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| May 27, 2005 Alex (the one with the dark purple vest, 3rd from right) and the gang came up to the Shack to get their pictures taken prior to the prom...geesh, it was just like a wedding with all the parents, flashes going off, guys in tuxes. Amazing. Anyway, left to right it's Bubba, Anthony, Craig, Kevin, Alex, Mike and Brian. Lots of guys, not as many dates. A bunch of 'em went stag, which was cool. |
| Close-up of Craig, Kevin, Alex and Mike. Hmm, Mike...admiring something on one of the other guy's tuxes?? |
| Finally, the girls! Wow...they sure look different from when I went to the prom!! Very glamorous. XX, Ashley and Ashley |
| Brian and Ashley, along with Brian's oh-so-lovely tux, shirt and red vest that Ashley made him buy. Let's just say Brian wasn't a happy camper. |
| But at least he didn't have to wear what Joey wore...WHAT WAS HE THINKING?? So glad Alex changed his mind about getting a white tux...SO very glad!! |
| Here's Alex, his buddy Brian's dad, Alan and Mike. |
| Here are all the couples, so nicely color-coordinated!! |
| Saturday, August 13, 2005 Cadet Chapel, West Point, NY The time and location of where my nephew, Nick, married his high school sweetheart, Danielle. |
| My son, Alex, nephew Chris and sister-in-law (mother of the groom) Galina, waiting outside in the 95+ degree heat. Can you say "MELT"?? |
| My brother, Stephen, helping Cadet Steve Benedetti with his belt. Poor kid...woolen uniform, gloves, hat...certainly not a choice he'd make to wear in this heat! Course, the gloves came in handy as a fine substitute for a towel!! Just didn't wanna shake his hand later! |
| Stephen, father of the groom. |
| Galina, waiting for the festivities to start. |
| Here's their powder-blue chariot, ready to whisk them off to the reception after the ceremony. |
| Here's the young lieutenant captain waiting for his bride to come down the aisle. |
| It's all over but the shouting! Their grand exit through the sabres. |
| Danielle's surprised laugh after being whacked in the a**, welcoming her into the Army! |
| The happy couple climbing into the car, complete with tin cans tied to the bumper. |
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| May 21, 2005 A visit to my buddies, Kelly and Paulie, in Toms River, and a few hours out on their boat. Ah...what could be better?! Add a couple Cosmopolitans and snackage and you're just about in Nirvana! |
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| Here's the marina where he docks his boat..."Up The Creek" in Bayville.. Little place, but picturesque nonetheless. |
| This one Paulie oughta be charging for...giving the guy free advertising!! |
| The master of his boat!! |
| And there he is with his mistress...er, uh...wife...my best bud, Kelly. |
| Ya KNOW there has to be some major sunscreen happening today, cause... |
| ...this redhead is gonna FRY without it! |
| Here we are, out at Tice's Shoals, in the Barnegate Bay. This was right before the season started, so there weren't all that many people, maybe only 3 other boats, but I've been told that it gets packed gunwale to gunwale (see...I know nautical terms) during the summer. Hope to get down to actually see and experience that! |
| Same folks, different angle. Thank goodness Paulie has a looooong arm! |
| Ah....the satisfaction of a relaxing day out on the boat, taking in the salty air, and a couple of those afore-mentioned Cosmos! Don't worry...he boated responsibly!!! |
| Go down to the bottom to see pictures from August 2005! |
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| again... |
| Back again. So much for wanting to come down once a month during the summer...3 months go by before I do a return visit, darn it! |
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| Paulie got himself a new boat recently and thi was my first trip out with them. GREAT boat...30', a real cabin, real bathroom (can be REALLY important!) and a swim platform, not that we swam, but it's still a good thing to have, I guess! |
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| Paulie's the captain of his boat. |
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| See...his chair says it, so it MUST be true!!. |
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| Our destination for the afternoon...Martell's. Very cool place. You drive your boat up either to the dock and park, or tie up to one of the buoys and they bring out a little jitney to pick you up. We chose the former, but with the swells in the bay that day, I think Paulie was regretting that choice!! We kinda got banged up a bit against the dock. |
| There she is...sometimes a little banged up, but holding up well against the waves. |
| Paulie working hard to tie the boat up. |
| His reward?? A great platter of sushi. |
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| Our reward? A margarita and strawberry daquiri! |
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| The obligatory pier shots, post sushi, oyster shooters and reggae music. A great time had by all... Well, maybe not the oysters... |
| Ms. Glam Shot with the toe rings and ankle bracelet! |
| We're on our way back to Tice's Shoal, where we'd been back in May. This time there were WAY more people, so we got the true feel of the place. |
| Last time, maybe five boats. This time...5 times that many, at least. It was really cool. You wouldn't believe that the water was only 4-5 feet deep, but you actually saw people wading through it, sometimes just waist deep. Unbelievable. |
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| Here's one of the flotillas, all tied to one another, hanging out for the day, and perhaps even the evening. They even bring their dogs and go out for a swim together. |
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| Unfortunately, the day has to wind down. We had a GREAT time, the weather held out, and the sun decided to give us a fine show for our trip back to the marina. Back to the mosquitoes...waiting in droves for us!!! |
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| Next day... Kelly and I always go walking on the boardwalk when I come down. This is the Funtown Pier that's just on the edge between Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. We typically spend about 2 hours strolling up and down, and I'd wanted to go out on the sand, but OH MY GOD...it was so hot that day I'm surprised it hadn't turned to glass. How those people could stand to walk on the sand is beyond me. Needless to say we walked a bit, got a couple new frames for the weekend's pictures, and skedaddled back into the air-conditioned car. |
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