FOURTH PLACE - JERSEY BAYSHORE DIARY CONTEST By Genevieve Kelly Thursday, 26 Jun 14 10am This morning, I woke up around 7am, mostly because my dogs were barking for their breakfast. It was a bit early, given that today was the first vacation day that I have taken this summer and I had intended to sleep later. But, that’s okay, I had a lot of fun planned for the day. Today was the first real opportunity that I had some time to explore my new hometown, Keyport, and it was such a perfect one! I have lived here for almost a full month and really didn’t know much about the town. I couldn’t have asked for better weather-the sun was shining, the soft summer bay breeze drifted into our open windows. A quick walk around the neighborhood with my dogs, I couldn’t help but notice that there are so many dogs in town! We went to the small beach at the end of the block, where Frodo happily jumped in the water as Pippin sat back and watched. If Frodo’s reaction to the beach was any indication, I think that we are all going to love it here. I brought the dogs back home and set out for coffee and breakfast. I walked the few blocks to the downtown area, Front Street, where I where I decided to get coffee and breakfast at Leonora’s Café. It was a lovely morning, so I chose to sit at an outdoor table to enjoy the weather. After breakfast, I grabbed another coffee to go, and headed to the waterfront promenade. All along Front Street there were beautiful container gardens, overflowing with vines and bursting with color. Public spaces were all planted with colorful and meticulously manicured gardens, all maintained by the Keyport Garden Club. Along my stroll, I noticed the butterfly art hanging on the streetlamps and pretty mosaics on the garbage bins. Over near the boat ramp, there were large sculpted benches, awaiting their mosaic adornments. The sign near the benches accredited the Keyport Arts Society. Not only do we have a Garden Club to beautify this town, we also have an Arts Society! So many treasures around, it is obvious why the town is nicknamed the “Pearl of the Bayshore”! Yes, I made the right decision in moving to Keyport. I walked up the hill, toward Broad Street, and winded through blocks where stately Victorian homes, framed with filigreed wrought iron fences, graced the quiet streets. The majestic beauty of these homes was a souvenir of the town’s long history. That history fascinated me, and was one of the things that drew me to town. Somewhere along the way I saw a sign for free kayaking on the bay, sponsored but the Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative, every Thursday. Well, I will have to check that out later, but for now, I am off to get some errands done. 11pm I decided to wait until next Thursday for my kayak adventure. Instead, I did some gardening and shopped at the Farmer’s Market downtown. I stopped at Espresso Joe’s, the local coffee shop, for an iced coffee. Their coffee is excellent, and I decided to stay for the concert at the minipark. The sun was setting over the bay, creating a striking display of reds and oranges over the sky. Good bands, great coffee, lots of people, set to the backdrop of a dramatic sunset. I cannot imagine a better ending for this day. So, as I settle in for the night and reflect over my somewhat long and kind of productive day, I am quite pleased with my decision to make Keyport my new home. I look forward to getting active with some of the local clubs and becoming a part of the community that makes this town so special. Good night for now!
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:56:27 +0000
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