Rollin' Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

Hooray for summer! Each year on the first day of summer, 
I sing a song made famous by the incomparable Nat King Cole. 
It's just a good old fashioned fun song that is guaranteed to make you happy!
I have to share it with you, so you can learn it and sing along.

For your listening and toe-tapping pleasure,
courtesy of a BBC special back in 1963 called 
"An Evening with Nat King Cole," and YouTube, is
"Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer!"

Another of my posts:
"When I Fall in Love" ~ Nat King Cole

Nagle’s Apothecary Café - Ocean Grove, NJ

The morning we headed to Ocean Grove, New Jersey,

we noticed a busy corner diner called Nagle's and stopped in for breakfast.

Established in 1901 as a pharmacy, Nagle's Apothecary Cafe is now a popular eatery.

Walk up to the window for an ice cream sundae or root beer float,

try one of their famous club sandwiches at a sidewalk umbrella table,

or step inside... into another era.

Wall-to-wall memorabilia lends a nostalgic mood.

There's quite a collection of antique pharmaceuticals on display! 

This road sign from the past reminds us of a time when the

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association

imposed tight regulations on the town.

No carriages, automobiles or even bicycles allowed on Sundays!

We sat at the old marble counter, and perused the menu.

"Your Prescription to a Bygone Era"

Vegetable omelette, home fries, rye toast, coffee.

Fueling up for the day!

Oak cabinets, hexagon tiled floors, brass hardware

and vintage candy treats for sale - it's all in the details.

Nagle's Apothecary Cafe is located at

43 Main Ave., Ocean Grove, NJ.

Enjoy another post on

Ocean Grove, NJ!

Ocean Grove, New Jersey

We'd heard so many good things about Ocean Grove, New Jersey

that we decided to take a day-trip to see what all the hubbub was about.

L-O-V-E-D it!
Super family spot. Clean, well-tended beach and boardwalk.
Slow paced. An aura of a simple life of days gone by.

A bit of history~

Back in 1869, a Methodist church camp was formed. 

Gradually, the meeting place attracted folks to form a community around it, 

and a little seaside town grew from there, becoming what we know as Ocean Grove.

Tight regulations were enforced. 
The sale of liquor was prohibited within a 1-mile radius of the town. 

On Sundays, which were set aside for worship and rest, the beach was closed 

and the use of carriages, automobiles and bicycles was banned.

The Great Auditorium

Ocean Grove is known for its tent houses. Back in the day, there were 660 of them.

Today, the remaining 114 are set up each spring on their wooden platforms.

Some are occupied by families who've tented there 
each summer through 4 and 5 generations!

To ensure time for church-going, 
Ocean Grove beaches don't open until noon on Sunday.

Along with rules of the beach and tide times, 
the signs here include a "Scripture of the Day!" Awesome!

Street signs are stylish concrete and mosaic markers.

Oh, the lovely Victorian architecture! Pure charm!

We're not ones to pass up a kiddie-run lemonade stand!

Here's a post on Ocean Grove's

Nagle's Apothecary Cafe!

Learn more about Ocean Grove, New Jersey

at the Chamber of Commerce website.

The Art of … Seashells

kajasa klaesen

Sea Shell

-by Amy Lowell

Sea shell, sea shell,

Sing me a song, O please!

A song of ships, and sailor men,

And parrots, and tropical trees,

Of islands lost in the Spanish Main

Which no man ever may find again,

Of fishes and corals under the waves,

And seahorses stabled in great green caves.

Sea shell, sea shell,

Sing of the things you know so well.

blackteacafe

DeepColouredWater

Barbara Groenteman

Anna Novikova

OrangeTail

Annie Hobbs

Marjolein Bastin

Lilly Pulitzer

Layered Glass Wave Sculptures by Ben Young

Having grown up on the shore of New Zealand and now living in Sydney, Australia,

Ben Young enjoys a life that's always been centered around the ocean.

An avid surfer, he builds boats for a living.

It's easy to see, therefore, how he'd be inspired to 

"dive into" this artistic interpretation of waves!

Using sheets of glass, he cuts and layers them to perfection.

Ben is a self-taught artist, preferring to do all of his work without the use of a computer.

Now watch this video!

Ben's website is called Broken Liquid.

He's also on Facebook.

Images used with direct permission from Ben Young.

Driftwood Art by Drifting Concepts

Naomi of London, Canada, gleans driftwood from the shores of Lake Erie.

With a keen eye for design, she uses each piece to create marvelous home decor.

Art directly from nature - what could be better?

Perfect accents for a beach or lakeside home, or to add a splash of summer to any home!

Here's the DriftingConcepts Etsy shop!

Images used with direct permission from Naomi of DriftingConcepts.