Good Riddance Irene

I grew up in a location that had seen its fair share of hurricanes. I've even lived through a few of them. So I knew that Irene was serious and could pose a serious threat. You don't mess with mother nature, especially when she carries 100+ mph winds and storm surges. So when the forecast began to look serious we started to take precautions, days before Irene made landfall anywhere in the US. 

The plan (before mother nature began to intervene) was for me and mom to drive me back to Boston on Thursday, spend the weekend getting me re-settled and then Sunday mom would fly from Boston to Oregon to see Noam. Well, it became clear that planes wouldn't be taking off on Sunday so instead mom flew out on Friday way ahead of the storm. 

Before we left NY we battened down the hatches. The living room is now home to two citrus trees, a basil plant, two adirondack chairs, a table, and the usual living room furniture.  

Meanwhile, once back at the rance in Boston, I prepared for the worst. I bought water, made sure I had enough food for a few days, and books to read. Then the waiting game began. It looked like where I grew up in NJ, where we just visited a weak ago, was going to get hit, badly, that our home in NY was also in for a smack, and Boston super high winds and rain.  

However, despite the concerns, life was going on ahead of the storm in Boston. Saturday afternoon the rains arrived. But that still didn't stop me from going out for ice cream with some friends that night. We even walked around and checked out which local shops in my neighborhood had already decided to shut down on Sunday.

It was cool to be out in the rain on Saturday night. Brookline was beginning to look like a ghost town, the local movie theater even removed the letters from its marquee, for fear they blow away! 

Then Irene really hit! I woke up Sunday morning to very intese winds and driving rain outside my window. I hunkered down on the couch with the local news, happy to have power!

By mid-morning, reports from South Jersey began to roll in. I was relieved to read that they had faired better than anticipated. If we had still lived there, we'd have been under a mandatory evacuation!

 The beach erosion is a true sign of Irene's power. Happy that this and flooding was the majority of the damage. Reports from NY are tons of flooding and trees down, but everyone one we know is safe and sound.

By mid-afternoon, I was going stir crazy in my apt. So I ventured out and about in my neighborhood. The rain was dwindling, and the winds were strong but not too insane. There were tons of leaves and branches down and I only saw a few huge branches or tree limbs down, but they all had missed houses.

All in all, Irene was not as serious as first feared.  People may be griping about all the hype, but with hurricanes you need to be prepared because you never know what a storm will do until it happens. So I am happy and relieved we were all way over prepared and that everyone I know is safe and sound.

And to you Irene, I say good riddance!

Finish the sentence.

Outside my window...a beautiful late summer morning, post Irene. The sun is streaming through my window, the air is crisp, and the breeze is gentle.  This is the best type of morning, one where you want to get out of bed and accomplish something.

I'm thinking...about the upcoming school year. Thinking about how I will manage student teaching and being a student.  Thinking about all the amazing changes that are going to take place this year.

I'm hoping...that this year will filled with amazing experiences.  Hoping that I succeed at balancing teaching and being a student and am still able to find time for me!

I am hearing...the breeze rustling the leaves on the tree outside my living room window and a few birds chirping in the distance.

Some of my favorite things...the weather beginning to feel like early autumn. Being back in Boston and getting settled into my apartment.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: iPhone addition

Super relieved that Irene hasn't knocked out my power so I can post this week! SO without furher hurricane my hunt this week:
Cheesy:

Okay, I hate to be cheesy here. I tried to find some really cheesy NY souvenirs, to no avail. So instead hunks of gruyere, sitting on a wheel of gruyere.

Nighttime Photography:

What else do you do the night a hurricane blows into town? You go out in the pouring and driving rain for ice cream of course! It was pouring, but people were out and about!

Music:

I love being able to shop for kiddie clothes now that I have Noam to shop for! Apparently rock and roll is in this year for the toddler scene!

Old and New:

The plant on the right, in the new larger pot is my old/original snake plant. I bought it 3 years ago when it fit into a tea cup sized pot.  Not it's new shoots are in the old/original pot that I watched it grow and flourish in!

Sun:

It's often blinding to drive past the Ritz Towers when the sun is setting, but this time I braved the spots on my eyes to capture this picture. Giant condos of giant mirrors? You decide!

The Intrepid

I have been wanting to get to the Intrepid for ages now. Mom and I finally had a chance to get down there last weekend.  It's pretty awe inspiring to say the least. It's an old Air Force Carrier turned museum in the Hudson River in the City.  It is huge and it was considered a small carrier! It was built right after Pearl Harbor and it's amazing to think how many planes and soldiers it was once home to. 

 The flight deck is home to many fighter jets and helicopters and there was room for even more! You could walk around and look at the jets and you could even climb up into the control sections of the carrier and see where the operations were carried out from.

 We really learned so much. There was a video about the Intrepid's times of service and the flight deck was filled with exhibits and even more planes. There were sections about how women served during WWII and Vietnam and hands on exhibits about running and working on a carrier.

 We even saw a film about the numerous Kamikaze attacks on the ship during WWII. It's amazing that even after several direct hits the ship never sunk! It really is an amazing vessel! We also had a chance to see the old Mess, living quarters, and the anchor room. Did you know that one link on the massive chains attached to the anchors weights 150 pounds? Insane!

 And there was an awesome to scale model of the Intrepid make completely of legos! Down to the men working on deck and the guy drowning in the water! It was so cool!

And I will totally go back to the Intrepid since it will soon be home to a real life Space Shuttle! And we all know how obsessed I am with the space program!

Beaching it

Growing up minutes from the beach has some serious benefits. I used to love digging in the sand and boogie boarding in the waves. I was always, and still am, more partial to the pool, but I have fond memories of summer days spent in the surf and the sand.  So of course a stop at the beach was in order on our trip home.

This time we went to the beach in Ventnor, a family friend gave us a key to a pier that goes pretty far out into the ocean. So we hit the boards and headed that way. 

 I love how the beaches in South Jersey have sand dunes between the boardwalks and the beach. They are mainly there for hurricane protection but they are so pretty. I just love watching the dune grass waft in the breeze, it's so peaceful.

 We walked out to the end of the pier. It was just us and a bunch of guys fishing. We spotted some dolphins out in the distance playing in the water, but never got a good look at them. They were having too much fun playing in the water, rather that out it I suppose.  One of the guys fishing near us offered to take our picture, and it turned out so great!

 In all my years of growing up in the area, I'd never been out on the pier. The view was spectacular.  On one side you could see Atlantic City and the casinos. And the other direction towards Margate and the south. I really love being surrounded by water and it felt so good to be out there on the pier staring at the horizon.

 Then it was time to walk the beach! The water was actually pretty balmy, but it really never gets too warm up here in the summer. You just get used to it! I of course took Flat Judah into the water with me, he of course stayed high and dry.

Then we continued to walk down the beach. The waves coming in and out, the smell of salt in the air. There is something so peaceful to the ocean, it's so strong and so peaceful all at the same time.

Boardwalk

One of the benefits of having grown up in a tourist destination was the fabulous boardwalk located 15 minutes from our front door.  Ocean City's boardwalk was where we spent many summer evenings. There are water parks, amusement parks, miniature golf, and good old boardwalk food.  Since moving to NY left us with a serious boardwalk void, namely miniature golf and riding the carousal, we headed over there one night on our mini-vacation. 

First order of business: mini golf. There is something so magical about playing mini golf under the stars. We loved this course and were happy to play it again. I got several holes in one and it was great to be back playing an old past time. 

 Second order of busniess: boardwalk treats. When I became allergic to dairy I could no longer indulge in our other favorite boardwalk treats of pizza and soft serve. We luckily discovered the Bashful Banana. They have an industrial juicer machine that they push frozen bananas through to make this amazing (amazing!) whipped banana. They can mix fruits in it, or top it with your typical ice cream toppings. It's just amazing and even though we've replicated it to an extent, the original is always better!

While I can't indulge in these anymore, well, one of these, I still fondly remember numerous Mack & Manco dinners. They make amazing pizza, they even shoot the sauce onto the dough through a soda fountain type hose. And Kohr Bros, ice cream. Soft serve, so good. The best is the vanilla and orange twist. Seriously, don't hack it until you've tried it. I barely had a sweet tooth as a kid and I loved this stuff!

Then, it was off to Wonderland. I loved this amusement park as a kid, and well still love it as an adult! A night on the boards was never complete without riding the carousal. It's just so magical all lit up with the old time music playing in the background.  

 You have to ride the inner horses that go up and down too! Makes you feel like you're in Mary Poppins and that the horses may break free and ride away towards the finish line.  I remember as a little kid I would tell my horse to giddie-up and bump up and down in my seat.

 I had a need for speed as a kid, when it came to rides, but another favorite was the ferris wheel. I thought this was the tallest one ever as a child, until I went to London and rode the Eye. But growing up in my small area, it was hot stuff to be able to see my neighborhood from the top of the wheel. On clear days you could even see the wheel from our house!

 And then the best thrill ride (although it's a toss up between this and the log flume). The swings. Oh man did I love this ride. I had to get a seat on the outside, so you really got the full thrill. I would kick my feet and wave my hands in the air. I just loved this ride.

Being back on the boardwalk was a complete trip down memory lane. A simple summer evening, where time moves at a different pace, the air smells like salt, there are shouts of joy in the air, and the gentle hum of the ocean in the background. Ocean City, how I missed you.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Collage:

On our mini-vacation back "home" we stopped at Wild Bird Crossing, a great store with amazing garden and house objects. I never pass up a mirror/reflective surface photo opp and this came out looking like a collage!

On the dotted line:

NY may have many great things, but it seriously lacks (lacks, I say!) excellent miniature golf. So one night we headed to the OC Boardwalk for some golf and low and behold, a dotted line!

Brushstrokes:

Painted hermit crabs are a popular buy on the boardwalk. I guess hermit crabs care who the flashiest crab on the block is...

Hanging by a thread:

These are also from Wild Bird Crossing, I just love how the orbs are intertwined and suspended by this rough twine, yet it still looks so delicate!

Geometry:

This is the window at the top of the stairs in the old synagogue where my mom grew up, it just screamed geometry to me!

Great Uncle Max

After my Bubbe died, we uncovered a treasure trove of photographs from both Bubbe and Zayda's past. Lots of old family pictures from both sides of the family.  One day, a few months later, Avi and Zayda are going through the pictures and writing down who is who when they come across this picture. 

This is my Bubbe's grandmother. It clearly was taken in the early 1900s and this little boy, clearly has Down's Syndrome.  Avi asks Zayda who it is and he goes, "Oh, that's the little retarded* boy." Avi and my mom gasp and ask him who it is.
*please note, that I NEVER use that word, but I wanted to quote my 85 year old grandfather and to show how times have changed in how we refer to those with different mental abilities.*

All he knew was that this is Max. Max was my Bubbe's grandmother's son. Bubbe's great-uncle. My mom's great-great-uncle. And my great-great-great-uncle. My Zayda didn't know his birth year or when he died, or much more about his life, but he knew he had down's syndrome.  

Avi, being the genealogy buff, pulled up the 1920 census records. There on the records are my great-grandparents and 6 children. We always thought they had only 5 children. This 6th child is much younger than the others, listed as 8 and it says he can't read or write.  Now we understood.  On the 1930 census he isn't listed.

Did he die between 1920 and 1930? Was he sent to the "Colony," the NJ State Developmental Home for boys, which was located in the small town where they lived? We had nothing to go on, except that he was Max, a late in life child, with Down's Syndrome.

Then we began to wonder, where is he buried? Was he buried by the family? What did they think of having a child with Down's Syndrome? Was he shunned or sent away? Was he loved?

When we buried my grandfather a few months later, we searched the cemetery, where Max's parents are also buried for his grave. Nothing.

Then this past week my mom and I went back to South Jersey and Woodbine, hoping we could find out more about Max. We visited the museum in Woodbine's only synagogue and were talking with the director (who we know and knows our family's past).  All of a sudden, as we explained a small family/community rift, it hit us. He was buried in the other cemetery in the town. And we were off.

There were very few family plots in this cemetery. And people were buried in order of when they passed away.  We started walking the rows looking for Max Stein. I was in one section when my mom called me over to where she was to look at another relative. As I quickly headed in her direction I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye I realized I found it.

I immediately got goosebumps. I had found great-uncle Max. We had a birth year and death year. We had a birth date and death date. No longer was he just a face in a picture, a name on the census, we had a book end of sorts.

We suddenly have some more answers. He was 13 when he died, old for a child with Down's Syndrome in the early 1900s. His plot is clearly the size of a child's. He was clearly still part of the family, he has a lovely headstone, and had a burial in the synagogues cemetery.

We still don't know all the answers, but we have some more information. Every family has a secret, and we're beginning to unravel ours.

Things my campers say. Vol 2. Issue 3.

Camp is over now, and I'll cherish the memories from the past 7 weeks forever! I had a blast with my campers and the things they did and said to make us laugh will be remembered forever!

J.R: Did you know jellyfish are from jars of jelly dumped into the ocean?

Beth: What happens when you get a green (swim bracelet)?

All of 5X: YOUR CAN SWIM!!!

M.S.B: Tamar! Tamar! You threw out my kippah!! 

J.P: A.F. I got a yellow bracelet before you did, but don't feel bad! 

 J.R: There's a cup behind me....TADA!
A.M-U: You did magic!! How did you do that!!

M.B: That song on the CD keeps saying butterflies. We're Spidermen, not butterflies!

J.P: My shirt says All Star!! I'm ready for the 6B All Stars!!

J.G: (pointing to a tall 6 year old girl) Is she a 6 year old teenager?

 M.B: (he had written a bunch of letters in chalk) What's this mean?
Sydney: Hka blap vas
M.B: What's it mean?
Sydney: Nothing, it's just letters.
M.B: Is it French?

J.R: No peacocks in the pool!! Because they may use it as a bathroom and that's nasty!

J.G: (While putting his ear in the pool learning side breathing) What's that fishy? I didn't hear you, you weren't clear.

M.H: (getting upset) I want my hat!
Me: You left it at home today, sorry kiddo.
W.H: You need to stop steaming M.

Me: (While playing 20 questions) Sometimes it's called football.
M.S.B: Chess! Oh, wait that's not right.

J.R: It's Dark Vader. His name is Dark because he's all black.

A.F: (on our imaginary trip to Israel) Are we going to the kibbutz to milk utters?

Kim: N.S. pick a number.
N.S: 8
Kim: Someone else already chose 8, choose again.
N.S: I chose 8, and that's that.

M.B: My favorite nursery rhyme is Bla Bla Black Sheep

A.M-U: I got a new dog. It's name is funny. It's not Alexander and it's not Alexandra. Oh, right is Aidan.

J.P: Mommy got me a new towel at Costco!
M.B: But you can't eat towels, and you buy food at Costco.

In music we blindfold a kid and thy guess who is singing to them. M.S.B was singing and after Z.R guessed who it was he remarked: How did you know it was me!?!

On truck day, trucks come and the kids learn all about them. While at this claw truck:
A.M-U: The clawwww, the clawww (thing aliens from Toy Story.)

And since the summer is over and 7:55 Monday morning staff meetings are no longer, a quote from our camp director:
Julie: You have a life, well not much of one since I occupy much of it.

I couldn't have asked for a better summer!