That is what I want to know. New York made sense. Big, crazy, expensive, fast, and willing to squash you flat if you got in the way of a suit on his lunch break. There are lots of jobs and even more opportunities. Nonetheless, I've found myself in Ocean Grove.
Ocean Grove is a Methodist Camp Meeting. It is a square mile of land which was bought by a church group for summer camps in 1869. There are just over $4,000 people living here. Those people who own houses actually lease the land from the camp meeting association.
In the center of the town there is the Great Auditorium. It has one of the biggest pipe organs in the US, about 11,000 pipes!
Then, around the auditorium, there are tents. People own these tents and come back year after year to set them up and chill all summer long. Around the tents are houses. They are all very cute, cookie-cutter homes with lots of intricate wood working around the windows and doors. If you are tired of seeing McMansions or housing developments where everything looks the same, then this is for you. Also, they have porches. What happened to us in the mid-west? Why did we get rid of the porch? I blame air conditioning.
Overall, it is a quite town. There are restaurants and tiny shops for the summer tourists. People usually get around on their bikes or on foot. You get the sensation that you on vacation each time you step outside on a sunny afternoon.
That begs the question, how is a mid-west girl doing in this beach culture? As everyone I've met on the east coast has told me, I am very nice. That means I take being made fun of easily. Everyone likes to take a shot at the girl who didn't grow up on the beach.
So here is what I am learning.
1. Sun block is your friend. Wear it all the time. My white, northern European skin is not cut out for this.
2. Navigating the water works with a few tricks. Logic would have it, staying close to land would make you feel safer, I mean that is where the little kids hang out. Please note, kids are dumb. The word "kid" should a be a synonym of "dumb". Anyway. If you stay close to land, the waves hit you the hardest and it becomes a struggle to stay upright. If you, however, swim out a bit, you can ride the waves up and down without them crashing on you. Also if you dive under the waves, they pass over you and don't blow you away.
3. Sand is not your friend. It gets in everything, including your pants.
4. Don't feed the water fowl! Unless however it is our friend limpy, King of the Seagulls. You'll know him when you see him.
5. Swim suits are just socially acceptable underwear. I am still amazed by this. If I wore my beach gear anywhere else, I would get looks or comments, even arrested, but on the beach or walking there all is alright. Crazy.
The learning continues. I am trying my best but it takes some getting used to, especially when you are surrounded by people who have been beaching it up for years. Given time, I am sure I will snicker and sneer at others who don't know what they are doing! We can only hope. :)
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