Editor’s Note: Patricia Marie Bongiovi, the author of the following story, started coming to LBI over 40 years ago. Her in-laws had a house in Spray Beach that she and her husband inherited. They still feel the “aha moment every time we cross the bridge … heading east, of course!” The South River couple enjoys spending time in Spray Beach year ’round, especially New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day.
In 2020, after retirement as a school secretary, Bongiovi self-published her first children’s book – No. 1 on her bucket list.
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