New Jersey Wanderlust

I remember Long Beach island long before the mansions went up..It was a relaxing shore community..I remember going to the trampolines in Surf City..I haven’t been back after we sold the house on LoveLadies..from what I understand it was bulldozed.

I remember sleeping in the shorehouse ..it was right near the water..and I would feel the mist of the ocean coming in the window and hear the ocean noise at night..I also have memories of collecting shells..and taking the metal detector to find bottlecaps..

new brunswick is dirty, grimey, and gross. frat boys and dumb girls are abound. but, if you’re passing through for some god-awful reason, please stop and eat at the grease trucks at rutgers. if you’re on a “diet” just suspend it for a moment or two and enjoy a “fat cat” sandwich. do it! i promise it’s worth it.

If you live in Jersey, it’s all you got. I mean, it’s close. It’s definitely dirty and I wouldn’t go out at night, but if you just want to go gamble then it’s your place. I have never stayed overnight though. We would just drive down for the day. That might make the difference.

Could it really be thirty six years ago??

When I was a young teen my Presby church youth group joined with several other churches’ youth groups for a week long summer camp at Camp Ockanickon, NJ! I believe I went two summers. I think each summer each girl, including me, had a new crush on some newly met boy….sigh….

We had crafts, swimming in the lake, canoeing, Bible studies, lots of games, and campfires at which we sat, sang funny and spiritual songs, and heard stirring preachers. It now seems oldfashioned but it was good.

I wasn’t overly fond of the cabins (sorry Bill) as they had spiders and other creepy crawlers, but I survived!

My experiences there were positive, the counselors and other adults treated me with respect (I bring that up because of all the bad stories that come out of church-related abuse) and I think they were positive role models for me.

I think, will have to look this up, I think the lake was cedar water? There are a couple of cedar water lakes in that region, very interesting swimming in it – neat smell…

There was a snack shop, I think it was called the “Indian Trading Post” (how politically incorrect now!) It was open for about an hour an evening and you could get candy or postcards, stamps, etc.

I’ll have to try to remember more…It WAS a LONG time ago!!!

I was a kid, and my Dad took me to YMCA “Indian Guide” camp in the summer of the third grade.

We were in the Indian Guides ‘together’ as it was a father and son activity. I got to pick our ‘Indian’ names.

I named myself “Straight Arrow” and him “Long Bow”.

We were assigned to screened in cabins. I think there were four bunkbed in each cabin, so it would have been four fathers and four sons.

I distinctly remember many things about the camp:

the bonfire: the fathers made a bonfire so hot the kids could not get close enough to it to cook hot dogs or marshmallows.

the ‘lodge’ for meals: someone put salt in the sugar bowl and I salted my cereal. I ran out of the breakfast … I was 7 and in the third grade and very sensitive … it hurt me to think someone would play a trick like that on me.

the lake: Dad and I went canoeing every day. I loved those hours. He explained the number ‘a billion’ to me on that lake.

tracking: he taught me to track a persons tennis shoe tracks on the trails, even differentiating between two shoes of the same brand … using wear patterns.

poker: the “Mr. S, don’t you want to go play poker with the other Dads?”... my Dad was in our ‘cabin’ and the other Dads were drinking beer or whiskey at the lodge and playing poker. My cabin mates wanted him “OUTTA THERE” so they asked him to go play cards with the other dads. He is SUCH A GOOD DAD that he went to the lodge.

the pea shooters: you can run through the woods with a mouth full of dried navy beans and a plastic staw, and burst into an other screened in cabin, spray them with all the peas, and run out. And there is nothing better in the world.

learning to whittle: always cut with the blade going away from you. Never have your fingers between you and the pocket knife when you put the blade away.

a couple of years ago, I bought t-shirts for him and for me, that say Camp Ockanickon. We both wear them and remember.

As you can see, the time I spent with my Dad at Camp Ockanickon made a wonderful impression on me at all, and I remember it all these years later with great fondness.

The fact that he took a week off of work and spent it with me … is not lost on me now. Then, I was just a kid and glad to be with Dad.

_{Now I understand much more.}

Found this small museum of warfare while traveling through the Mount Holly area with my grand daughter, she loved it. Good displays of all the services, concentrating mostly on their air power. Run by volunteers and worth the visit.

SUCKS.

I wouldn’t say it’s “worth visiting!” because it’s just an airport. I can’t compare it to the other airports in the area because this is the only one I’ve been to, but I can tell you this airport is BUSY!

I went through here two days after the London terror plot was foiled (geez, that sounded so Scooby Doo!) and they were EXTREMELY thorough in hand checking my carry-on bag. (I had just flown in from Frankfurt and security was the theme of the day.) In any case, I nearly missed my connecting flight her despite the fact that there was 2 hours between the two flights. I was very lucky to have found a kind and helpful Continental employee who helped me get onto my flight in time. I wish I had written his name down, as he really saved the day for me and I’d love to let the airline know.

I have never been to New York City, so I was actually excited to see the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty from here. So close, yet so far away! A friend of mine who is a flight attendant says she was able to take a quick tour of the city during a lengthy layover (4 hours). I was so envious!

It’s pretty much like every other airport; loud, too many people and everyone in a hurry and a little hard to find your way around. I think I had an easier time at O’Hare. Although I have a rather interesting memory of this place, I don’t think there is anything truly special about it.