civilized ku # 2295 ~ one of these things is much like the other thing

Mirror image ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenBy just keeping your eyes open you can see some rather unique things. Hint: cloud and topiary.

civilized ku # 2285-94 ~ downsized or outsized

Cottage window ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenCottages ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
"A SHORE THING" ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenOn the South Jersey barrier island of Stone Harbor there are three 1 block long very narrow streets with small cottages. Ocean, lake, river, forest, mountain locations or wherever they might be found, IMO and to my eye and sensibilities, these structures are the quintessential summer cottage.

When I think of summer vacation accommodations, this is what I want. These cottages are not at all like the house in which I live. And, for me, vacationing is suppose to be a different experience from that of my daily life - the bigger the difference, the better for me. Who the hell wants to stay in a vacation accommodation which closely resembles that in which they live?

In any event, the cottages pictured here (and many more) stand in direct contrast to the spread / plague of McMansions (and mini-McMansions) which are starting to dominate the landscape in Stone Harbor. Quite obviously, the cottage-sized structure is the polar opposite of the out-sized McMansion behemoths but that's not the only difference.

What really sets the cottages apart from the McMansions is character. Each and every cottage conveys a wealth of individual touches which manifest owner idiosyncrasy, which, when taken together with their human / diminutive scale conveys a sense of inviting warmth and intimacy. It makes me want to meet the residents of these cottages.

And meet a few, I did. As I walked the narrow streets making pictures, several residents (owners and renters) struck up conversations with me. A few were out walking on the street and a few came out of their respective cottages to inquire (in a very friendly manner) about my picturing activity. Most conversations were brief but friendly, a few others turned into longer conversations which were mainly about the cottages themselves.

One individual in particular was very interested in picture making to the point of accompanying me back to my rental to view all 5 of my folios (FYI, her favorites were, single woman and tangles, thickets, and twigs).

The character of the cottages and the friendly personal encounters stand in direct contrast with the cold, sterile, insular, faux grandeur of the McMansions and their occupants. The McMansions themselves have little visual warmth or appeal (to my eye and sensibilities), unless, of course, one is given over to the bigger-is-better syndrome (which, in demonstrable fact, many in the $$$$ class are). Their main feature is their size, which apparently is what the owners want to convey to the general rabble, as in a "my thing is bigger than your thing" and a "if you've got it, flaunt it" kinda manner.

Now, it's possible (but, IMO, not probable) that some of the McMansion occupants are warm and friendly people. However, not once in my picturing of their monstrosities (during this visit and visits past), have I ever encounter one of them. Even though these things have a number porches / decks, in all my years of visiting the shore, picturing or just walking about, I have never actually seen a person on one of them. It's as if they have constructed barriers / moats - both visual and emotional - around their compounds / castles in order insulate themselves from contact with 'commoners'.

At least, that's how it feels to my eye and sensibilities, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

FYI, it's customary for summer homes to have names. For example, the bungalow next to our rental is named Second to Nun - it's on Second Street near an institution-sized nun's retirement residency. That said, the behemoth / obscenity pictured in this entry is named A Shore Thing, which to my way of thinking should be changed to read, A Bastardized & Pretentious Shore Thing,

civilized ku # 2282-84 ~ sitting on the dock on the bay

Mid-AM light ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenBoat, bay, marshes, mainland ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenLooking north, south and west from a dock/deck on the bay/coastal waters between the island and the mainland.

civilized ku # 2282-85 ~ cottages, bungalows, houses, and obscenities

The creep to obscenity ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenOne of the many issues I have with the South Jersey Shore is ongoing destruction of what was once a rather quaint Summer community. As is the case in many parts of the Good Ol' US of A - where nothing exceeds like excess - the moneyed class is driving out the 'common' folks and destroying what was once a community with real character.

Not that vacationing in a place where renting a modest bungalow, which sets you back $3,000-4,000.00USD for a one week rental, is frequented by a whole lot of 'commoners'. But, that said written, the fact remains that the new McMansion summer homes are being built on lots which once housed 2 or 3 more modest structures. And, in the process, driving up real estate values into the stratosphere.

FYI, the little cottage (on a 35×40 foot lot) pictured in the upper left of the picture posted in this entry is currently for sale at $425,000USD. A typical 10,000 sq. ft. Stone Harbor McMansion - that's right, a 10,000 sq. ft. summer house - will set you back a cool $3.5-7,000,000USD.

Whatever the cost of these monstrosities, the thing that gets under my skin, in addition to their physical /social impact on the community and their sterile faux grandeur, is the insane level of energy consumption these obscenities represent. Anyone want to venture a guess, re: the energy required to air-condition one of those behemoths for a summer?

In any event, it is the wretched excesses of the South Jersey Shore which make feel like I am consorting with the enemy every time I visit the place.

Update on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 12:42PM by gravitas et nugalis

Featured Comment: Mary Dennis asked: "Why do you keep going there Mark?"

my response: 3 reasons - 1) it's a family - the wife's family, and I like them all - thing, 2) Hugo likes to have fun with his 'cousins', and 3) it gives me something to add to my curmudgeonly things-to-bitch-about list.

And, truth be told, if we visited the place in late autumn - after the crowds have left and the temperature isn't as hot and humid as Hell - I might actually enjoy the place. But that's not gonna happen because the Adirondacks is beyond category glorious in the autumn.

civilized ku # 2278-80 ~ big things on exhibit

Hugo and TRex ~ New York, NY • click to embiggenExhibits / Museum of Natural History ~ New York, NY • click to embiggenOn our way home from the South Jersey Shore, Hugo and I visited NYC for a day and a night. For me, it was a way to get back to civilization and wash the SJS out of my hair / system. For Hugo it was just a good time.