Fair Haven residents and beyond are still fishing for an answer to an unprecedented rogue wave of a Fair Haven governing body decision to knock a volunteer out of a regional committee of his own resurrection designed to protect the Navesink River.
What was dubbed a “slap in the face” turned into some verbal fisticuffs when a wave of riled residents at Monday’s Fair Haven Borough Council meeting turned out to turn the tide of borough business by defending that volunteer, fourth-generation Fair Havenite and boat captain, Brian Rice. It became a full knock-out when the ousting became official with a contentious 3-2 vote with one abstention.
Fair Haven river dwellers of the Drake family Photo/courtesy of Robin Drake Fitch
Quality river time. It’s a rite of passage for any Rumson-Fair Haven area kid.
When the spring air hits, the banks of the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers call to kids like mythological Sirens. And they burrow themselves in the sand and tides like hermit crabs.
Sometimes you just need to sit a spell and get let the river cast its magic.
And it will. Always does. Sunshine, crisp fall air and river mystique knows no bounds. Taking that front-row seat puts the “Ahhhhhh” into the exhale. From there, it’s all about the infinite inhale of tranquility. Thanks, too, that the intoxicating view remains a best friend that transcends time, never leaving a Rumson-Fair Haven area kid’s carefree mind.
There’s nothing like a crisp, bright fall day down by the river. It’s nothing to throw shade on, unless, of course, an umbrella or several are involved at an iconic spot along the Navesink.
That spot would be Barnacle Bill’s in Rumson. The shade? Well, when the fiery sunshine sears that fuzzy warmth into your soul, the umbrella that shades takes the glare away, calling the view into vivid focus. Call it falling for the same old, yet always new, scene. The river time scene.
River time. It’s time forever well-spent — sunny side always up under the umbrella of a day completed down by the river.
Take a look and feel the fall riverside sunshine in your soul. (Click on one pic to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy!)
The sun is set to shine bright for the rest of the week, bringing another little waft of locals’ summer. Here’s the Rumson-Fair Haven area forecast through the weekend from the National Weather Service …
Call it a wash. Down came that rain and washed the murky, humid muck in the air away.
And like the song, it seems like “you can see forever more,” especially from the iconic shores of the Navesink down by Barnacle Bill’s. No matter how far a hometown Rumsonite or Fair Havenite roams, the riverfront always calls them back to hold them tight.
It’s never a fishing expedition. The line was cast long ago and the anchor never rusts. This one’s a diamond. Unbreakable, it glistens with magnetic light shining, calling from deep in the river’s sandy floor.
The precious anchor stone’s gleam reflects in that hometown kid’s eyes, offering the view no one else has. It’s from that river’s shores that, murk or not, that kid at heart can see more clearly every inch of beauty that’s always been there, yet still lies ahead. They look back while looking ahead to see those little big things that brought them there. Held them there.
Those things? They’re still holding … with soothing tightness.
Hold those thoughts and keep them … like a kid collecting shells down by the river.
Click on one photo in the above gallery to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy the view!
— Elaine Van Develde
The weather forecast …
Heatwave humidity and wildfire smoke has cleared. Here’s what’s in store with the weather in the Rumson-Fair Haven area through the weekend and into next week.
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!)
It doesn’t have to be the longest day of the year to get the most out of the warmth of river time before the sun sets, calling it a day — a first summer day.
The day may be over, but the river time feeling is forever docked in the mind. The fair haven on the Navesink always calls. Rain never drowns the call. The lap. The lull. The gentle tide reaches out and tugs at our hearts to stay. And we do.
Any day is the longest day down by the river, because it’s an endless river walk in our Fair Haven.
Rain never washes away the footprint of time wrapped in home’s swaddling river tide.
— Photos/Elaine Van Develde for R-FH Retro exclusively
And there will be lots of rain this week, drenching the area, according to the National Weather Service. It continues through the weekend and into next week …
Albertina docked in Rumson circa 1920 Photo/collection of Loujeanne Cuje
There’s a Navesink River waterfront spot in Rumson that’s an iconic slice of waterborne travel history. More than a century ago, the vicinity was the site of flourishing happy-go-lucky times of transport and community. It was the site of the Rumson Dock where the famous Albertina steam ship made stops for commuting, community and entertainments’ sake.
There’s nothing quite like branching out to a budding riverfront perspective — down by the Navesink at the Fair Haven Dock, of course.
Yes, spring has sprung. The buds are budding. And when it comes to seeing the river for the trees, the view is always the most flattering panoramic close-up of sunshine on an old friend.
It always smiles back and reaches out to hold with a tight hug. The buds on the trees branch out pulling you in to a new season, new day down by the river.
Happy budding river time 2023!(CLICK on one of the photos in the above gallery to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy!)
— Photos/Elaine Van Develde for R-FH Retro exclusively
Here’s what’s in store for the end-of-the-week into weekend weather forecast …
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