Jersey Shore Artists: Kate Leigh Cutler, The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast, NJ Museum of Boating

Our neighboring artist, Kate Leigh Cutler, has a new show that really breaks new ground (or water) for her: The Maritime History of the Barnegat Coast. At least in the peek I've seen, her new paintings are dark and ominous, tales of storms and shipwrecks.

The show starts with an opening reception on Sunday, July 27th from 5-8pm, and runs through September 1, 2008, at the New Jersey Museum of Boating (at Johnson Brother's Boat Works) in Bay Head, NJ.

P.S. -- Today is Rex's birthday, and up until about an hour ago, the girls and I were empty-handed. Then we put a sand castle butter yellow cake in the oven and went over to Katie's Shell Cottage Studio to buy Storm Torches, the painting in the picture above. The cake didn't turn out so well from a visual perspective, but it's going to be delicious!

Best Restaurants of the Jersey Shore: Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime

The girls and I took Rex out for Father's Day dinner at Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. We took some great photos and even brought home a menu so I should be prepared to write a terrific review...but I've been a little beach lazy.

So for now, the best recommendation I can give you is....GO THERE! Make a reservation (732) 295-5400 -- they're open for dinner on weekends and may start to be open even more often in July. Be sure to order one of Dennis Foy's signature appetizers, a Tian of Crab...the word "crab cake" doesn't even begin to do it justice.

Happy for Theresa's South...The New Bay Head Restaurant Opened on Thursday Night for Dinner, but Had to Turn People Away Because They're Too Busy!

Rex cooked dinner at the beach tonight -- an amazing Bobby Flay recipe for pork tenderloin with an Asian sauce -- but we checked on our new restauranteur neighbors at Theresa's South, and found they've been open for business since Thursday night. Our neighbors are giving them raves, but rejected diners are marching back down Mount Street because the restaurant is too busy to feed them on Saturday night!

Despite the earlier protests of our year-round neighbors in Bay Head, New Jersey, we've had a restaurant on the corner of Mount Street and Route 35 for several years. It started with Heat Wave, which changed to Bay Head Bistro. The location changed hands again over this past winter, and a sign outside the restaurant proclaims that the owners of Theresa's, Mojave Grill, and Isabella's, all in Westfield, New Jersey, are bringing Theresa's South to Mount Street in Bay Head.

The restaurant won't take reservations, but you can call Theresa's South (732-892-1555) about 45 minutes before you're ready for dinner to get on their waiting list. Rex and I are planning to take the girls for dinner on Monday night. One of our neighbors told us that the appetizers, priced $8 to $12, are huge portions, and that Theresa's South serves up a mean linguine with baby clams for my Jedi clam eaters.

Theresa's South is located at 530 Main Avenue (Route 35) at the corner of Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ. Phone (732) 892-1555.

Best of Bay Head, New Jersey: Father's Day Weekend Recap

Rex and the girls and I had an absolutely glorious Father's Day Weekend at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey.

We took a Van de Kamp half-day off of school and work, singing along with Hannah Montana ("If we were a movie, you'd be the right guy, and I'd be the best friend, who you'd fall in love with in the end we'd be laughing, watching the sunset, fade to black, show the names, play the happy song") and Bruce Springsteen ("Girls in their summer clothes, pass me by....") on the iPod Classic as we beat the traffic heading down to the beach on the Garden State Parkway and Route 35. The girls painted seashells while I drank seasonal summer ales (including a tasty new one from Blue Moon called Honeymoon) and dropped EntreCards on our newly painted porch (see Point Beach Painting). We wandered down to check on Theresa's South, where we were hoping to have Father's Day Dinner on Sunday, but it is still closed and will not be open for another couple of weeks....we will try again for Rex's birthday at the end of the month.

That evening, Rex cooked his last meal of the weekend, a real treat for my Jedi Clam Eaters…two different types of clams from the Crab Shack in Brick, NJ: two pounds of traditional steamers and 50 grilled littlenecks and topnecks, with lemon butter for dipping.


Despite the weather forecast warning of afternoon showers, Saturday was the perfect day for Art in the Park, and we found a great deal of talent (some of which we took home with us) this year. London found three prints from William Bunting to give as gifts, including this school bus for Busdriver Dan.

Father's Day Weekend in Bay Head, New Jersey: Theresa's South Is Still Not Open!

Despite the earlier protests of our year-round neighbors in Bay Head, New Jersey, we've had a restaurant on the corner of Mount Street and Route 35 for several years. It started with Heat Wave, which changed to Bay Head Bistro. The location changed hands again over this past winter, and there's a sign that the owners of Theresa's, Mojave Grill, and Isabella's, all in Westfield, New Jersey, are bringing Theresa's South to Mount Street in Bay Head.

I had hoped to take Rex and the girls for an early Father's Day dinner this Sunday at Theresa's South, but when we arrived down here this afternoon (Friday the 13th) we noticed that there's still paper covering all of the windows and it doesn't look like the restaurant will be open during the month of June. I called the phone number listed for Theresa's South (732-892-1555), but they haven't even set up an answering machine or forwarded calls to one of their other restaurants.

Still hoping Theresa's South will open in time for Rex's birthday at the end of June.

Theresa's South is located at 530 Main Avenue (Route 35) at the corner of Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ. Phone (732) 892-1555.

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Art in the Park is this Saturday, June 14th!

The weather forecast is looking pretty nice for this year's Art in the Park celebration in Bay Head, New Jersey. Mid-70s, with just a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, and low 80s and sunny on Father's Day Sunday. Unless it rains, Art in the Park 2008 will be held this Saturday, June 14th, from 10am to 4pm in Centennial Park (use the municipal parking lot just off Bridge Avenue). In case the showers and thunderstorms prove to be a problem, the rain date is Father's Day Sunday, June 15th.

Join Rex and the girls and me at Art in the Park! There will be music playing all day long, and you can check out the following local Jersey Shore artists:

• George Allsopp from Brick, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Patricia Arroyo from Neptune City, NJ -- Pastels, Watercolors, Oils
• Mary Jo Austin from Lavallette, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Al Barker from Bordentown, NJ -- Watercolors (his painting, "Summer Beach" is shown at the top of this post and is available at the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ)
• Lisa Begin-Kruysman from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Ken Bernhard from Bridgewater, NJ -- Watercolors
• Lisa C. Budd from West Creek, NJ -- Watercolors
• William Bunting from Iselin, NJ -- Oils
• Beverly Canham from Manchester, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Miroslaw Chelchowski from Laurence Harbor, NJ -- Watercolors, Pencil
• Joy Clayton from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors
• Carol Colvin from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors, Pastels
• Marie Demarco from Wall, NJ -- Pastels
• Catherine Detrich from Middletown, NJ -- Watercolors
• Donna Ferrante from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolors
• Joel Garh from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Pen & Ink
• Alexander Gletow from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors
• Beverly Golembeski from Seaside Park, NJ -- Watercolors, Acrylics
• Ann Hayes from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Andrew Huntley-Robertson from Summit, NJ -- Oils
• Paula Kolojeski from Princeton, NJ -- Pastels
• Steve Lambert from Manchester, NJ -- Oils
• Jack Loder from Brick, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Rober A. Loder, Jr. from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Lise Masson from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Ramona Maziarz from Middletown, DE -- Pen & Ink
• Bert McNomee from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Philip Meyer from Totowa, NJ -- Oils
• Pauline Mickle from Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sheila Mickle from Brick, NJ -- Calligraphy, Pen & Ink
• Mary Monagle from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolor, Mixed Media
• Raymond Moran from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ninetta Nappi from North Bergen, NJ -- Watercolors
• Demetrius Patterson from Tinton Falls, NJ -- Acrylics
• Virginia Perle from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ellen Ricci from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Tracy Roccanova-Miller from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors, Giclee Prints
• Gloria Salmestrelli from Seaside Park, NJ -- Oils
• Ellen Scharfenberg from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sal Sorce from Manahawkin, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Amanda Viggiano from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Susan Wagner from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Watercolors
• Tom Williams from Valley Forge, PA -- Oils, Prints
• Gregory Zach from Wall, NJ -- Oils
• Joanne Zezula from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors

Dirt Devil Goes to the Beach

When Rex and the girls and I go to our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, there's little to no chance that we want to spend any time or energy on cleaning. "Let the sand in!" is one of the Rules of the Beach prominently posted in our Bay Head kitchen.

Now, there are all sorts of clever things people do to keep their homes clean without exerting much energy, but I haven't figured out the best one to suit our beach house. I know some people down South who keep a couple of goats named Thelma and Lance in their back yard to "mow" the grass without using any gas or electric energy. If someone spills some diinner on the kitchen floor, or some movie popcorn on the family room rug, they invite the two goats in to lap up the mess. But we really don't have room for a goat at our beach house in Bay Head, and our older daughter, London, would probably be allergic.

Instead, my secret energy-saving approach to housekeeping at the beach has been to leave the front door unlocked during the week when we're not around, waiting for the Dirt Thief to break, enter, and take the dirt away with him. I suspect that people come in all the time to use our bathroom on their way to and from the beach, and if each Dirt Thief would just take a handful of dust on his or her way out the door, we'd be spic and span in no time. Please don't bring up the "Dirt Thief" subject with Rex when you see us on the beach over Father's Day Weekend in Bay Head...you couldn't really say that Rex has been satisfied with my unique approach to cleaning.

Now one of our neighbors at the beach, who apparently wasn't stopping by to nominate me for the local Bay Head Chapter of Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, suggested that Dirt Devil has a better way to save energy on cleaning. The new AccuCharge Stick Vac and Hand Vac use 70% less energy – making AccuCharge the first cordless cleaning technology to earn Energy Star approval.

Let's have your vote here, friends and Bay Head neighbors...the Dirt Thief? Or the Dirt Devil?

Father's Day Weekend in Bay Head, New Jersey

Rex and the girls and I are taking a half day off from work and school on Friday to get a head start on our Father's Day Weekend in Bay Head, New Jersey. The weather promises to be sunny and not as hot as it has been up north and west in the Roxiticus Valley: mid-70s to low 80s all weekend, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.

I'm hoping our porch will be freshly painted by Steve of Point Beach Painting. We'll move all the outdoor furniture onto the porch and settle in for the summer.

While I haven't made reservations yet, we'll almost definitely have an early Father's Day dinner on Saturday night at Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime, and we'll see if the brand new Theresa's South is open for Sunday brunch or an early dinner on Mount Street in Bay Head.

Pssst...keep it a secret....here's a picture of one of the gifts the girls picked out for Rex:



I guess, with that hint, you'll all be able to find us on the beach...so much for the Witness Protection Program...Happy Father's Day!

My Witness Protection Program Relocation Recommendation: Bay Head, New Jersey

As we count down to tonight's premiere of USA Network's new original series In Plain Sight, USA Networks asks: Where would you go if you were in the Witness Protection Program?

Roxy recommends: Bay Head, New Jersey.


If I had to be moved as a part of the Witness Protection Program, and my neighbors at the beach didn't already know me so well, I would just settle in for a year-round relocation to Bay Head, NJ. When Rex and the girls and I head down to the beach for the month of August, we stop once at Shop Rite in Wall Township to load up on supplies, then we rarely leave "the island" for an entire month. Unlike our year-round home in the Roxiticus Valley/Mendham Township, New Jersey, where we have to drive 20 minutes for anything, Bay Head has everything we need within walking or biking distance.

Central Market is on the corner of Mount Street and Route 35 for a different sub sandwich every day: classic Italian, tuna, sloppy joe, Central special, roast beef...



In a short walk around town, there are art galleries (Kate Leigh Cutler, the Anchor & Palette) as well as shopping...the Beach House Classic Board Shop, Artisan's Galleria, The W.A.S.P., The Bee and the Shopper's Wharf. We jump into the convertible and head over the bridge to the Crab Shack on Mantoloking Road in Brick when Rex wants to cook fresh seafood for dinner, or there are many restaurant choices nearby: the new Theresa's South on Mount Street and Route 35, Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime on Route 35 headed into Point Pleasant Beach....I could go on and on.

In preparation for my relocation, I've taken the quiz, "Could you survive being in the Witness Protection Program"...



...and flunked with flying colors:


I guess I'd better stick with my life as a Roxiticus Desperate Housewife with a beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey. Come to think of it, some of my Bay Head neighbors are so secretive that they may have already relocated through the Witness Protection Program... I'm going to check out In Plain Sight tonight (Sunday, June 1st) at 10:00pm EDT on USA Network to learn more.

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Point Beach Painting

Time for a shout out to our painter: Steve of Point Beach Painting!

Rex and the girls and I are spending the next couple of weekends up north in the Roxiticus Valley, New Jersey, while Steve of Point Beach Painting freshens up the blue and white paint on the porch of our Bay Head NJ Beach House. Over Memorial Day Weekend, we received estimates from several local painters, and Point Beach Painting is the one we chose...Steve's family has been in the business forever, his prices are fair, and he was able to get started right away, so that when we return to the beach for Father's Day Weekend, our porch will be ready for us to settle in for the summer. I will be sure to post a picture of the completed project, so check back in mid-June.

If you live in the Bay Head - Pt. Pleasant Beach area and your beach house needs a refreshing paint job, call Steve at Point Beach Painting: (732) 899-8020.