Friday, November 6, 2009

NEW JERSEY CRANBERRY HARVEST

New Jersey is one of the main producers of cranberries with its large consortium, "Ocean Spray". Every fall in late October the fields are flooded in preparation for the harvest.


The berries are knocked off the bushes with a rotation trasher propelled by a tractor or air boat similar to those used in the everglades.


As the berries are released from the bushes they float to the surface.

.

The cranberries are concentrated into a large floating island surrounded by yellow "oil booms".


The berries are guided up a ladder where they are washed, drained and loaded in a truck for transportation.


As the berries are loaded the "red island" gets smaller as the booms are drawn in. The "pond" returns to normal to soon again be drained in preparation for the next growing season.

Monday, October 26, 2009

4 DAYS OF NOR'EASTERS ON THE NJ SHORE

We got back from the Chesapeake the evening before the nor'easter hit - thanks to the the good sense of my husband, the captain. When we looked at the beach when the winds had diminished, somewhat the following is what greeted us.

The large number of logs and piles of debris had come from further north, Harvey Cedars I was sure.

Most of the street entrances, except ours on 22nd street, were completely eroded making the beach inaccessible.

Dune fence which had been installed a year ago when the beach was replenished, had been undermined.

And dangerous piles of debris had accumulated in many places.

Harvey Cedares, however, fared much worse with piles of logs and fence everywhere.

And where there had been dunes, however meager, there were only cliffs and the encroaching tides.

But when there is destruction there is always beauty.

When the sun came out again it revealed that the wind had created beautiful mound patterns in the sand behind our dune fence.

The sandpipers that I was sure had gone south for the winter season appeared in numbers.

They were undeterred by the storm and began their hunt for food along the ocean's edge.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

OUR LAST DAY IN BALTIMORE

Our last day in Baltimore proved to be another nice day. We visited Fort McHenry with its long history from a earthwork fortification to protect Baltimore during the American Revolution to a military prison to a hospital. It is also best known as where Francis Scott Key wrote the "Star Spangles Banner".



From there we visited the Visionary Museum - and unusual, interesting museum which seems to be changing and growing every time I visit it.



Returning to our boat we discovered a new neighbor - a beautiful 2 master named "When and If" that George Patton had commissioned to be built. Unfortunately he did not live long enough to enjoy it.



We left Baltimore the next morning as the clouds began to move it and the last bit of rising sun made nice reflections of the boats in the marina. We had a long ride home before bad weather set in again.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

A TRIP TO THE CHESAPEAKE, BEFORE THE STORM

Two weeks ago, while our daughter was visiting from Colorado, we made our yearly trip to the Chesapeake in a little window of good weather. We made it around Cape May, up the Delaware River, through the C&D Canal & over to Georgetown on the Sassafras River in one day.

It was the smoothest ride I can remember on the Delaware, and as we passed the Cross Ledge Lighthouse the sky was blue.

There was little traffic on the C&D Canal as we passed under my favorite bridges.

After tying up at the Georgetown Marine we had a nice Dinner at the Kitty Knight Restaurant -
and watched the sun set over the Sassafras River.

The next morning we made the short trip over to Baltimore to stay at the Inner Harbor East.

The weather remained good, allowing me to show Vicki a good bit of the Harbor area, including the wonderful Baltimore Acquarium.

The Dolphin Show was enjoyable.

The many displays well done -

but there is never enough time to spend in front of all the displays and in the aviary.

SURFING IN SURF CITY & CLAMS IN THE BAY

The winds of this summer occasionally brought good waves for the surfers, especially when there was an off-shore breeze. I captured these photos of two of our young neighbors.




These Giant Clams are appearing all over the island. They are bought by local businesses for a donation to help pay for the re-clamming of the bay.



Friday, October 23, 2009

SUMMER IN NJ AFTER THE RAINS

Now that summer is definitely over on the New Jersey shore I am finally inspired to post some photos of the preceding 2 months. It has been a frustrating time for my husband who loves to take his boat out to the "canyons" in search of tuna. We have had a lot of wind this summer which makes for rough seas and trips not only uncomfortable, but dangerous. His success has been sporadic at best. Tuna seemed scarce despite the warm waters. These next few photos were taken by our son, Keith from California on one of the better trips.

Back at the dock at Morrison's marina in Beach Haven.

The trip was a bit of a success and the fish, when cooked that night, were delicious.

Seagulls are always present in hopes of scraps at cleaning time.

It wasn't long before the wind returned to kick the water in the bay into rough waves.

On calmer days the gulls gathered on the jetties,

and went about feeding on sea life.

The dune fence made interesting patterns on the dunes,

and early in the morning the tractors did the same on the beach as they cleaned up the refuse from yesterday's tourists.