Labor Day Weekend seems to fly by faster and faster each year — either a sign of the times or my age, no way to know for sure — so all the more reason to make plans and soak it up.

This year my family and I headed to the Jersey Shore — Spring Lake, New Jersey to be exact — and spent the weekend with seemingly everyone else in America.

After relaxing on the beach, walking on the sand and all the usual ice-cream stops and visits to town, my sister and I headed away from the beach to a nearby alpaca farm — we saw a sign and just went for it. The farm had two pens of alpacas waiting to be petted, and guests could freely roam and visit the local four-legged residents.

“Don’t sneak up behind them, approach where they can see you coming,” was the only instruction we heard from the owner, busy on a phone call and already walking away as the gate closed behind us.

We wandered around, petting and trying to feed the alpacas hay until we decided we had enough rejection and were ready to head home. Only in New Jersey!

— Angelique Platas, associate editor