Enough is Enough is Enough

I don't know what sweet Nemo did to anyone to deserve having this latest weather ClusterF**K named after him.

I'm not all that worried about the snow amounts. If I lived further north or east I would be.
I am worried about the damn wind gusts - hurricane force at the coast they say.
Here in NJ our coast can't take much more.

This is still sitting out there

Although the storm surge is not predicted to be anywhere near as high as Sandy's there is so little left to protect us.

This morning Hope asked if we had enough gasoline for the generator. Even the little ones have become pros.

Then again there are those who wait until the last minute. I went shopping Wednesday for all things storm related. I passed Home Depot last night and it looked like the circus was in town.

What do people do with their shovels from year to year? How could so many need so much?

Right now I'm charging everything I can think of and making sure batteries are where they should be.

I try to have empathy for the utility workers but if power goes out and stays out I may need to beat the crap out of someone.

Then again, look how fragile it all is

I found these photos of Hope during her first snowstorm in 2010, she was 6 months old.

I love her face in the 2nd shot.

It seems to say "Enough."

Stay safe kids

Heart

Seen along the Jersey shore
Courtesy of the men and women working to clean up and rebuild

Ready for a new season ...

... regardless of the surroundings

Looking out to the horizon wearing a little Red Cross cap

Waving to NY

At the base there is a tiny bandage that says "bent not broken"

You've gotta have heart

All you really need is heart

When the odds are sayin' you'll never win

That's when the grin should start

You've gotta have hope

Musn't sit around and mope

Nuthin' half as bad as it may appear

Wait'll next year and hope …

By Adler and Ross

Written for the musical ‘Damn Yankees’

Our World Tuesday

In The Details

Sunday morning I took a big thermos of coffee and some doughnuts over to the marina. I knew some of the "old guys" would be there; it was sunny and they've been hanging out there talking about their homes and boats and all that's been lost or saved in the aftermath of Sandy.

For the first time since the storm I took my camera with me.

the gulls watch over the scene

there used to be a building attached to that ramp

boats have been pushed up onto the front lawns of private homes that were once separated from the marina by a fence

I've been told that some of these restaurant chairs have been found across town

I stopped at what is left of a favorite restaurant.

That bit of fence you see standing is all there is of the railway that led to the terrace dining area.

The owner of this restaurant has been travelling around town in a bus handing out food and supplies.
She is an exceptional person.
Star-Ledger made a video that can be Viewed Here

This house has been seen on just about every news broadcast and in every newspaper.
It amazes everyone that half of it is still standing.
The owner says she intends to re-build it.
She calls it her "Tara"

it is details like these shirts that make the photos real to me

It took me from Sunday to today to take these shots off the camera and decide to share them. It felt ghoulish and depressing. I feel a deep sense of loss over the destruction of so many of the places I love yet I am so grateful that my home is OK.

When I went to the firehouse to drop off some supplies a woman told me she felt "survivor's guilt".

Someone else said that if you drive just two miles it is as if nothing happened and that feels surreal. He's right.

I promise you a happier post soon. I felt the need to share with you all how I'm feeling and what I'm seeing.

And on we go ...

I Was Worried About the Worrying

First of all, thanks to my friend Jay S from Bailey’s Buddy  for listening to me ramble from a bad cell connection in my running car and getting online so he could publish the previous post for me.

All through the week I had tried to find internet service or call someone with no luck. My cell appears to have been damaged when the power first surged and it doesn't hold a charge for long. And there weren't any resources around.

I was so worried about all of you worrying about me. And Hope.
I don't take our friendship lightly.

So
I have so many stories to tell but my internet and phone service is still dicey so I'm going to post a few pics I got from NJ.com and from the Keyport Boat Club. Pics of places I love that are forever changed.

 The Seaside Heights roller coaster.

 A beautiful home in Union Beach that I have driven past and admired many times.

 Flooded and burned homes in Breezy Point. I have spent many summer weekends there.

 This was a main road near me.

Hot Dog Bobs - I've posted pics from here of the giant inflated hot dog and Fourth of July decorations

 The Inn at the marina. I sat by that window and had brunch many times.

 The corner where the Keyport mosaic stood. The trailer office for the boat ramp was pushed all the way up the street by the force of the wind and water.

These last few shots are all of my beloved marina. The spot where I had early morn coffee with the "old guys", where I fed the birds and watched the sky and waves and boats.

I have learned a new term - "disaster tourism"
People drive about looking for devastation to point at and take photos of.
I have not ventured around much, after 3 hours on a gas line you don't feel like driving.
I leave my camera at home. I saw a woman screaming at a car full of people who had stopped to take photos of her home. She was crying and telling them "this is my home, this is my home".

I love youse guys

Sand Dunes of The Jersey Shore

A series of big storms topped off by last summer's Hurricane Irene have damaged a lot of the NJ Shore Line.

Dune Stabilization projects are being conducted all along the shore. I took these photos in late August at Bayshore Waterfront Park in Monmouth County, NJ. The sign says the project was to be completed in April but I saw evidence that it is ongoing.

This NJ Shore Website has a lot of interesting information and links.

Our World Tuesday

NATURE NOTES

How I Spent My Summer Hurricane - Part 1

I didn't have my car yesterday, my son took it to work hoping to get/buy/borrow a generator. Our generator heard there was a hurricane coming and decided to pass away into the great depot in the sky.

So today at 7 AM I began my preparedness. I got water - had to go to 2 places - and I filled up the car and I got non-perishables and I got a carrier for Isadora. I decided Siren and Isadora shouldn't be expected to share the giant carrier when they're already stressed out.

Thanks to the young sales people at PetSmart I got a dog carrier that was suitable, all the cat carriers were sold out, and I found out that a Holiday Inn inland allows pets. I now have a room reserved there for me and the kitties and a second room for my son/his wife/Hope.

Tomorrow morning at 5 AM I will be at Lowe's hoping the generator delivery comes and comes early. If I don't get one and the power goes out - which will surely happen - then my basement will become a wasteland.

I will admit to being a bit nervous and, at this moment, totally exhausted and aching from head to toe.

I am on the border with towns that are being evacuated.

It occurred to me that I am so lucky to have resources. Credit cards to use to reserve rooms and cash on hand to get extra supplies and I have a car with a full tank of gas. I remember the people in the very poor areas during Katrina saying over and over - "where do you go when you have nothing"

I get it

Stay safe out there

This scene from just a few days ago ...

Has been replaced by these scenes shot during my morning rounds ...

The Garden State

these shots were all taken around my town in Central NJ

between late April and now

NATURE NOTES