Puppy Love

Lorraine Mattes, Alpine
Casey, age 12, Irish Setter

How we met: “My husband and I first found out about Casey and his siblings from a breeder who was showing their relatives in the Westminster dog show. When we went eight weeks later, it seemed as though he adopted us, not the other way around. He stuck his little nose as far above the other puppies’ as he could and jumped up and down, as if to say, ‘I want to go home with you! Pick me, please!’”

Pampered pooch: “Although Casey is the sweetest dog we’ve ever had, he’s gotten very spoiled! I had to take a class on grooming Irish Setters because he won’t let anyone but me touch his feet. And he’ll only sleep on Oriental rugs.”

Frequent flyer: “We have a vacation home in Utah, so Casey’s flown 42 times without a hitch. The first few times, however, when I was nervous, the pilot would make an announcement after takeoff: Following the flight arrival time and altitude, I’d hear, ‘Attention Mrs. Mattes in seat 37F—yes, we have Casey safely aboard.’”

Opposites attract: “Casey’s current girlfriend is our friend’s Havanese. They’re inseparable, playing and napping together for hours. The only problem is she’s 12 pounds to his 66!”

Ice, Ice, Baby

?Need a refreshing treat to keep you cool? For 60 years, the Lyndhurst Pastry Shop in Lyndhurst (201-939-3951) has been serving up all-natural, homemade Italian ices, drawing ardent fans from far and wide. Favorites among the shop’s 25 flavors include lemon-lime, passion fruit, piña colada and Roman Holiday (a signature mix of cherries, chocolate chips and rum). The prices are sweet too—$1.25 for a small cup, $1.50 for a large, sold out of three side windows until 10 p.m. in the summer.

Though you’ll likely encounter long lines, the scoops are well worth the wait. “We get the biggest crowds at night when people go for walks or coaches come with their baseball teams,” says co-owner Anthony “Butch” Lanzerotti. “Everyone loves to sit outside on our benches and try different flavors.”

Broadway Billy

Missed out on snagging tickets to Billy Joel’s sold-out “The Last Play at Shea” shows next month? You can still catch his top tunes live when his Tony Award–winning musical Movin’ Out comes to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center June 10 through 15. (Tickets: $23 to $69; 1-888-GO-NJPAC; www.njpac.org.) Prepare for the show with this playlist of hits, all featured in the production:

1. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,”from The Stranger
2. “An Innocent Man,”from An Innocent Man
3. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” from The Stranger
4. “She’s Got a Way,” from Cold Spring Harbor
5. “Just the Way You Are,”  from The Stranger
6. “Summer, Highland Falls,” from Turnstiles
7. “The Stranger,” from The Stranger
8. “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” from Storm Front
9. “Angry Young Man,” from Turnstiles
10. “Pressure,” from The Nylon Curtain

Horse Tales

Searching for an idyllic way to spend a summer afternoon? Try trotting at the Saddle Ridge Riding Center in Franklin Lakes (201-847-9999; www.saddleridgeridingcenter.com), where you can follow a guide through unspoiled forest trails ($30 per half hour; $45 per hour). Half of the 52 horses that live on this 28-acre site are privately owned ($700 a month for boarding), while the others are available for riding or instruction ($40 per half hour, $75 per hour).

Budding equestrians (ages 5 to 15) will love the summer camp program, June through August. “Every weekday students learn how to groom and handle horses,” says staff member Kelsey Furman. “We also teach both English- and Western-style riding, so the program is very comprehensive.”

Come winter, fear not: You can return for a gallop around the indoor rink.

Good Eats

Want to throw a dinner party but don’t have time to do the work? Enter Allison Hill and Janet Lennon, owners of Midland Park catering company AJ Amore (201-838-8216; www.ajamore.com). “We do everything: Shop for ingredients, cook—in your kitchen or ours—and set the table [$250, plus the cost of food],” says Lennon. “We’ll even serve and help clean up [additional $100/hour].”

Or gather your girlfriends for a cooking demo party ($40/person). “We bring pots, provisions and detailed guidance,” explains Lennon.

On late work nights, take advantage of the $60, four-person dinner delivery service (an entrée, a side, salad and bread). Raves Ridgewood’s Beth Narkiewicz, “Our margarita fish tacos and stuffed mushrooms were so good my husband, James, finished all the leftovers without me!”