Showing posts with label LBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LBI. Show all posts

Friday, January 28, 2022

An Indian Summer Dog Strike

Long Beach Island September 2010 on an Indian summer day, a human goes for a bike ride and takes his dog along for a run. 


 

It's in the high 80s with dripping humidity. A mile into the event dog sees large puddle, plops down, refuses to move.

 

Human dismounts and begins negotiation. Dog's deaf to sweet talk. Rubs belly across the refreshing pond. A block ahead human sees a stand-off solution. Persuades dog relief is near. Dog rises and they walk towards the curb-pride man watering his lawn. Like a silent movie, no words are passed. Human nods at hose guy. He nods back and aims an arc of rushing cool liquid at the hairy dog. Dog doesn't move. Dog is pleased.


















Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Summer's Last Kiss ~ Right On the Lips

The weather is spectacular in NYC.  But my mind is on the seashore. Knowing how good the city feels these late summer days and nights, they must be mind blowing on Long Beach Island.

A few shots from a past visit to the sea.

Do you like old New York City photos and stories? Then check out my 1960s memoir,"I Hate the Dallas Cowboys - tales of a scrappy New York boyhood."Available at Logos Book Store and online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

The book has 110 Amazon five star reviews out of 110 total reviews posted. We're pitching a perfect game. My old world echoes TV's "The Wonder Years" ~ just add taverns, subways and Checker cabs.

You can also purchase my photography portfolio, "River to River - New York Scenes From a Bicycle" on Amazon.






Beach Haven





Tuesday, August 19, 2014

LBI ~ Part Two

The ocean water is clean, seventy-four degrees and the surf, deceptively rough. The dog dug a hole, being a good guest; I joined Ricki in the hole. We stayed there covered with sand for an hour humming tunes, until a nosey pelican teased Ricki. We both rushed the bird. Exhausted from the two-block run, we went in the water to freshen up. When we came out, I fell on my back in the wet sand and Ricki rubbed my belly with her front paw. Then we switched and I rubbed her belly. Later, Ricki gave me an ear rub.

Our exhaustive mission left me sandy, breathless and sweaty. Ricki and I sniffed each other goodbye, and I returned to the backyard of the house to take my final outdoor shower. I’m going home today - that made me sad, but the shower softened my blues and I milked it like a final bite of a yummy pepperoni slice of pizza.


After I took my clothes off, I teased myself. I stuck one arm under the water, noticed the difference between the air temperature and the water’s temperature, played with it, then slowly passed my whole body through the shower. While the rope of water pounded my neck, my tension eased and I looked over the shampoo selection and noticed a purplish bottle with a frog colored top. I grabbed it and read the label,
“Herbal Essences - Totally Twisted - Curls and Waves Shampoo.”
If this was true, who knew what amazing things would happen to my hair? I read the back label, it talked to me.
“With a French fusion of lavender twist & jade extracts, I’m deliciously bent and your hair is, too.”
I couldn’t stop, my heart raced.
“Are you happy go loopy?”
That’s me! I’m in love with this amazing product.
“Happiness goes round. I’m essential to a curl’s life with a cleaning that’s totally springy.
My formula fuses French lavender and jade - makes curls and waves smooth, lush and defined. Use me: lather up, have a lush moment with your curls, rinse and repeat.”
I stretched my lush moment. I’d spent the last three days with hat head - my hair stuck flat to my brain’s roof, an area rug where a wavy plush oriental once laid. Poor shampoo choice. “Totally Twisted” promised curls and waves, I took a leap of faith.


Twenty minutes after drying off, my hair looked like a prairie. Waves, curls, I was bouffant; luckily it was a little windy and a bit humid, contributing to my full luxurious head of hair. I went to the LBI Chowder fest and the remarks thrown my way, made it clear, “Herbal Essences - Totally Twisted - Curls and Waves Shampoo” and me were going to be together for a long time.

At a red light, I heard two women crossing the street checking me out as they noticed me freshly showered behind the steering wheel.


“Holy crap!”
“Look, at those curls!”
“Did you see the waves on that guy?”








Thursday, September 5, 2013

"Going Out of My Head" @ Long Beach Island in 1981

In 1981, departing NYC for the Labor Weekend, I nearly lost my head during my first trip to Long Beach Island, N.J. Yesterday, the Nun asked us to write about what we did 32 summers ago, so I did, but most of the kids in the 4th grade class just looked at her funny.

Isn't that true, John Harvey, the teacher's pet?

Tonight @ 7:30pm, I'm talking out of school @ Phillip Giambri's Rimes of The Ancient Mariner Monthly Spoken Word and Open Mic :

Identity Bar & Lounge
511 East 6th Street, New York, New York 10009
View Map · Get Directions

Show starts @ 7:30pm, 
Doors open @ 7pm, so does
sign-up for the 5 minute open Mic slots.


Here are a few shots from Long Beach Island. A place I've returned to for 34 consecutive years.

Summer's Last Kiss ~ a facebook photo album from 2011.





Thursday, July 25, 2013

City Boy At The Beach

Having a perfect mixed weather week down Long Beach Island with old friends. Here are some of the things we're seeing here.

Two songs are on my mind.

"Bell Boy" ~ The Who

"A beach is a place where a man can feel he's the only soul in the world that is real."


"Summer Rain" ~ Johnny Rivers

"Summer rain taps at my window."

"I love sand in my hair, don't you?" ~ Tommy at Rockaway Beach, August 1955 ~ Check out the woman behind me with the Rheingold tall boy can.

Tommy ~ Rockaway Beach ~ 1955


There are new photos and new galleries at my site, "Thomas R. Pryor Photography."

Visit and view places you love: Yorkville, Carl Schurz Park, Central Park, Hudson River, Around NYC, Scenes From A Bicycle. Upcoming galleries: Coney Island and Rockaway Beach.

Prices are reasonable. Get a piece of Yorkville and NYC on your walls. Gift your friends who miss the old neighborhood.

Stop by "Thomas R. Pryor Photography."













Jack's Happy Turkey Burger


Monday, September 24, 2012

Summer's Last Kiss



Spent the last weekend of summer on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. Biked the barrier island up and down. Not much in life is better than a few daybreaks and sunsets at the beach. Here is a peek, more photos later in the week.



Indian Summer by The Doors

My first book of photos,  "River to River ~ New York Scenes from a Bicycle," is on sale for $12.95 @ Amazon.