MMDT #12 Back from Super Storm Sandy

Elements used:

Page pattern #54

Sand grid paper

Chocolate brown and light tan card stock for mounting photos

Brads – This layout is about surviving the storm and coming back even better. At first I didn’t want to use any embellishment, but then I realized I wanted this to be a fun page filled with visions of the future on the beach, and the brad beach balls gave my page just the right amount of playfulness.

I drew letters in the sand for my alphabet tiles spelling out Belmar.

Anyone who lives on the East Coast and especially New Jersey understands how devastating the Super Storm in October 2012 was to our community. My post for this challenge about the Alphabet is a tribute to the resilience of the shore of New Jersey and the entire East Coast. My boys and I were very fortunate because we only lost power for 12 days and the food in the freezer didn’t make it. Others’ lives were completely turned up side down. I know you have all read about the storm and its effects. I am not going to re-hash all the devastation. My post is about re-building the shore.

These one inch tiles are one inch squares of the new boardwalk. This is the first sign of the restoration and I liked the way the tiles frame the other photos.

I grew up coming “down the shore” from New York all my young life. Every weekend we would travel the hour and a half to spend the weekends at my grandparents’ summer home here in Belmar. My memories are of my cousins and my siblings getting up early and eating breakfast out in the back yard next to the garage which was fully set up as a kitchen. Refrigerator, stove, freezer and of course tools. Coffee was brewing and grandma sat at the picnic table with us telling everyone what her plans were for the day while we had our eggs and bacon and hard rolls. Then it was off to the beach. Grandma usually cooked some of her best Italian dishes while we were gone. I don’t know why she never came with us, but she was always there with a feast when we got back.

The beach in Belmar was really fun. There were arcades, miniature golf, volleyball games and sandcastles with all kinds of eateries from little dinky huts with great food to ice cream stands, bars and restaurants. There were souvenir shops on every block and the beach spanned about 20 blocks.  I learned to swim at the beach and I remember the rougher the waves, the more I liked it. I never came out of the water. I wound up being a very good swimmer. At about 4 o'clock we would leave for grandma's house, an "outside shower", and a barbecue or grandma's feast.

This week I finally got to the beach mostly for this project and of course to see the progress that was made since Sandy hit. At first, it hit me hard. There was almost nothing but boardwalk and the ocean just beyond. All the shops on the boardwalk were gone. There were about four businesses using trailers that were hitched together. The pavilion was gone. I am told it will be bigger and better by next year. There was something very heart wrenching and heart warming about it all. Everything was gone, but then the boardwalk was brand new and there was life. Although it was about 5:30 after work, there were children and families there winding up their day at the beach. People were playing volleyball and throwing Frisbees. There were no dunes between the boardwalk and the sand, but that will come back. I realized Sandy only beat us down temporarily. Signs of re-building were all around. There was a spirit among the few shop owners of hope and pride of re-building. It was very peaceful and yet exciting to see it all in the early stages of coming back to life. I left the beach that day knowing each time I come back it will be even better.

The photos I chose tell the story of a great day at the beach filled with great colors of the ocean and Belmar written in the sand for my alphabet theme.