It's Over,
That's for Shore!
I'm talking about Hurricane Sandy, Slovenians. She hit our east coast October 29th, and now we are dealing with her aftermath.
Here's another picture of her a little closer up. Ain't she something?
Sandy ranked in about the middle in regard to dollars of hurricane damage according to these statistics.
This was a crazy weather event that the eastern United States experienced this week. It was Frankenstorm meets Sandy. Frankenstorm was the front moving across the country from the west. This, combined with a nor'easter wreaked havoc on the east coast and the clean up is going on right now.
Nature always balances itself out eventually. You just have to be patient and wait for things to come around again. The Lamp Post was suffering all summer long from a lack of rain. My tomatoes didn't do too well this season because I was unable to water them properly. The well ran dry a few times. After the dry spell, the Lord provided rain--lots of it the past few weeks. So much so that I've considered building an ark.
Prior to the hurricane, the Great Lakes Region where I live experienced some soggy weather. That didn't stop these folks last weekend though:
They are the cross country runners from my nephew Jack's diocesan league. They are some really tough kids.....
as are their parents:
They waited at the finish line for their children,
in the coldest,
and soggiest weather conditions.
It was 51 degrees and sideways rain last Saturday,
and that was BEFORE Sandy hit us!
At least Kenyan was prepared. She had a top quality umbrella.
Jack's team did well.
They got a trophy.
And Aunt Eloise was there to take pictures through the whole thing,
despite the rain.
In fact, all kinds of people were there waiting at the finish line.
Friends and family waited in the cold to support their runner.
That is what true love and devotion is all about,
the willingness to wait it out until the bitter (cold, and wet) end.
The victory is all the more sweet when you have a friend to smack hands after you run through the chute. Congratulations on a great season Jack. In the aftermath of the season, you get to rest this weekend.
Those in New York and New Jersey are not going to be resting, however. They have a fair share of work cut out for them.
Entire communities are still underwater.
This is a shot one day ago of Wildwood, New Jersey. Eloise went there on a vacation once.
I had far from a "relaxing" vacation there and since have dubbed New Jersey the dumbest state in the nation. It's been the brunt of my blog fodder for many a posting (and now I am feeling the guilt).
This is what we looked like when we went to Wildwood, New Jersey. That is my husband's sister in the photo. She came with us, too.
We stayed at the Aquarius hotel, right along the beach.
We decided to take a trip over to the ocean after a wedding we attended in Wilmington, Delaware. Ben and his lovely wife Jamie encouraged us to go to "the beach" after their nuptials.
It was a nice beach,
but not MY beach. It was too crowded for my taste. Plus the water was salty and it had sharks. I prefer fresh water and perch, thank you.
I did enjoy the boardwalk. It worked well for frequent rest stops as I went there with a 16 month old stubborn child who refused to walk, and a husband in a leg cast. It was a trying time in my life. I cried a lot. I visited my chiropractor a lot. And I took a lot of Advil. But I survived!
I'd like to go back to New Jersey again someday in a better frame of mind, just to see what the hype was all about.
I stopped at a roadside stand and bought their blueberries.
I didn't think they were any better than mine.
Before the storm, New Jersey was most famous for this award winning show:
Slovenians, if the show translates to Slovene, please know these brain dead individuals do not represent the overall population of the United States. Eloise is not a fan of the show,
but she is a fan of this pinterest pin.
The Jersey Shore ends this year and Eloise could not be happier.
Much happier than these people....
They are the New Jerseyites waiting in line for gasoline. There is a little bit of a problem at the pumps.
Everyone is getting a little short tempered over the ordeal. My cousin Janice from Doylestown posted this message on facebook tonight:
One thing I've learned is don't tick a New Yorker or New Jerseyite off---they have big mouths. They try to pull their sassiness off as brash and brassy, but I can think of a better "b" word for their overall lack of patience and compassion.
Ask Lola or Tracy Southern about what is now known within our threesome as "The Subway Incident."
They can fill you in about a happening on Eloise's summer adventure to New York City. (Geesh! I apologized for cripes sake. What more do you need?)
The theme for this blog should be "waiting," that's a shore thing! We all seem to be waiting in this country right now. Waiting for our kids to cross the finish line, waiting in line for gas, and waiting to see who will win the Presidential election on November 6th.
It looks as though my cousins in Ohio just may decide the outcome for us. Pay close attention to this visual Uncle John, Polly, Lindsey, Rusty, Lisa, Sarah, Tyler, and Jacklyn:
I am still having a terrible time navigating all the chatter about the election without this man:
Tim Russert was my favorite NBC Political Analyst. He was a smart man who could communicate the complicated world of politics into layman's terms. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 2008. I watched my other fave, Matt Lauer break down on national TV while talking about him. Matt loved him, too.
Tim was the one who predicted the importance of the electoral votes from Florida, Florida, Florida in Election 2000--George W Bush versus Al Gore.
I still listen to all the talk, Tim, but I really miss you. No one will ever be able to replace you in my mind. I hope you are looking down from Heaven shouting Ohio, Ohio, Ohio. It's nice to know that kin of Eloise will play such an important role in this election.
So while I am waiting for many things in my life, I'll play you this song. It is I Will Wait by the English folk band Mumford & Sons.
Readers, we're alike in the fact that we're all waiting for something. Maybe it's for your electricity to be restored, or your turn at the fuel pump. Perhaps you are anxiously awaiting the election results to see how Ohio will swing. And if you are like me, you are waiting for the last episode of The Jersey Shore to air so you can throw a big, huge party because IT'S OVER. Whatever it is that you are holding out for, sit back and take it all in stride with this song from Mumford & Sons.
Have a great weekend and more power to ya'---especially you east coast readers. Hang tough.
Eloise
No comments:
Post a Comment