Birthday weekend: sublime to ridiculous: Part 2

A walk on the civilized beach in the last post was followed by a trip to Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook, which is a National Park and former army missle site.  There are lots of places to walk, the beach is undeveloped and scrubby, and the sand is rough.

It is a photographer's dream -- especially one who loves the grit of old, dilapidated buildings.  Perfect for me! This is just a small sample.

 

 

There were lots of rusty objects but I think it is a crime to remove things from Army property. So, on to the more luxurious part of the weekend... Part 2A.

I treated my girls (Hilary, Jessica, Anne Marie, and Nancy) to a spa weekend at the Hilton and we had a wonderful time.  Massages, followed by an afternoon of shopping at the Short Hills Mall. It was pure luxury for these moms who never get away by themselves to just wander without having to look at their watches. We did some serious damage and enjoyed ourselves in the process.

Dinner at the hotel was rather hilarious, due to the horrible service. The restaurant manager, Jason, charmed us all (and vice-versa) and we ended up being comped drinks, wine, extra appetizers, and dessert.  He brought out the chef so we could tell him what was good (he took credit) and not good (he claimed there was a substitute chef cooking the bad stuff) and we all had a wonderful time. It is not everyone who can turn multiple annoyances into a really fun evening, but Jason truly did. 

 A memorable celebration and enough laughter to last me for a while.

Do you think I will get my wish?