Monday, October 29, 2012

Prayers For Seven Mile Island

I was planning to post something more introspective and deep, but I had to change gears and talk about something “deep” in a different way.

I had the day off work today and have been watching the Hurricane Sandy coverage. It’s surreal to see a news reporter standing at Battery Park in New York City overlooking the Statue of Liberty, a week shy of exactly a year after I photographed the same spot with my grandmother. As bad as the stuff they’re showing of New York and New Jersey is, they’re not showing the stuff they can’t get to. But some folks on Facebook have been…and my heart hurts for them.

South of Atlantic City, New Jersey, there is a place called the Seven Mile Island. It’s technically more of a peninsula, as you can see on the map. On the East side of it is the Atlantic Ocean. To its west is a bay and a network of inlets, salt marshes, canals and harbors. My family, on my mother’s side, has deep roots there. It was a favorite vacation spot of my great-grandparents from Pennsylvania, who passed it on to my grandparents, and shared the experience with my parents, and they shared it with me. To this day, a house my great-grandfather built in the town of Avalon in 1910 still stands. After today, I’d be surprised if it survives.





I spent many happy childhood summers there. I spent days fishing and crabbing off docks from dawn until dusk. I walked the streets and boardwalks with complete freedom. I was fascinated by the nature there, and remember my grandmother teaching me the names of all the different waterbirds there and what they did: gulls, pelicans, terns, ospreys. My dad would take my mom and I out on a boat for a day and we’d come back (usually) with the best fish dinner a family could ask for. I recall days at the beach with my grandparents when my granddad was still alive. My mom has a classic photo of me with my grandfather when I was about 4 years old, dressed in the nice, clean clothes she had dressed me in…hugging a huge fish my dad caught, causing him to erupt with laughter and ruining the clothes in the process.

I went there in 2007 and caught a similar fish.





The few trips I’ve made there over the years as a teenager and as an adult were like a trip back in time. To me, it’s a “fortress of solitude”. As the song by Weezer says, “On an island in the sun, we’ll be playing and having fun, and it makes me feel so fine I can’t control my brain. We’ll never feel bad anymore.”










Well, the pictures I saw today DID make me feel bad. Places I know well under water. Devastated docks. Some of the photos look black and white. Surreal. Apocalyptic. I feel bad for all the families who call Avalon, Stone Harbor and Ocean City home year-round, and for the families who own and rent vacation properties there. There’s no telling the number of memories for a lot of people, not to mention money, will be lost.



























Please pray for New Jersey.

9 comments:

  1. Hey There. I found your blog the use of msn. That is a really well written article.

    I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra
    of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I'll definitely comeback.
    Also visit my blog post :: Home Design Love

    ReplyDelete
  2. Malaysia & Singapore & brunei finest online blogshop for wholesale
    & quantity korean add-ons, earrings, earstuds, locket, rings, hair, bracelet & bracelet
    accessories. Offer 35 % wholesale rebate. Ship Worldwide
    Feel free to visit my blog :: how to trade stock options

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like looking through a post that can make men and women think.
    Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
    my web site > effective ecommerce

    ReplyDelete
  4. This piece of writing provides clear idea for the new visitors of blogging, that truly how to do running a blog.
    My website > click the next site

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am not sure where you're getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic info I was looking for this information for my mission.
    Feel free to surf my homepage visit this website

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do not leave a response, but I looked at a ton of remarks here "Prayers For Seven Mile Island".
    I do have a few questions for you if it's allright. Is it simply me or does it give the impression like some of these responses come across as if they are written by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on other online sites, I'd like to keep up with you.
    Could you list of the complete urls of your social
    networking pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page
    or twitter feed?
    Here is my web-site ikea furniture assembly service

    ReplyDelete
  7. Can you tell us more about this? I'd like to find out some additional information.

    Feel free to surf to my web blog ... domain names for sale
    My webpage :: domains for sale

    ReplyDelete
  8. I got this site from my friend who shared with me
    about this site and now this time I am visiting this web page and reading very informative content here.


    Feel free to surf to my site electrician katy

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't know whether it's just me or if everyone else experiencing issues with your site.

    It seems like some of the text within your content are running off the
    screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this
    is happening to them too? This could be a problem with my browser because I've had this happen before. Thanks

    Look into my site :: chiang mai top ten to do

    ReplyDelete