Of love letters in the sand, and National Lighthouse Day
Someone spelled out 'Marry Me' in the sand. Photo courtesy Chuck Collins
My old pal Chuck snapped this heartwarming photo during his beach walk in Sea Isle this morning, around 54th Street. We’re not sure who was popping the question or what kind of response they received, but we did have some fun speculating.
Anyone in Sea Isle know the (hopefully) happy couple? If you do, let us know, and we’ll share the good news here on Down The Shore. We’re nothing if not suckers for a good Shore romance.
Speaking of romance, today is National Lighthouse Day, and folks on both coasts are celebrating their favorite beacons, posting some spectacular shots on Twitter. It’s an annual observance begun in 1989, marking the 200th anniversary of an Aug. 7, 1789 Congressional resultion, “An Act for the Establishment and support of Lighthouse, Beacons, Buoys and Public Piers.” Justin Auciello has some more info on local Lighthouse Day festivities, too.
I’m a Cape May girl at heart, but I confess that the Barnegat Lighthouse holds a special place in my heart and household.
See, back in 1997, I was a girl reporter for the Asbury Park Press, covering Southern Ocean County and Long Beach Island. I lived on the bayside in Surf City at the time, and on my first date with this blue-eyed guy named John, we spent a long day on LBI, including a windswept visit to Old Barney.
That evening, as we said our goodbyes on the porch in that interested-but-not-too-affectionate way you do on a first date, the Hale-Bopp comet was fully visible in the sky above us. And friends, if that’s not a sign of something, I don’t know what is. The same night, a photographer from the Press caught this image of the comet streaking over the sky at Barnegat Light.
John and I have been together ever since, and that photo holds a place of honor in our home, a reminder of the romantic magic of the Jersey Shore.
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