This past weekend, I had my best volleyball tournament finishes yet.

On Saturday, playing with the JSVBA, my friend Aaron and I took second place in Men’s AA. It was a scorcher and surviving the day on the hot Asbury Park beach was half the battle.

That was my first time visiting Asbury Park. I had of course heard of it long ago, having been greeted by the Boss from there. It’s a sad place these days. A huge number of buildings are abandoned and run-down. Hints of the areas former glory remain, but they are few and far between.

Between matches, I walked over to a deli a block from the beach to buy some more water. Across the street was a half-constructed building with rusted girders visible. Jeanhee was with me and she asked an older gentleman sitting in the deli if they had stopped construction on the building. “Yep, they stopped for a little while,” he replied. Jeanhee nodded and turned to pay for the water. The lady behind the counter said, “They stopped eighteen years ago.”

Driving south back towards our beach house, it’s striking how quickly you come across Spring Lake, one of the wealthiest communities on the Shore.

On Sunday, Jeanhee and I played Co-Ed Open with GAV and came in third place. Our original goal for the summer was to be competitive at the Open level, and I think we’ve achieved it. The next goal is to win!