Sunday, February 16, 2014

Beach Life Series ~ Chapter I: Renting for the summer


Growing up my Nan and Pap owned a house at the beach, bayside near Rehobeth, Delaware.  I have so many fond memories, crabbing off the pier, playing cards in the evening, sitting on the front porch after dusk listening to the ocean, smelling the salty breezes.  I spent a good amount of my childhood at the beach house, during the summer and family vacations.  So when a boyfriend after high school graduation suggested we move to the beach, Ocean City, Md for the summer, I was game.

First, we had to make several trips down to scout out suitable living quarters and early.  If my memory serves me, we visited in March and April to check out available rentals.  If you wait till May all the rentals are already taken.  We found one pretty quickly, thanks to the signage found in a building window on twenty-sixth street, across from Happy Jacks Pancake house.  Made a phone call and setup a meeting to do a walk through.  The property was owned by two friendly gentlemen, we payed a month of rent in advance, $1000 as our deposit, plus an additional $1000 for the first month rent in May (the year was 1999).

After securing a place to live for the summer we started looking for employment.  I spied Down to Earth Wear located on the corner of Talbot Street and South Baltimore Avenue (the owner has since moved on and the whole strip of stores has been remodeled).  I applied and was immediately hired.  With the knowledge of macrame and art, I am a prime candidate for henna tattoos, hair wraps and mass macrame jewelery production.  My boyfriend found a job working with The Pier.  Here is a  cheesy video showcasing The Pier in all its glory.  My boyfriend was hired as a game agent, running games like Stand the bottle, Rope Ladder, Shoot out the star, Cover the circle and cross bow.  I am sure he ran other games too, but I digress.

Every day we had the pleasure of strolling down the boardwalk to and from work (quicker than waiting for the bus).  Our rental was one block from the beach.  However our rental was shared.  Our floor, which I believe was the third floor, had one common area, I think (my memory is fuzzy) six bedrooms and two full bathrooms.  Each room was big enough for a set of bunk beds or two singles, a dresser and one or two tiny windows  - that's it!  The common area had two couches, a chair, a sink and microwave, plus a TV and VCR.  When you are 19 years old this setup sounds like a dream.  We had no idea who the other people were or where they were from until we moved in with these strangers.  The apartment across the hall had a living room, kitchen and several bedrooms (more like a real apartment).  The renters were also in their late teens/early twenties, during the summer they removed a closet door, stole two saw horses and made a beer pong table for all of us - we had beer pong tournaments alllll summer long.

Neither my boyfriend or I had a car or much money when we moved to Ocean City, Maryland, but we did have lots of hopes, blind faith and lots of excitement.


Chapter II: A day in the life

No comments:

Post a Comment

365 days of drawing Addyson Aegirine Aldies Review Alice all purpose cleaner Alta View Wellness Center Angel Numbers Angie Yingst Animal Symbolism Apartment life Arborday.org Are You Experienced art Art reading Aura Photo Aura Photography Backcombing Bacon recipe Bacon wrapped chicken Balloonport Beach Life Beach Life Series Because I hate Abbreviations Best Bone-in Chicken recipes Beverly Stephan Bissell Proheat Carpet Cleaner Blessingway Bone-in Chicken Borax recipes Brussel Sprouts Camp Innabah Candy Drawer Carnies Carnival Series Carpet shampooer Catering Chakra Photo Chakra Photography chicken recipe christmas cookie recipe Christmas craze Christmas Shoe box clairvoyant Cleaning Recipes Collective Consciousness colored pencil Conner Cookie recipe Coupons crafts with toilet paper roll Cremation Ashes cremation glass memorial bead Crew Crystal grids Crystal Healing Crystal Therapy Crystal uses Crystals and Minerals Darn it. Dear Departed Drawings Departed Dinner Recipe DIY Down to Earth Wear drawing drawing of a bulb syringe drawing of a snot sucker Drawing of a zombie drawing of an astronaut Drawing of feet drawing of genesee beer drawing of ghastly beer Drawing of Jimi Hendrix Dread bead Dreadie decorations Dreadies Dreadlock Methods Dreadlocks Dreads Dream Catcher Dustin Middaugh Eggleston Hall Engroff Epicurean Delight Evolution of a Drawing Video Family Family Vacation Feeding your family on a budget Feel the wind on your face Fels naptha recipes floor cleaner Food Coma Friend Frugal Shopping Gardening Glass Blowing glass dread bead grandma's cookie recipe Grandpa graphite drawings Hair Handmade Hape twist and turnables Hardiness zones map Harpers Ferry Healer Healing Herman Heroin Robbed Me HK Pinwheel Packs Holiday shopping holiday shuffle home home for the holidays home school Homemade Carpet Cleaner Solution Homemade frenzy Homemade powdered laundry detergent Homeschool Preschool hot air balloon chase crew Hot Air Ballooning Houd House Faery Thefts Humanitarianism Hyperrealism Insecurities Jack Daniels Distillery Tour Joel kids crafts Kings Fresh Meats Review Kole Kombucha Lancaster balloonport last minute Christmas shopping LeDrew crew Leigh Leigh D Baxter Life Life Purpose lithium quartz Little light Living with Strangers Lost shiny trinkets Love Lucia Married life Maryland Meditation Mineral Uses Monster Paintball MOPS Mothers of Preschoolers Moving Moving to a new house Mr. Kromer MUM Expo My Crystals and Minerals Mystic Native American Rituals Natural Healer Neil New house New Moon Circle new year resolution new years resolution Nines Numerology Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD Ocean Beach Spirit Cleansing Ceremony Ocean City Ocean City Maryland On the Road Again One Love Operation Christmas Child Pacific Northwest Glassblowing Packing Packing up your house for a move paint Parenthood Pencil Drawings Pennsylvania Dutch Pot Pie Pennsylvania Dutch Sand tarts photo realism Planting zones map Poppa. portrait drawing Portrait of Cosmo Portrait of Dustin Middaugh Portrait of Houd Portrait of Leigh D Baxter Prettying up Dreadies Reithoffer Show Renting Rides Roasted Parmesan Brussel Sprout Recipe Samaritans Purse Sevens Sideshows Smaller Dreads spiritual awakening spiritual experience Stick a screw driver in my eye Still Life with Circles Still Playing School Still. Summer fun Super washing soda recipes Survivor Mama Susquehanna Valley Balloon Company Sweet Pea Project Sweet Pea Sisters and Brothers Picnic Tarot Card Reading Tea tree essential oil Tennessee The Beach The Moon + Stone Healing The Pier The Walking Dead Things to do in Nashville Thinner Dreadlocks tissue paper hearts To Linger on Hot Coals Traveling Twist and Rip Twizzlers U-Haul uses for vinegar Valentines day craft Violet Wax Hands wax museums Wedding West Virginia WV year in review Your Inner Light