I wandered over to Sunshine Daydream. What a find! The shop was filled with trendy and nicely priced jewelry—-bracelets similar to Alex and Ani (but with mix and match charms), dangling earrings, other mix and match trinkets and chains and I wound up with a cuff bracelet for $16. It’s got a filigree design and goes well with my other bracelets. And if it should break from all of the opening and closing? Well, I won’t cry. I might have to return and get myself another. The center of town had lots of shops open—lots to explore. And the town is much closer to those of us who live north of Philadelphia than my usual favorite— Ocean City. For a change of pace or a quick run to the beach, even before summer, it’s worth the trip. Sand, ocean, food, sunshine and shopping? What could be better than that?

Check out the jewelry shop online at www.sunshine-daydream.com. Check out The Beanery at http://www.thebeanery.net/. And check out other finds on Bay Avenue in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ.