Is that all there is?

We got away to N. Wildwood Beach, NJ this weekend. Memae drove, Rolf sat shotgun, Puck and I in the back seat with the luggage, so that d'Ohgy could stretch out in the back of their jeep for the four hour ride on Friday night. Saturday morning we had bagels in our pajamas as we sat by the fire (gas) and read magazines, did crossword puzzles, and talked. Before lunch Puck, Rolf and I took d'Ohgy for a walk to the beach and looked for sand dollars. It was very cold, so cold that there were frozen bubbles of sea foam covering large swaths of beach.

Back at the house, we warmed up by the fireside and struggled with the quandary of what to do. Even if we did go out and had a great time, we still had to get out of our pajamas (which we still had on under our clothes), and leave the fireside. In the end, we decided to go to Atlantic City for lunch and slots.

We've never been to Atlantic City before. The first casino was Caesar's, which I thought had replicas of the horses from St. Marks Square pulling Caesar in a chariot. Inside, all the statuary made me recall and revel in the memory of our trip to Italy. (That happens all the time; and I love it!)

We settled in at some slot machines, first playing quarter slots and enjoying the occasional free wee drink. Rolf was so funny. He's get so close to winning a jack pot, that we'd all stop to watch the wheel's spin and when he lost he'd look up and spit "Devil!" I don't know why, but it was really funny. Of course every time he won, he'd giggle and clap and say "Oh, I love this, I'm going to quit my job!"

Alas, we could have bought a new vase with our winnings if we had stopped when we were ahead. He was ahead three hundred dollars one time. And after he lost that, I was ahead one hundred dollars another time. But all in all, it was a fun day and we didn't lose too much. They did make money off of us, that's for sure!

We picked up dinner at the grocery store. It was very good - the fresh tortellini with chicken and herbs, Ragu Organic Marinara (which I picked because it had a little less sugar than others - I don't like sweet pasta sauces,) spring salad mix, and a lite Italian dressing with Romano cheese, Pepperidge Farms Rosemary Olive Oil Artisan Breads, and baklava for dessert; all from packages, quick easy and delicious.

After dinner, back in our pajamas and sitting fireside, we drank a bottle of Peppoli Chianti ($22 at Trader Joe's for special guests), and played Mindtrap and Yahtzee.

Sunday morning we spent more time lazing about, reading papers, and doing crosswords. I walked d'Ohgy to the shoreline and back, before we packed up, straightened up, and headed home driving into the blinding sunshine and for which we were rewarded with a magnificent sunset over the Delaware River.

We were home for dinner and I made Rolf a salad of cannellini beans toasted in olive oil, avacodo, and shrimp, on a bed of baby spinach, dressed with a lime, olive oil, and salt. It was delicious.

All the best,
Vig

I know what you must be saying to yourselves.
If that's the way she feels about it, why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me.
I'm not ready for that final disappointment.
'Cause I know, just as well as I'm standing here talking to you,
That when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath,
I'll be saying to myself…
Is that all there is?

Then let's keep dancing.