Month: July 2024

                        We are down the Jersey Shore for our annual Beach Haven Stay–A-While courtesy of my sister Kathy and her husband Denny. I think we’re somewhere around ten years or so into this wonderful ritual.

                        This also means that you are in for a travel-tidbit concerning this great destination! You may feel that there is a lesson soon to be foisted upon you. You would be correct! I promise that this may be the most practical Blog Post that I’ve ever sent to you, as it is ……

                        Not about the history of this area.

                        Not about the attractions of this area.

                        Not even the geologic makings of barrier islands.

            (All of which you have suffered through before!)

This is the Tastiest Travel Tidbit that I’ve ever posted!

Let’s talk about ….   Food!

 But….

                                     Not the boardwalk versions of Disco Fries.

                                     Not Saltwater Taffy.

                                     Not even some incredible local Clam Chowders.

We are going directly to the little town that sits at the northern end of Long Beach Island (LBI for short), that of Barnegat Light which is also the home of the eponymous Barnegat Lighthouse. This location is the link between the travel and the tasty……

                        Most of us like seafood.

                        But we’re not going to talk about swordfish.

                                                Not even Flounder.

                                                Nope, not grouper either.

                        We’re going to go straight to the tippy top of delectable morsels of the cornucopia of underwater treats that our oceans supply for us…..

                                    That of the Sea Scallop (preferably pan-seared!)

                                    You know, the one that looks like the Shell Petroleum logo, the one with ‘scalloped’ edges!

                        Imagine, if you will, an extremely hot skillet, a perfectly seasoned cast-iron one is preferred (but not mandatory) and onto its 400-degree surface you gently place a well-oiled Atlantic Sea Scallop, on one of its two flat sides. Don’t hurry it. Don’t pry it off of the surface (it will release itself when ready) but definitely pay attention because when it does release itself, that is the time to flip the little guy (or gal) over and finish it off. Not as much time is needed on the second side because the LAST thing that you want to do is over cook our new best friend.

                        When ready flip it back to the original (well caramelized) first side and serve immediately.

                        Your friends will hold you in the highest esteem and probably name a holiday after you!

                        Sounds great Don, but where do we get these tasty treats?

                        I’m glad you asked that Mr. Marine Biologist!

                        You will need to be a little forward and come across as a Scallop Snob, but the final outcome is hanging by the proverbial adductor muscle (which is that tasty part of the scallop that we crave).

                        Modern harvesting and especially transportation methods have helped make the procurement of these puppies a lot easier than it was in the past.

                        Let’s go the absolute best place on the Planet to get them.

                        The docks of Barnegat Light where the scallop boats come in daily and unload our dinner.

                        Yes, I have driven down to Barnegat Light just to buy scallops, but in reality, that is not needed, for all of the aforementioned reasons. But you need to now turn into that Scallop Snob that I mentioned and quiz your local seafood department.

                        Here are the questions..

                                    Are these previously frozen?

                                    If Yes, stick out your tongue and wave good-by.

                                    If No, proceed to the next question.

                                    Are these wet or dry scallops?

                                    If Wet, (‘wet’ scallops have been soaked in tri-polyphosphate to whiten them and pump them up with water) stick out your tongue, shake your head in disgust and stamp out of the store.

                                    If No, (‘dry’ scallops have not been treated in any way) then you’re in safe territory and the rest is just for further satisfaction…..

                                    Are these Day-Boat or Diver Scallops?

                                    If the answer is Yes to either one, Nirvana is nigh, and you will need to contain your excitement as not to make a fool of yourself.

                                    So Don, what do all of these different features mean and what difference does it really make?

                        I’m glad you asked that one Ms. Jeopardy Contestant!

                        We’ve already said that ‘dry’ is better than ‘wet’ but the reason is manyfold. ‘Wet’ scallops will never ‘sear’ because when heated, all of that wetness comes out and turns into steam. You cannot get a caramelized surface when its being steamed. Plus, even though the price is less for ‘wet’ they will shrink about 30% when cooked and be yucky! ‘Dry’ scallops won’t do that and it’s even better when you can just tap them with a paper towel a bit before oiling them up.

                        ‘Day Boat’ scallops are just that, they come in daily instead of being out for several days and are generally fresher. ‘Diver’ Scallops are the best as they have been hand-harvested by a diver with that tank on his back and a bag at his side, picking only the biggest and best just for you (and me!) But beware, the term Diver Scallop has been utilized on menus where it is impossible to be certain (because of obvious seafaring conditions) that the scallops are indeed true ‘Diver Scallops,’ but in that case they are at least usually ‘dry’.

                        So now we’re ready for dinner!

                        Since we are already down here we will be driving up to Barnegat Light to kidnap some of these beautiful bi-valves and proceed to convince them that are destined for greatness courtesy of that well-seasoned frying pan.

                                    I will wait to post this in order to include the appropriate photographic evidence of an epic local seafood experience!

(Five hours later…… see below!

When you arrive at Scallop Mecca be sure to spend some time at some of this location’s other sights and sites! The trip up to the top of Old Barney is tremendous in its views. At its base you will find that short trail that walks you through one of the only virgin dune ecosystems left around here (check out the Blog Post of 7/29/23). Kelly’s ‘Old Barney’ serves breakfast and lunch and is about as an authentic old-school eatery as it gets, and Viking Village utilizes the old historic seamen’s shacks, re-purposed as quaint little shops. This row of shacks once sheltered the men as they repaired their nets and other equipment, readying them for another day at sea.

So, off with you now! Go to your local legitimate fish market (even the seafood department at Shop-Rite) ask your Scallop Snob questions and get ready for a treat! Better yet, make a day of it and visit Barnegat Light and you’ll really have a Dinner to Remember!

                                    Well….. we are back up in Maine visiting Paula’s son Brian and his family. This is the 4^th (?) year doing this run and if you’ve been following us from the beginning you already know how much we like Maine, especially the Down East Coast. You also know that one of those dreaded Art Appreciation lessons is forthcoming.

                                    I am so sorry about this, but it is out of my control as I find myself whisked away into the mind and world of my favorite artist, Andrew Wyeth. He used to live around here for many, many years. He met his wife Betsy here in the late 1930’s and it is because of her and her knowledge of the locale that brought him to the Olson Farm, the scene of his most famous painting, Christina’s World.

                                    I know that I’ve beaten this to death in a few posts from the past but this time we were able to visit the actual site of this iconic work of art. Located in Cushing Maine, right off the St. George River, and just up the road from Port Clyde, sits the Olson House. Still bearing all of the ravages of time that made this muse (?) of Andrew’s so attractive to him. That, and his relationship with Christina and her brother, Alvaro, who worked the farm after their parents passed until they, in turn, found their way into the family cemetery that sits down the hill on a wooded promontory overlooking the river.

                                    I always knew that it was here.

                                    I just never had the opportunity to visit it.

                                    I believe that I’ve stated before that Maine does not possess any roads that are straight. They all seem to swerve and curve around lakes, bays, mountains, and rivers. This makes their state motto, “Ya Can’t Get Theah from Heah”  stand on an element of truth. The Olson House sits way down on one of the peninsulas that jut southward from the mainland and gives this part of Maine its unique character, that of Down East. And unless the House is your destination, there is no way of just driving by it because the road dead ends shortly after it, falling off into the bay.

                                    But…. this was the year of opportunity.

                                    The Olson House has been on my Bucket List.

                                    And as we all know, these Lists have a habit of getting proportionally larger as our years on this planet dwindle down to us just being a “memory”.

                                    The time presented itself, the weather was perfect, and …. the place was closed.

                                    Yes, all of the parties that are collectively involved in the caring of this National Historic Landmark deemed it necessary to close it so that some important interior maintenance could be performed. But this was just fine with me as I know that I tend to be a ‘Location Experience Snob’ when it comes to doing, or visiting, something for the first time. I am not interested in sharing my experiences with hundreds of others. So, I knew that the average visitor would shy away from coming here because the information available listed it as ‘Closed’. But upon deeper investigation, it would be found that the grounds are indeed, ‘Open’.

                                    So we were lucky on all counts.

                                    Upon arrival the two other vehicles soon beat a retreat as their ‘time’ had expired at this site. That left just us to wander and appreciate the grounds and thank the thoughtful owners of the farm after the Olson’s that donated it to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. This museum is the northern repository of many a Wyeth family painting, and as such, the perfect organization to curate this farm.

The U.S. Department of the Interior states that the preservation of buildings is “the process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity and materials of a historic property.” Using minimally invasive approaches, they are taking measures to protect, stabilize, maintain, and repair the Olson House, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011. It is nice to see that someone realizes that there is more to this “preservation” than just replacing old with new, that preserving the house without excessive restoration, allowing the evidence of its weathering over time to remain and balancing this aesthetic with the need to conserve this historic building. Hopefully, this is quite evidenced by the accompanying photos.

No one wants to visit a ‘Replica’.

Everyone wants an ‘Original’ (to the extent that it can remain so!)

On the day they met in the summer of 1939, seventeen-year-old Betsy James, who would later marry Andrew Wyeth, (who was twenty-two at the time) introduced him to Christina and Alvaro Olson. Betsy was a summer neighbor and friend of the Olsons, she saw the Olson House for the first time at the age of ten. She later described it as “looming up like a weathered ship stranded on a hilltop.” Betsy and Andrew married ten months later.

Over the next three decades, a growing friendship developed between the Wyeth’s and the Olson’s, as each summer Andrew sketched and painted aspects of the house and the everyday lives of the Olsons on their saltwater farm. Christina suffered from a polio-like disease that deprived her of walking anywhere. She refused to use a wheelchair and thus was forced to drag herself around the house and farm to get her chores done. It was this sight, Christina dragging herself up the hill, that Andrew witnessed from one of the upstairs windows that was the inspiration for that painting. It was Betsy who provided herself as the model of Christina in the field leaning and looking up at the distant house. Every book that I own on Andrew illustrates, by the use of his paintings, this relationship that developed and aged over the years, along with the inhabitants.

            Andrew didn’t throw any punches when it came to how he felt about the Olson’s and their farm. He once stated that he “wanted to be buried with Christina” and that is exactly what was done.

As you have noticed, I have elected to display the photos of the Olson House in Black and White. The ones in color came out splendidly but somehow or other it seemed fitting to use B&W as the medium of choice for their debut. I will add the color pics at the end, for your reference and pleasure. I would definitely be interested in your comments on this subject! Feel free to add a Yea or Nay at the end!

            When we were finished, we bade Alvaro, Christina, Betsy and Andrew goodbye and wove our way up the coast to Rockport, Rockland, and eventually Camden. Each is a great seaside port in their own right. We had lunch in Rockland, the largest of the three, at a dockside fresh seafood restaurant aptly named Archer’s on the Pier.

                        Where we had cheeseburgers.

                        Not a chance!

                        Lobster it was!

                        Lobster Roll for me and a Lobster Melt for Paula.

                        After lunch and a stroll around the harbor of Rockland, we proceeded north and found the Holy Grail in seasonally crowded Camden…..

                                    A convenient parking spot!

                                    Another saunter around this cute little town led us to a nice harborside bench in the shade which we shared with a nice older (?) local couple who shared some of their local knowledge with us.  We all had a good time critiquing and commenting on the comings and goings of the various dinghy’s, small sailboats, and larger schooners that ply these waters. We had been out on several of these over the years so the need to repeat that outing was not primary, but if any of you ever make it up here, make sure that an excursion on one of the day schooners is on your “To Experience” list!

                        Now all you need to do is come up here and visit these places for yourselves!

Now for the color photos!

That’s it!