HAPPY THANKGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving to all.   For the past 21 years we have our turkey down at the shore.  A lengthy walk on the beach after the meal is a good way to work off some of those calories.  The beach was eroded but not to the extent I expected.  I'd say a 5 on a scale of 10.  Nor'easters seem to do much more damage to the beach than Hurricanes anyway.  The flooding from the storm surge was definitely worse, but hurricanes move fast and Nor'easters can last for three or four days.   My bro said that Avalon already had a major sand replenishment on the books for December so sans severe winter storms, things should be back in shape for the summer.   The sand is pumped from the inlet which serves the dual purpose of filling back in the beaches and deepening the channel through the inlet.   Technically Townsends Inlet isn't designated an "All Weather Inlet" so the Coast Guard and Army Corp of Engineers isn't required to keep it open.   The Hereford Inlet on the south end of the island filled in years ago and is designated unnavigable, although some brave souls still use it.

Townsends Inlet - Maybe this is what they mean when they talk about the over development of the coastline?  The stone jetty was raised about 8' or so about seven years ago.  If it hadn't been, Sandy would probably have taken out most of those homes.   They probably sell for around $4-5million - people with that kind of bling usually are able to get taxpayers throughout the state and country to fund massive piles of rocks to protect their shit.   They also are the same folks bitching about "entitlements" ....... a bit ironic.    The approach road to the draw bridge in the distance was washed out by Sandy.  The jetty protecting that was not raised as part of that project, but then again, it's only a public road, why bother.   The Reading Railroad had a trestle bridge across the inlet a few hundred yards on the ocean side of that drawbridge. They rebuilt it frequently.  It must have been a bit of a shaky, interesting trip across it. 

 Tying this into iron and steel, Thomas Edison, after his successful development of electric lighting and the accompanying electrical distribution system, began to experiment with a magnetic process to recover iron from very low grade ore.  His first experiments were on an iron rich Long Island beach, where he was soon confounded by the shifting sands.  He stated that it was like "taking a mortgage on a school of herring".   He relocated to the mountains of northwestern New Jersey, and Putnam County, NY,  and tried for several years to perfect this system on an industrial scale, but in the end, couldn't profitably compete with the newer iron ore sources emerging around the Great Lakes.   His massive New Jersey plant was full of state of the art rock crushing and pulverizing machinery - he re tasked this equipment and began, profitably, producing portland cement.   For some time he attempted to develop a market for prefabricated concrete houses.  There are a number of these homes still standing in central and northern New Jersey.

Our neighbor's boat - ended up across the street in a backyard.   Couldn't have fit this thing back there if you tried.  I'm not sure how it ended up here, or how they are going to get it out.

Enjoy your turkey.....

The sharks are biting,.....