Jo-Ann & Barb's Excellent Adventure - Day 5

Jo-Ann has set the car to autopilot and we ended up at the Crystal Diner yet again for breakfast this morning......but we finally got a picture as the sun was out! That's Jo-Ann holding the door open for about the umpteenth time since we got here!

The food is great but the desserts there are to die for. They do all their own baking on the premises and this stuff is really hard to resist. We had the Strawberry Cheesecake (Amazing!!!) the first night but have managed to steer clear since then.

Then off to Quilting Possibilities to say Hi to Lori who we missed yesterday and bye to Jim and Debbie and of course Jo-Ann found some fabric and a book she doesn't have yet......Eleanor Burns - Victory Quilts. At that point we discovered we had a nail in one of the tires - better now than on the highway and a major blowout so off we went to the garage......

It didn't take too long and they found a screw in another tire so Jo-Ann had to buy one and repair the other one. Within an hour we were back on the road. Toms River is about 5 minutes (as the crow flies) from the Atlantic Ocean and we were not about to miss a walk on the beach so off we went to Seaside Heights........

The most stunning purple flowers grow in the dunes.

You can see the dunes and the boardwalk here and in the background is the Amusement Park with a roller coaster, ferris wheel and old fashioned merry-go-round. There's also a shooting arcade with all the great prizes. It officially opens this coming weekend.

I would like to present you with the Atlantic Ocean. It was a great walk to the shoreline, the sand was a little cold on the feet ........

After trekking along the beach a little more shopping was in order so off we went to the Seagurt Mall where they had a great Marshall's and none other than a gaggle of Canadian Geese. Jo-Ann's cousin Fred told us that they used to be able to shoot the Canadian Geese down here but since they started breeding in New Jersey they are considered New Jersey wildlife and it is illegal to shoot New Jersey wildlife.....No wonder they moved!!!!

It was then time to go pick up the seven quilts Jo-Ann brought as gifts (I finally broke down and helped her finish sewing on the labels), and meet Helene and Fred for a farewell dinner at the Lobster Shanty which sits right on the water in downtown Toms River, it was a lovely meal and afterwards we went back to their house for dessert (we were so stuffed) and coffee and then said our goodbyes........

Tomorrow we leave Toms River for Pennsylvania and a side trip to see fabrics for the store. I can't wait......and since I talked Jo-Ann out of buying a new sewing machine she has money to spend on more fabric.......

We'll let you know what's coming.......

Happy quilting!

Barb and Jo-Ann