The Writers' Corner ~ The Smell Of The Sea

As I enter the Garden State Parkway, (Trust me, there are no gardens visible) the smell of hot pavement and the tang of overheated radiators envelopes me. As I go over the bridge that spans the Raritan River between Perth Amboy and South Amboy, I can sometimes get a little sniff of the marsh lands. There are sometimes that the smell of other, more chemical things overwhelms, but I know I'm getting closer to where I want to be.

The fourth toll is paid. I am getting off on exit 63. I head east and go over Manahawkin Bay.

If it's low tide, you can smell the clam mud. Not a smell that someone will bottle and sell to fashionistas. YET! There may come a time where it will be considered stylish to smell like a clam flat.

I slither around the traffic circle and make a right. I am heading for the end of the island that I know the best. The other end has the lighthouse and some pricey real estate. The south end is where I let my head live. It is not fancy, nor does it try to be.

I pass through what amounts to be the 'Center' of Beach Haven. Complete with minature golf and snow cones and salt water taffy. I am heading for the southern end, near Holgate.

There is a tiny little street that is about a half block long. I make the left and park near the beach. I don't even have to go over the dunes to smell the salt. I inhale it, the ocean is now part of me. It always has been. I have often said that I would love to have a home right here. It would be windows for walls. My children love this place the same way I do. My son lives on this island and takes his living from the waves. If I won a million dollars This is where I would live. I don't think that the smell of the sea would ever become commonplace. I did live on the island for 2 years. Why did I leave? Victim of Love. Alas, my Troll had a good job back up here. The closest I could get to smell the ocean was tainted by things like large ships and docks and oily residue floating.

If I have to drive for 2 hours to go to the beach between Jeffries and Stratford, to smell my ocean? It's a short trip.