Winter’s Warm Down at the Shore

To the Editor:
Last year was our first winter spent at Diamond Beach, and we look forward to another approaching soon. People often ask me how in the world I can spend time at the shore in the midst of a brutal winter. They liken it to being sentenced to Siberia.
Well, truth be told, we love it down here in the winter. We enjoy a crackling fireplace in the living room while we watch our big screen T.V., with a couple of cognacs, sipped sparingly as I add cherry and apple wood to the glowing hearth.
Our winter garb keeps us warm as we traverse the deserted streets and beach. We are often amazed at the flotsam and debris the turbulent, angry sea coughs up, but I still won’t spend time on the beach manning a metal detector in search of coins, gold jewelry or artifacts.
Really, who has it better than us? We’re several blocks away from the bridge that leads to my favorite town, Cape May. This Victorian jewel has some of our favorite restaurants and shops. As I sit on the portico at Congress Hall, it is easy to imagine that good ole Abe Lincoln is sitting next to me smoking a big cigar as I am doing, grateful to be away from the pressure of office. President Lincoln was a prized guest.
Winter friends at the shore are most cordial. We hold lovely dinner parties in our homes where the discussions range from the resurgence of the Eagles to our shared medical concerns.
Personally, I find that winter at the shore is the best time for me to catch up on all the classics I failed to read as a stubborn sophomore. The reading goes best when a blustery Nor’easter is assaulting our safe and snug winter abode.