Sometimes the best front-row seat is the one that cradles your river time.

Wherever it is, front-row Rumson Barnacle Bill’s or docked, it’s that seat that offers a hometown view with heart. Even in the haze, the the clarity of what matters most is caught like an opening night bouquet tossed into the audience’s lap from the Navesink River’s scenic stage.

It’s a show without a ticket or playbill. Curtain’s always up, even if the lights are dim and no one’s in the house. That’s because it’s always your own show with a take-away that stays like pressed flowers from the best of times.

That front-row seat to river time always calls, offering river time its own sitting ovation — always bowing in, not out.

That’s the show that holds down by the river. Always. Take a look at the above photo gallery for a glimpse from the seat ... (CLICK on one photo to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy!)

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde

The weekend weather …

The haze from Canada wildfires is lingering. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert through midnight tonight, advising those with heart, lung or other health conditions to avoid the outdoors.

It means that the air quality in the region may “approach or exceed unhealthy standards. There are fine particulates in the air from the fires. For more information, go to www.airnow.gov. The quality may vacillate in the next week.

The weather is set to clear tomorrow, but there is more rain ahead. Check out the forecast from the National Weather Service …