A Rose By Any Other Name?

When I am sharing posts about my

home town I often refer to it as

the 'Jersey Shore'.

Lately that connotation may

not smell as sweet as it once did.

If any of you are familiar with

MTV's show titled by

the same name you may be

wondering what kind of

hell hole I actually live in.

This is the cast of The Jersey Shore

 which was indeed filmed in our neck of

the woods, however they do not depict

in any way what the locals are all about!

Sadly the young people in this

show demonstrate poor ideals

and have left a rather black mark

on our community.

I often share photos and posts

about our mountain cabin

but have neglected to share info

on my hometown.

To dispel any negative images

this show has left I have decided

to show you around town.

Toms River is the seat of Ocean County,

one of the largest in NJ.

Travel just across the bridge

and you arrive at what we refer to as the Jersey Shore.

The barrier islands are dotted with many small towns

all offering everything from a quiet seaside resort to

the load, neon lit boradwalk.

In the off season it is relatively quiet here

 (we do have a year round population of over 90,000).

In the summer months the numbers swell

thousands of tourists descend upon the area.

The boradwalk offers lots of entertainment,

rides, food and games of chance.

As a local I prefer to go to the State Park beaches.

Even they get crowded in the summer but they

tend to attract more families with young kids.

As a State Park there are places off the beaten

track where you can find a secluded spot.

At the very tip of the island you can see across the inlet

to the Barnegat Lighthouse, the one in my watercolor painting.

It is really a beautiful area, one I take for granted most

of the time. It can be easy to focus on the

negative and overlook the natural beauty.

Let's travel back over the bridge which spans the Barnegat Bay,

the mouth of the Toms River empities right into it.

You can follow the river into the historic

downtown area. The river itself

is dotted with marinas.

It can look quite beautiful at sunset

or sunrise.

Ther are lots of folks who enjoy sailing along the river.

The downtown area is lovely as well

and offers restaurants, shops, the library

and many historical sites as well.

The area dates back to pre revolutionary days,

and is quite rich in history.

Travel across town to the bay side and you can see across

to the barrier islands.

Thre are lots of salt marshes on this side of town

with lots of beautiful shore birds.

Over all it's a very nice place to live.

Not at all what you might see

on television. Between MTV's

The JerseyShore,

 Desperate Housewives of NJ

and all the jokes about the

Turnpike it's a wonder anyone

takes us seriously.

I know this was rather long and

if you stayed with me this far,

 you can go now...

I'm sure you have lots to do!