My brother and I would leave the house in the morning to swim, boat or what ever our little hearts desired. Our cottage was located on a span of the island that was three blocks wide, the ocean on one side and the bay on the other. The days were spent discovering wonderful things that we shall never forget. We would come home in time for lunch and then head out again and make it back home as Mom was fixing dinner. I remember after the long days play Mom would dress me up in pretty pastel organdy dresses that she made for me. My hair was white from the sun and Mom would put it up in braids and tie silk ribbons on the braids to match the little dresses. After dinner we would go to Spray Beach Yachet Club for dances and scavinger hunts, or the family would go to the beach and walk in the moonlight.
The first summer there we had to learn how to swim, within a few weeks we were fish. Daddy got us each our own boats, my brother got a Sneak Box, a small sailboat, named "The Fighting Fool". Mine was a little row boat named "The Ruthann", what else!!!
We learned how to dig for clams and go crabbing, sometimes we brought dinner home. We found a place on the bay where we could swim with the seahorses, what a wonderful memory.
It was a magical time, a time I shall never forget. My dream is to return once more to Beach Haven to visit my memories there. My wish is that every child could experience the freedom and wonder that we did, I pray that we can somehow restore that same safe and secure environment to our children that we experienced in those days.
