Refreshing Summer Fruit Pops

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. raw honey
½ cup water
¼ medium mango, sliced
2 large strawberries, sliced
1 medium kiwifruit, peeled, sliced
¼ cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup fresh lime juice

Preparation:
1. Heat honey and water in small sauce pan over medium-high heat; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until well blended. Cool to room temperature.
2. Evenly place fruit in four ice pop molds. Set aside.
3. Combine honey mixture with lime juice; mix well.
4. Pour lime juice mixture evenly into ice pop molds; freeze for at least four hours, or until set.

Enjoy after a hot summer day at the beach!

Chilled White Sangria For Those HOT Summer Days!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons sugar
3 shots Calvados or other apple liquor
1 lime, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
3 ripe green apples seeded and cut into wedges
1 bottle white Rioja Spanish wine or other dry white wine
1 pint raspberries
Sparkling soda water, for topping off glasses of sangria at table

Directions:

Combine sugar, Calvados, lime, lemon, peaches and apples in a large pitcher. Cover with 1 bottle of Rioja wine and chill sangria several hours. To serve, spoon fruits into glasses or goblets, adding a few fresh raspberries in each glass, pour wine over top of the fruit. Top glasses of sangria off with a splash of soda water and serve.
Check out Rachel Ray's other recipes, she is really great at putting flavors together!

Enjoy!

Beach Town Living Without The Price! Check Out Ocean Gate, You Will Fall In Love With This Beach Town.

Ocean Gate is a quaint little beach town in Ocean County. Tucked away from the noise & traffic but only 10 minutes to the Parkway, this home is perfect if you want the beach lifestyle without the high price tag. A charming beach & a mile long boardwalk that hosts movies & bands, locally hosted pancake breakfasts, awesome steaks at The Anchor Inn, fun parades & a full service marina are just a few reasons to love this location. Only $207,000 for a 3BR/1BA, great floorplan, fireplace, fenced yard and more & does NOT require flood insurance!! Call/text me 1-609-284-3553 to see, or text me your email address for more pictures.  Go to www.ISellTheShore.com to search all properties for sale in Ocean County.

Ready To Leave The Country?

Are you or anyone you know planning on leaving the country if Trump or Hillary win the election?... Remember that I am a Real Estate agent and I am here to help! If you or someone you know is ready to pack up and leave, give them my number and I'll get them out of here ASAP! Call/text 1-609-284-3553. The market is great right now, interest rates are low...why wait? Start packing, I got this!

April 9 & 10th is OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND in Ocean County!!

Hey all!! This weekend, April 9th & 10th is OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND for all of Ocean County NJ!! Click here http://goo.gl/R4ep31 to see all of the Open Houses that are being held this weekend. It's a great time to buy or sell a home. Call/text me directly with any questions 1-609-284-3553 or if you are ready to sell or buy a home.  The market is great right now!  Interest rates are still low, buyers are out there but we do need more inventory.  Hope to see some of you out there this weekend.

The Causeway Bridge Update - Courtesy of www.tapinto.net and Kaitlyn Sharkey

By KAITLYN SHARKEY

March 23, 2016 at 7:55 PM

STAFFORD, NJ - Today at 2 p.m. a meeting was conducted by the New Jersey Department of Transportation at the Ship Bottom Borough Hall.  The meeting's purpose was to give the community, business owners, residents and tourists an opportunity to view the design plans for the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge Project.  The briefing was held by the NJDOT staff  and they updated the people on the current progress of the project.  The leaders gave updates about  the Thorofare Bridges Scour Protection plan along with Public Waterfront Access Improvements.

NJDOT employees began the presentation with a brief overview of the five contracted plans.  The scour protections were discussed first.  The department has added scour protections for the thorofare bridges.  The staff added that "the scour protections will enhance the reliability and safety of structures.”  The bridges are the only way on and off Long Beach Island and the plan is “designing protection in the case of an extreme event.”

The smaller thorofare bridges can't be completely destroyed and replaced due to the length of time that it would take to replace each and the lack of accessiblity for residents if that were to take place.  The thorofare bridges are currently being renovated.  

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The westbound thorofare bridge is currently being renovated.  That is expected to be completed in the next 2-3 weeks.  Traffic will be shifted back to two lanes during the peak summer months.  The DOT will begin work on the eastbound thorofare bridges during the offseason.  

In the next few weeks eastbound traffic will be shifted onto the new bridge. Westbound traffic will also be shifted onto the new bridge in the few weeks following the initial shift.

The DOT representatives could give no exact dates for the new traffic patterns, but total completion of the new bridge is expected no later than the end of July.

The new bridge will be 2,400 feet long and 55 feet over Manahawkin Bay.  The bridge will still contain two 12 foot wide lanes like the former bridge.  There will be a much larger shoulder and a walkway for pedestrians.

Once the new bridge is completely finished by July it will function for both eastbound and westbound traffic until the entire project project is complete.

The next contract will begin at the completion of this current contract.  That new contract will last approximately 2-3 years. This contract includes the rehabilitation of the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge.  

The bridge deck will be removed and completely restructured.  The project will be completed in 2020.  The new span will provide for eastbound traffic and the restructured "old" bridge will provide for westbound traffic.

Residents and citizens expressed a number of concerns during the meeting.  A  Cedar Bonnet Island resident expressed his concerns with the road near Dutchman’s that tends to be closed without notice at times during construction.  This results in a detour to get to his home.   Management from the Dutchman's Restaurant requested that a sign be posted to let people know when the underpass with access to his restaurant eastbound is closed.   The DOT staff reassured all that the underpass will not be closed after May 15th.  

This resident expressed concern about safety for Cedar Bonnet Island residents in the event of emergencies.  Surf City Assistant Fire Chief Robert Luft spoke up and reassured the residents the neighboring fire and police departments have clear plans in place to assist those living on Cedar Bonnet Island.

A significant addition to the project is the recreational facilities that will be constructed according to the Public Access Plan.  There will be nature trails, pavilions with beautiful views, fishing and crabbing areas for the public to enjoy near the large bridge.

Five parking lots will be constructed by the Spring of 2017.  These public waterfront access improvements will provide an area of “ecotourism” for both locals and visitors to appreciate.

Drainage improvements will occur near the Wawa on 9th and Central Avenue in Ship Bottom. Additional information will be available at future public meetings.  Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard at 8th and  9th Street in Ship Bottom will change to two way traffic.  The plan is for these changes to be fully completed by 2020.

The DOT leadership closed the meeting thanking everyone for coming out and participating in the process.  They shared that this is a “unique community compared to other towns in the state.”   The community involvement has been an asset to insure that the project proceeds without delays.

You can get more info by clicking here:   https://www.tapinto.net/articles/the-latest-manahawkin-bay-bridge-project-update

A Little Ocean Humor..Go Ahead, Try Not To Laugh!

Why don’t oysters give to charity?… Because they’re shellfish

What does a mermaid wear to math class?… An algae-bra

Where do shellfish go to borrow money?… The prawn broker

What is a dolphin's favourite TV show?… Whale of fortune

What did the Pacific Ocean say to the Atlantic Ocean?… Nothing, it just waved

What did one tidepool say to the other tidepool?… Show me your mussels

Where does seaweed look for a job?… In the ‘Kelp-wanted’ ads

Have you heard about the restaurant that caters exclusively to dolphins?… It only has one customer, but at least it serves a porpoise

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?… A nervous wreck

Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet?… Because they spend years at C!

Why are seabirds so lucky in love?… Because one good tern always deserves another

Algae A (to Algae B): “How are things?”Algae B: “Good thanks; business is blooming”

Why does the mermaid wear seashells?…Because she grew out of her B-shells


Ok, so maybe you just chuckled or more likely rolled your eyes and said 'oh brother.'  In any case, I'm sure you will repeat at least one of these to a small or maybe not so small child on the beach this year!