I felt I had to write something more about what I saw two days when we finally got to the shore to check out our cottage and the town of Ocean Grove. You’ve heard ALL the words on the news (that is if you have power to get the news) UNPRECEDENTED-UNBELIEVABLE-UNREAL-DISASTROUS-MIND-BOGGLING and on and on and on.
YES all adjectives apply. Trying to keep things in perspective is actually easy this time around; When I think of the food I lost, I think of the people who lost their homes. When I think of the damage in my yard, I think of the people watched an angry sea surge over their yards and swallow them out and spit out sand where their lawns had been. When I think of the shingles flown off my roof, I think of the residents of Breezy Point and Mantolooking whose homes were engulfed in fire. When I was concerned about the slimy mud on the side of the house and windows, I only had to walk over to The Lillagaard Hotel where the tea room I ran is/was located and saw the layer of mud left in the kitchen and dining room left behind by the two feet of water that broke through the door and flooded the lower level.
YES, things are put in perspective, sometimes unfortunately at the expense of another’s loss and pain.
Yesterday we drove to the shore with our friends, Joe and Michael. They were kind enough to drive us to Ocean Grove as they were going to check on their cottage. My camera battery was dead and I had no power in NJ to recharge. Joe took a lot of photos and graciously forwarded them to me so I could post them on my blog. This is what we saw in Ocean Grove on Wednesday!
NOT a rare sight around town
Storm surge deposited lamp post and debris across Ocean Ave
A boardwalk buried in sand
Where there was once a Fishing Shack at the end of this pier!
Mounds of sand left background-Had been on Abbott Avenue and was plowed to beach to open up the street!!!!
Twisted railings, Note the sand is now level with the boardwalk!
View from the boardwalk-the piles of sand are from the streets to the west NOT washed and deposited over the boardwalk.
The Camp Meeting Association is holding a massive clean-up tomorrow (Saturday). Our dear friends Dick and Jane who own The Lillagaard need our help to empty out the Tea Room and salvage what we can. BUT we don’t have enough gas to get there and back and none to be had in New Jersey. And we can’t get back into the City unless we have 3 people in the car! Do two cats counts as one person?
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Pbenjay's Blog 
So glad to know your house made it thru.
Was the rest o f the Lilligaard ok?
The Lillagaard is dear to our hearts. Our family stays there at Easter and Christmas time. Are you in touch with Jane and Dick? Do you know what we might be able to do to help? If you see Jane, tell her the Lehman family is praying for them! They have been heavy on our hearts and minds since the storm hit.
Dick and Jane are fine, the Lillagaard did get some storm surge damage. The hotel itself is fine, but the dining room was flooded. Power came back on tonight in Ocean Grove. I will certainly extend your concerns for them and relay the prayers. We are in for a nor’easter on Wednesday so hopefully the power stays on because we need it to clean up and repair the hotel.
We will certainly be praying for them! We still do not have power and are hoping it will come on tomorrow. We are also praying that it does not go out again and that the nor’easter will not be as bad as they say. Stay safe and dry and warm!
My husband I were married in the little gazebo in front of Fletcher Lake 2y ears ago, and we had our reception at the Lillagaard. I am so sad that the tea room was damaged! Please send our love to them….it is dear to our hearts.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Ocean Grove has touched and continues to touch hundreds of lives every year. It is such a magical place and fortunately as bad as it was hit, it was less than the surrounding towns, I will of course relay to Dick and Jane your thoughts. They are working very hard to put it back in shape quickly.