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Entries in New Jersey (4)
Road Trip USA: The New Jersey Shore
Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 11:59AM 
I have good friends who are semi-retired and live year round in Ocean City, New Jersey. I spent a wonderful five days visiting them.
I brought my bicycle with me so that I could ride the many miles of Ocean City boardwalk.
Although Ocean City is a very old beach resort (for mostly rich folks from Philadelphia), many of the old beach houses were torn down and replaced with these fanciful 'kit' beach houses. About 80% of these are vacant during the off-season.
Ocean City has a nice beach. There used to be a major pier, but it was washed away during Hurricane Sandy . . . which also inundated Ocean City streets. The pier in the background is the private pier of the Ocean City Fishing Club.
Ocean City has a few attractions, including a very fine boardwalk. The town is 'dry' - alcohol is not sold in stores, so it has gained a reputation as a family beach.
We had the beach to ourselves every day.
I had the good luck to be here between storms . . . and wind. Quite mild and calm days for December. We took a nice bike ride to a nearby island and saw this inlet along the way.
Much of the area to the west of Ocean City is designated as a wildlife reserve.
Beach erosion is still an issue. Successive hurricanes and 'noreasters' severely depleted the sands. The local government dredged the seabed and sprayed sand back to make a new beach. It will have to find it's new 'natural' levels.
Wonderful patterns, shapes, and shadows in the beach dunes.
Wind patterns in the sand.
With my good buddy, Bud.
My friends and I drove 20 minutes south to the lovely colonial seaside village of Cape May in the late afternoon to see the decorated old Victorian and Colonial houses.
The sun had just gone down . . . and the houses were beginning to take on their night identity.
There are so many cute houses in Cape May. The Cape May Historic District has over 600 listed homes. Fantastic!
Cape May was first established as a village in 1632, on of the earliest settlements along the Atlantic coast. Most of the homes in the Historic District are of the Late Victorian Era Style.
The beautiful Victoria B&B . . . .
The Queen Victoria B&B front door.
Lovely turreted Victorian mansion.
The pastel colors of the perfectly restored (maintained?) Victorians were so sweet.
As the darkness continued to fall, the old houses began to light up in their Christmas charm.
Although not as grand or ornate as some others in Cape May, I like this modest white house the most: it seems so inviting.
Another one of my favorites . . . that enclosed porch is just perfect!
A typical Cape May street in the Historical District.
Photographers love the 'magic hour' - the first and last hour of sunlight, but we also love the 'Blue Hour' - the time just before dark when the sky is a deep blue.
The holiday decorations were very nicely done . . . and NONE of those horrible inflatables!
Such a lovely little town . . . "The way it used it be" . . . at least for the few who could afford it, even back then. My friends said this is "Philadelphia money."
At times it seemed we were walking through a movie set . . . so perfect was the restoration . . . 
These two were gems: big porches on both floors!
Such a fantasy house!
Cape May! 
A beautiful gem in the blue hour.
I could live here!
The old houses come in many colors.
Tourists come to Cape May all year. 
There is an old timey park in Cape May with a lovely gazebo.
Such a festive feeling.
The buildings around the old town square.
There is a nice walking street of old shops in Cape May proper.
The shop windows were dressed for the season.
So pretty.
My friend, Bud, doing some last minute shopping.
Christmas trees seemingly in every window!
The interior of this hotel was nicely festooned with Christmas regalia.
There was even a small Christmas Market in the garden of the old Heritage Hall Hotel. Yes, we had glüwine.
There were many cute little shops around the town center.
As sweet as the commercial area of Cape May was, the star of the city is the vast numbers of Victorian houses lit in Christmas decorations.
Gems in the night.
Lit up like Christmas, as they say.
A dream house . . . 
Another favorite of mine . . . this pink grand dame in all its glory!
Seen earlier in the daylight, now a gem box of amazing color and form.
It was late (and cold!) when we finally left Cape May. I want to come back and stay in one of these old beauties. I have added an additional entry at the end of this blog focusing on just the front porches of these old Victorians (Bottom).
I drove north 30minutes from Ocean City one nice winter day. I brought my bicycle with me and had a nice 10 mile ride along he famous Atlantic City boardwalk.
Atlantic City has been the dream retirement spot for eastcoasters for generations. . .
Hurricane Sandy and other major storms have played havoc with the Jersey Shore. After dredged sand was blown in, an attempt to stabilize the new beach.
The boardwalk and most of the buildings seemed to be in a good state of repair.
The famous pier at Atlantic City was closed for the season.
But, of curse, it is the Atlantic City boardwalk that attracts people, even on this cold and clear December day. I really enjoyed my 10 mile bike ride along this wooden bike path.
As I took a closer look at the large hotels, I was shocked to see so many of them boarded up . . . closed and abandoned. The economic collapse of 2008 and the establishment of Native American casinos in Pennsylvania had a major negative eeconomic impact on Atlantic City.
There were a few shops and a couple of cafes open to service the winter wanderers, like me.
The weathered remains of a hotel beach party set-up . . . the last trace of the summer season. I rode my bike back five miles, loaded it into my camper, and drove back to Ocean City . . . good exercise for the day.Dr. Jeff Harper
The Victorian Porches of Cape May, New Jersey
One of the most beautiful architectural features of Cape May, New Jersey are the front porches of the old Victorian houses.
These houses date form a period in cultural history when the front door mattered as the face of the family that lived inside.
In summer the porch serves as a place to sit and greet your neighbors as they pass by. In winter, it serves as a stage to light the Holiday Season.
Closed or open porches . . . they are such a beautiful feature one wonders why they ever fell out of fashion.
Please, step on in . . .
The many B&Bs in Cape May must be packed during the summer season . . . and the rocking chairs on the porches fully occupied.
Festive, to say the least.
The Carpenter Victorian porch is just pure fantasy!
Charming and bold colors.
An old Victorian in all its Yuletide glory.
Soooo inviting!
Porch Life has not vanished from the Earth . . . it lives on in Cape May, New Jersey!
Summer 2013: From Bangkok to Aberdeen, Scotland
Friday, July 19, 2013 at 1:45AM 
We spent the last five day in Bangkok high up in the Grand Centara Hotel . . . thanks Marc for the upgrade! The view from our 51st floor room was beautiful in the daylight . . .
. . . beautiful in the evening . . .
. . . and beautiful at night. Good-bye Bangkok, it has been a fantastic 17 years! I'll be back in Thailand for retirement one day . . . but first . . . a summer vacation in:
The Pacific Northwest, USA
Olympia Washington: My sister-in-law Mary is a great gardener. She grows everything. It is always a treat to go from the steaming tropics of Thailand directly to to cool climes of the American Pacific Northwest.
I still had Internet access, so I had fun with my big camera in the Mary's garden.
Very sweet.
We all took several long nature walks along the shores of Puget Sound. The blackberries were not ripe yet . . .
. . . but the salmon berries looked inviting.
The essence of the Pacific Northwest.
New life everywhere under the forest canopy.
A nice morning to row about on one of the arms of Puget Sound. An old log loading pier still stands.
It Doesn't Get More American Than This: The Monmouth, Oregon 4th of July Parade.
The Monmouth, Oregon Parade is open to anybody from the community who wants to 'parade' themselves.
It's a great opportunity to crank up that old tractor you lovingly restored, and drive it down Main Street. I love this little town: I attended two years of univesity here.
An old Mac Truck. Nice. Brought back memories of El Paso, Texas at 3:00am in 1958 for me.
As is my personal tradition, I ingest The National Dish on the 4th of July every year. Yep, it was great.
What would a parade be without a car show? I met my Hot Rod photo quota for the year.
I LOVE these flames!
I prefer the 4-door fat fender hot rods . . . you can take your friends.
Silver Creek Falls, Oregon
My good friends Jeff & Sharon under Silver Creek Falls. It was a good day for a trail walk in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades.
Oregon.
Delicate new growth.
More ripe salmon berries.
A beautiful trail through the forest along Silver Creek.
A serene mountain stream.
Upper Silver Creek Falls is somewhat unique because the trail takes you under and behind the falls, making for unusual photo opportunities.
Loud and beautiful.
You can judge the scale in this photo by noticing the size of the hikers on the trail.
A perfect day.
Looking out from behind Upper Silver Creek Falls.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I visited my daughter near Valley Forge.
We all went to the Longwood Botanical Gardens for a morning stroll with my new grandson, Torin.
Scrumptious cacti!
Lovely flowers everywhere.
Touching.
Longwood had formal Italian gardens too.
The tropical greenhouses were interesting.
I remember seeing these same lotus pads in Jogjakarta, Indonesia a few years ago.
I had to laugh when I saw these wax flowers . . . I came half way around the planet to see a flower that was growing in my back yard in Bangkok!
Lovely early summer day in Pennsylvania.
Ocean City, New Jersey
A strangly cold summer in Ocean City New Jersey. We took a walk with our freinds, Bud, Gaile, in the gathering gloom . . .
Night falling over Ocean City.
Last Light.
New England Village
I won't reveal the exact location of this village in New England, except to say that it was the perfect New England village. Our good friends from Bangkok, Joe and Nancy, recently retired there.
A dream . . . more like a living calendar! Just too perfect.
Rural Colonial New England.
Mmmmm.
House Proud New Englanders sure know how to spruce a place up.
Around Nancy's garden.
A friend's home.
More old barns than I had time to photograph . . .
I could have stopped a hundred times . . . but Bud and I had more important things to do . . . .
NASCAR at New Hampshire Speedway
Yep, Bud and I joined 40,000 of our best friend and at the New Hampshire 300. Bud commented that the people watching here was like looking through a 1920s physiology text book, so varied were the physiognomies of the gathered throng.
We rooted for Juan Pablo Montoya . . . . and I think we were the only ones who were. We rooted for him when we saw him at the Chinese F1 race in Shanghai years ago too.
It was an unseasonably hot day with the threat of rain that never materialized. It was a good, tight race with surprising results. Loud and fast . . . just the way I like it.
Loudoun, New Hampshire. Pre-race ceremonies were colorful, to say the least.
Summer Memories
Monday, August 22, 2011 at 7:24PM 
Ocean City Boardwalk, New Jersey Shore, 4th of July.
Shayne Rockey, reflective beach boy, Ocean City Beach, NJ fireworks, July 4, 2011.
Another version of fireworks on the beach at Ocean City, New Jersey . . . notice the embracing couple in the gloom. Beautiful
4th of July
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 8:05PM New Egypt Speedway, New Jersey. "Thunder in the Pines"
Ah! I love the smell of race gas in the evening! The fencing is there to protect the race patrons from large chunks of dirt and mud from being flung into the stands, but the small chunks fly right on through and onto the assembled race fans.
New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey is a classic, small town, 1/4 mile "D-shaped" dirt track. The Modified Sprint cars are light, over-powered winged, sideways, and very loud. Fantastic!
Turning right to go left!
700+ horsepower on dirt. It doesn't get any better.
Dr. Jeff Harper
The United States of America's Independence Day: July 4.
It's the 4th of July so, naturally, I had to have the American National Dish, The Hot Dog on the Boardwalk at Ocean City, New Jersey.
American lobsterization in mass! Ocean City Beach, New Jersey.
I swam in the surprisingly large surf on this beach.
Th Atlantic City Boardwalk was as interesting as I thought it would be.
A honeymooner and city kids' paradise: Atlantic City.
From carney barker to the sirens calling you to the casino tables, Atlantic City howled with cheap greed.
Security was an issue: I was approached five separate times, by five separate security personnel, and asked in exactly the same words, "Do you work for a magazine or publication? If so, you are not allowed to take photographs here." Are there secrets of the Water Gun Fun that cannot be known outside of New Jersey?
It was the 4th of July week-end, but there were almost no patrons on the Steel Pier, NJ Ferris Wheel.
The urban "renewal" of the 60s and 70s have yet to bring the prosperity promised to Atlantic City New Jersey. A strange post-apocalyptic mood surrounds the place.
Important Consumer Tip: If somebody offers to sell and install "low cost vinyl siding" on your private New Jersey home, do not do it.
