Oxford New Jersey

 July 14, 2023

On our way from Ocean City, New Jersey to Allentown PA for our Allegiant flight home we stopped by Oxford to see my grandparent's old home and their graves.  I hadn't been back to Oxford in forty-four years. 

A pleasant drive up the Garden State Parkway carried us north. Traffic really picked up as we approached the New York City area turning into bumper to bumper driving on I278 with lots of trucks for company. We turned onto Rt 31 from I78 for a lazy drive on a road shaded by lots of trees - green is the color of New Jersey out here.  After stopping in Washington for a late breakfast, we crossed over Oxford Mountain to 82 Church St, the old home of my grandparents. I was disappointed to find the house in such run-down condition. The screen porch where my grandfather like to sit was missing its screen. The house needs paint and the roof needs to be replaced. Many more trees shaded the backyard than I remembered. 

I remember the wall being much taller but then I was much shorter in 1952. Of course the railroad tracks across the street that I rail-walked with my grandmother in the fifties are long gone. The tracks ran up the mine that closed in the mid sixties.

We drove around the block and snapped a photo of the Presbyterian Church located behind the old house. When we were little, my grandmother encouraged my brother and me to ring the church's bells one weekday morning just for fun.  

Google Maps shows "Oxford Group of Mines" located on the right side of  Mine Hill Road but all we saw were thick woods all along the road. Actually, the mines are just some holes in the ground in the woods so there wasn't anything to see, from the car anyway.

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Hillside Cemetery is just a short drive away along Jonestown Road. The graves of my grandparents and Uncle Lawrence lie near the unpaved road that runs alongside the cemetery.

The American Legion added the flags and probably cleaned Laurence's grave marker (not shown). He served in the navy during World War II. 

We followed rural roads passing by small farms and well-appointed hillside homes and lots and lots of trees on our way to the Lehigh Airport. This part of New Jersey is so beautiful and tranquil, I wish we had more time to just explore the backroads. 

I forgot to mention - we enjoyed a late breakfast at the Washington Diner on our way to Oxford. 

Stopping By Oxford

Post Script - My grandfather worked for the Allan Wood Steel Company for fifty+ years starting at age thirteen. He transferred from Philadelphia to Oxford in the Depression to assume the position of office manager for the mine. See the AllenWood Steel Story written in 1959 for a description of the mine.  The company folded in the sixties. 

    

Ocean City New Jersey

Sunrise July 11, 5:40 AM  Ocean City New Jersey - Richard took these lovely photos on the first day we arrived for a Family Vacation at the famous Jersey Shore!  I, Joanne, hadn't been here in many years - maybe 50 years since my daughter, Michele, was a young child.  When we were teens, our Grandmother took us to Ocean Grove near Asbury Park and then we graduated to trips to Seaside Heights.  Oh, such great memories!  I actually saw Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones fame at the Asbury Park Convention Center when he first broke out onto the rock scene.

Pictured below is us enjoying the Ocean City Boardwalk, from L to R is Addie, Michele, me, Claire, Lucy in the wagon with Frankie pulling her.  It was such a joy to spend time with the 3 little girls - Frankie, Lucy and Lana.  They never failed to keep us entertained!

Richard and I took a ride on the Ferris Wheel which provided us great views of the ocean and rides.  The highlight was the bumper cars when all 15 of us bumped away to the challenge.  Fun, fun, fun...

Out on the Water in a little power boat rented by my brother, Paul.  Little Lana (almost 3) was fearless.  Here she is looking for dolphins.

Coast Guard Requires Proper Lookout at All times

Largest Osprey Nest I Have Ever Seen

I loved spending time with my daughter, Michele, pictured above.

Later in the week, Richard and I drove down the Parkway a few exits and toured the famous Cape May Lighthouse.  It was a joy to look for our previous neighbor's B & B, which we spotted near the ocean road.  The beautiful restored old timey homes were so pretty.

Here I am with my sibs - from L to R,  - -  Paul, Mary, Claire and me.  What a treat to get together with our families and get on our "NJ Vibe."  We found a bakery and were able to recreate our childhood memories of eating sticky honeybuns, jelly donuts, crumb cake and the like!  And we had Jersey corn and tomatoes.  Oh boy, it was a good food fest!

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Diane for renting her summer family home and to Claire for finding another close-by place for the overflow visitors.  Thanks to sisters Mary and Claire for shopping and cooking wonderful dinners and to Diane for her contributions of delicious corn bread, salads, etc.  With everyone pitching in, they were able to serve 15 of us effortlessly!

Summer 23

It is summer time here in Punta Gorda and the living is easy. And HOT!

Time is best spent inside in the air conditioning in the heat of the day. Richard worked from 6:30 AM to 7:45 AM a number of days to refinish the front door at the end of session soaked in sweat. By 8 AM the heat will drain all the water right out of a person.  He also waxed the boat the same way, just a little work early each morning.  

Nevertheless, we did find a few thing to do.

Blind Pass Beach

June 7 - We loaded our umbrellas, beach chairs, cooler and wagon in the car for a morning at Blind Pass Beach. The water was warm and clear.  An on-shore breeze made for a pleasant day. We left well before noon as the day really began to heat-up. 

Ava Maria

June 16 -  We had never been to Ava Maria, the Catholic enclave northeast of Naples and a few miles south of Immokalee basically in the middle of nowhere.  A magnificent church lies at the center of the village surrounded first by attractive small businesses  and then by subdivisions and golf courses.

We met the president of Ava Maria University while searching for the Mother Teresa Museum located in one of the university buildings.  Click to read about the impressive Mother Teresa Project.

Ava Mari Village

Church Centered in the Village

The Museum 

Cruise to Captiva

June 22 - 23 - We led a cruise to Captiva, the first time we've been there since Hurricane Ian did so much destruction last September.  The island is on the mend and we had a great time with another crew of the boat named J&J motored by Jackie Engle and Jim Pase, members of our wonderful PGIslander Boat Club.  We had a delicious dinner with them at Captiva Yacht Club, which was newly renovated and their Chef prepared us an absolutely yummy meal.  We went for a swim in the Tween Waters Pool, next door, and an early morning dip in the ocean, located across the street.  What a fun weekend!  We lucked out with great weather and no thunderstorms!  Awesome time!

Pictures below of our boats and the beautiful Captiva Yacht Club.

Sunrise from Captiva Island Yacht Club - Morning Has Broken!

Dinner at 88 Keys - A few Islanders gathered for dinner at the Wyvern Hotel's  88 Keys Restaurant June 21. We enjoyed conversing with everyone and checking out the mid-week summer specials.

Monthly Game Night with the PGIslander Boat Club has been resurrected recently.  We learned a new card game and I won!  Lots of fun at the Linehan's home. 

Mary and Al Visit -   My sister, Mary, and brother-in-law, Al, came down for a few days visit to see our 102-1/2 year old Mom.  We had a great time going to Blind Pass Beach on Manasota Key.  We also took a trip down Memory Lane to Pine Island.  The highlight was lunch at Captain Con's.  We all enjoyed the coconut shrimp and grouper along with the homemade pies.  The coconut cream was delicious!

We have been beating the heat by reading indoors.  A few of the books we read worth mentioning are  Swan Light, Lessons in Chemistry and The World Played Chess

This year Fisherman's Village hosted the fireworks on the Fourth. After a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad and several games of Chicken Foot Dominoes with Rob and Sue we drove down to an empty lot on Jamaica Way to watch the fireworks. We were the only ones on the lot while across from the yacht club, people packed themselves in. 

   

We attended a wonderful IYC Luau Party in July.