My sis and I have returned from our vacation at the Jersey shore.
We had several really relaxing days of just chillin’ on the beach. In other words, chillaxing!
My shore vacation was spent in Ventnor City, New Jersey. It’s just south of Atlantic City, in fact you can see AC from the beach in Ventnor. We stayed at my sister’s friend Kim’s shore house which was about 4 or 5 blocks from the beach. I never did get a photo of Kim’s shore house because I was too busy being enthralled with this little cottage that was across the street.
There was just something about it that made me wish I could save it. It was in serious need of a fresh paint job, there was a noticeable sag in the roof line and obviously it would benefit from some gardening in the front. I was dying to know what was behind those dormer windows. Was there a sleeping loft up there? Or is it just attic storage? The back of the cottage hangs out over the “Inside Thorofare”, a little body of water that runs through Ventnor and connects up with Lakes Bay.
Most of the homes in this area were badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy back in 2012. In case you don’t remember Sandy, it was the second most destructive hurricane to ever hit the United States. First place of course goes to Hurricane Katrina. Ventnor was hit hard by Sandy. Kim lost pretty much the entire contents of her house, plus had major damage to floors, walls and so on. I’m sure that this little cottage had extensive damage as well and I wonder if it will ever be properly restored. It seems like most people choose to tear down and build new which always makes me a little sad. Which isn’t to say that these newly constructed homes aren’t gorgeous …
But they just don’t capture my imagination the way that the older homes do.
Let me tell you, I was totally green with envy over the hydrangeas out there.
They were everywhere and they were stunning. I like the showy ‘mophead’ varieties.
But Kim preferred the more delicate looking ‘lacecap’ version.
We just can’t get this kind of flowering out of Hydrangea macrophylla here in Minnesota. They bloom on the previous season’s wood, and in Minnesota that wood generally dies back to the ground in our harsh winters. We try with the Endless Summer variety, which is supposed to bloom on both new and old wood, but I am lucky to get 3 or 4 blooms on mine.
We headed in to Atlantic City one evening. I have to say, that sort of thing is not really my cup of tea. Not a huge fan of Las Vegas either, even though my mom lives there. But there were some charming scenes, like the rides on the pier.
We also went to Smithville one morning.
Smithville is a little village made up of historic buildings that have been moved onto the site. They are all filled with shops and restaurants now. I loved seeing the buildings, but the shops inside were pretty touristy. We had lunch at a great diner there, my chicken salad wrap was delish and filled with chicken, chunks of apple and craisins. New Jersey has some of the best diners.
But what I really enjoyed most on the trip was just sitting on the beach in Ventnor. We had plenty of sunshine and hot weather, and the water was perfectly refreshing. We got up early on the last day of our trip to see the sunrise and get some photos at the beach.
There was a dense curtain of fog hanging in the air that morning though.
Still, it was worth it to get up at 5 a.m. while on vacation … at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
I must admit I feel a little bit like that friend that totally bores you with photos of her vacation, so I’m going to stop now.
But be sure to check back later in the week. I have a great furniture makeover coming your way, followed by an amazing tour of Kim’s house next week.
Also, congrats to Barb from Missouri whose name I chose at random for the salt water taffy giveaway!
q is for quandie 
The “journaling of your trip” (with photos) was so enjoyable to read. Thank you! My husband and I are going to plan a trip that direction for our next get-a-way!
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I always enjoy heading out to the east coast. There is so much history there, and the beach in Ventnor was lovely!
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That looks so fun! Hydrangeas are my favorite!
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I wish we could get those Macrophylla’s to bloom here like they do out there, so gorgeous!
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Glad you had a good vacation Linda! We just got back from Kauai and it was a blast and a much needed break from real life.
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Oh my gosh, I bet Kauai was gorgeous!
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How nice is Debbie to share her friend with you! Great opportunity, nice pictures and narrative. You are able to bring the reader with you on your trip very vividly. You have the makings of a good author…must be the water at your house? Love the pictures too. But I’ll stop here before your hats become too tight. Lol. Call you later……
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Ha! Funny. We were practicing for our next trip to the beach 😉
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Your pictures are wonderful, Linda! Now the Jersey shore needs to go on my Bucket List! Thank you for sharing…Patty
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Totally! You should check it out Patty.
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Living it all through you this morn as NO vacation planned for us here is Cali : [
Thanks- love all the pics. Don’t stop!
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Bummer! No vacation. I had a ‘no vacation’ year last year. Was busy getting my sister moved to Minnesota and saving for future vacations. Hopefully you’ll make up for it next year Linda!
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Ummm Since you’re not a fan of Vegas and your Mom lives there, how about I visit your Mom in place of you next time! I’m sure the two of us would have a great time and I’d promise to behave better than my last trip there – or not, depending on how feisty your Mom is.
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I’m sure my mom would love to have you. She even has two guest rooms at her house, so plenty of room for visitors. She’s not normally all that feisty, but you could try and set a bad example for her to follow 😉
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My last trip was chock-full of excitement. Example, my sister leaned too far and fell into the bushes outside Caesars Palace (we were not drinking all day – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Her legs were straight up in the air and instead of helping her up, I collapsed on the sidewalk laughing. Two young men fished her out and she brushed herself off claiming to be quite refreshed after the experience. Lots more to the story but I have a scrap of dignity left – I just can’t remember where I put it. Your Mom needs me.
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Ruth, Love the story of the bushes. I actually got tears in my eyes from laughing.
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Me too!!! Still chuckling over here!
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Thanks Linda! And you can “bore” me anytime with those vacation pictures, so pretty!
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Thanks Barb!
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Looks beautiful, happy you had a fabulous time. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics!
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You’re welcome, thanks for the comment!
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Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful vacation with us. I agree with everything you said about keeping the old homes as suppose to building new ones. The gorgeous hydrangeas, the little “homely” places to enjoy a nice meal. My husband is from that area, and we plan to take a trip there soon. You pictures, as well as you narratives of things you saw and did was greatly appreciated.
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There is just something about those simple vintage summer cottages that gets lost when they get replaced with new construction, right?
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