Halcyon Days (Or Not): NJ Part 3

Thursday was essentially my last day in NJ.  (Friday was my eventful flight home.) We headed out with the kids for more park time at Verona "Fortress" Park, so called due to my mom's reading of reviews on YELP.  Check out some of Denis K.'s review:

The mystique of a superhero is shrouded not only in their special abilities but also in the secrets they carry - a secret identity, a hidden weakness, or a veiled origins story. Stripped of all that, a superhero is a regular joe like you and me, vulnerable to tragedy and susceptible to anguish. Whether it's in a dark, brooding cave or a remote icy fortress, a common human refrain is to seek out and create a hidden bastion impervious to trouble and defiant against time itself.

Often, I am asked, why don't you move closer to NYC? A reason. Though infrequently visited, Verona Park is my fortress, my bastion that I would lose by moving away. Here I can reminisce and ponder about life as Thoreau once did at Walden. Against a beautiful backdrop that could leave Bryant at a loss for words, I can find solace in the natural world around me.


Bwahaha!  I would like to meet this guy.  Mango J.'s review also provided some excellent entertainment.  Anyway, at the park we audaciously loaded up the kids and paddle boated on the lake.

 I kept trying (and failing) to get a picture of this strange diving bird we saw, to no avail. So, here are some geese and some people.

I had an idea that paddle boating would be an idyllic pastime with halcyon weather. This was not exactly the case.  My quads started screaming as I tried to navigate the unwieldy boat while propelling it forward, and I quickly became very sweaty in the hot sun.  This is why I took photos of everyone but me.  Ha hah!  It was a good last hurrah for New Jersey anyway. Until next time!