Our week at the Shore came to an end on Satruday. We had a great time and missed it as soon as we left. Some highlights:

• bodysurfing — I think Stone Harbor and Avalon might have the best bodysurfing conditions anywhere. Suitable waves could be found regardless of the tides. I caught rides on all but one day of our stay, but that was mostly because a storm had churned up a lot of seaweed and I didn’t feel like bodysurfing in a salad bar.
• bicycling — I went for a ride all but one of the full days we where there. All told, I got in over fifty miles of riding in. The best ride was a 16 mile round trip to The Wildwoods — the only time I left the island Stone Harbor is on.
• five days without air conditioning — we were able to keep the windows open in comfort for the first five days we were there. A Thursday morning storm changed the weather pattern and necessitated turning the air conditioning on.
• Not driving — my car sat from Saturday to Saturday. I may have taken three car trips all week, all as a passenger.
• Reading — for most of the week, I got The Press of Atlantic City and of course The Times. I also bought The Inky for the days the Nats were playing the Phillies. I also read a couple hundred more pages of The Power Broker by Robert Caro.
• No TV — I might have seen 15 minutes of television while I was there.
• No computers — I need a break and when I’m down the Shore, I’m off line.
• Springers — I was disciplined though, only two trips to the ice cream stop that has been there since the 1920s. My paternal grandfather went there when he was a kid.
• And of course spending time with my family, especially Erica.

I’ll have more to talk about as the week goes on.