Photo Credit: Thanks Sandy :)
Precious Memories: My South Jersey Summers!
Since I am having a "memory rush" here from the
thought of recollecting some happy
memories, I decided to relate some of my experiences upon "instant
recollection"!
I spent many a summer weekend during my youth at the Southern NJ Beaches
(by day) and boardwalks (at night). Places like Cape May and Cape May
Point!
I recall some construction projects I undertook as a youngster with a bucket, a shovel,
and a little sand brick maker to build elaborate structures all afternoon. Also made a
tunnel with a bridge over it and almost crawled beneath it - that was a deep hole,
my dad
and brother also pitched in on some of these "projects" :))))
I remember some of my late teens and early twenties on the Cape May and Sunset Beaches,
watching the moon's glitter crossing the ocean, making it shine and shimmer
over all the wave
action:) Hearing the seagulls, and the lapping of ocean water on the beach, listening to the
sand "bubble" as the wave retreated back to "gather" new succeeding waves.
I remember
watching small crabs and some pretty birds like the sand piper and heron
crane. The seagull
wasn't that pretty a bird when walking about on the beach, but once airborne, it
transformed
into a very graceful flier, floating about on windy days, even sliding sideways
in strong winds,
which is quite an interesting sight. You don't want to stand under large swarms
of seagulls,
they have had a tendency to become "stealth bombers", and leave
something gooey on
people and their clothing!
I remember a big oval shaped pond in the neighborhood where my grandmother's cottage
in Cape May Point was; just right down the road, where I was treated to viewing many
species of Northeastern birds, and I viewed the wonderful grace of white swans with long
curved necks, gliding across the quiescent mirro surface of the pond, leaving long,
parallel,
rippled wedges of "wake" patterns behind the swans. I recall the sight of the ripples meeting
together as they widened and intersected a few yards behind the swans. I recall the ripples
reaching the shore one after another until the swans stopped at the other side of
the pond.
I remember I walked along side of the pond to "track" the swans. I remember many colorful
ducks sharing the water. On the edges of this pond were lilly pads where frog,
turtles, and
small lizards sunned upon them, and they plunked into the pond when ready to
move on.
I could relate more, but time doesn't permit :)) Like the large number of
family members
occasionally there to celebrate big milestones or holidays. The eats therein, and all the
playtime with my cousins, etc etc. - this could be the subject of future
writings :)
Precious memories these!
:))))))))))))))))))))))))