#13: W 21st St Ship Bottom, NJ

#13

W 21st St

Ship Bottom, NJ 

April 1981 - August 1983 

Year-round rental

3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths
Second floor of two floor duplex, bayfront

No dock, but bulkhead

Beautiful sunsets

Powerful winds, needed to nail door shut sometimes to keep it from
blowing open
Kerosene heater, burning holes in our nightgowns

Taking raft or inner tubes out on bay
Donald bought an old black convertible Cadillac
Donald graduated HS and joined the National Guard

Worked at Taco Island, diner as waitress, Colony Movie Theatre

Junior prom with Matt Bradley
Surprise 18th birthday party

Senior prom with Scott Vanaman

Started dating Fred right after prom. He'd come pick me up for a date
and Veronica would go get her little purse and we'd take her with us.
Daddy gave me my first car, green 1969 VW Bug. Over time, lots
of problems, including hole in floor on driver’s side, so I  would get
splashed if I drove over a puddle, wipers that needed a “push start”,
almost non-functional heat. It was a "semi-automatic", so I had to shift
gears, but no clutch. Engine in the back, storage under the hood.

Graduated HS there
I was able to get full financial aid for college, and Fred got a full merit
scholarship to King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

#12 102 E 15th St Ship Bottom, NJ

#12

102 E 15th St

Ship Bottom, NJ

July 1978 - April 1981

Year-round rental

Bungalow, ocean block

My own bedroom on second floor, with yellow shag carpeting, a
beanbag chair, and lots of posters of horses and Christopher Atkins

Washer on the back porch often froze, so we had to take clothes to
the laundromat or wash by hand in tub (used underside of Donald's
skateboard as washboard).
No dryer, so hung clothes on
line in back yard or on lines rigged up in stairwell

One time a baby cardinal kept flying to me and landing on my
shoulder or head when I was hanging clothes, with the Mama bird
scolding him.
Wounded goose in tub.

Babysitting the Tevin kids, Thought they were so rich.

Lots of fun with friends, going to the beach.  

Getting Veronica ready for school and on the bus

Spaceship box I made for Ron
We always ate dinner on TV trays in LR bc there was no room at table
"Furniture shopping" on big trash night with Bob's truck

Photography class in high school

Mommy very depressed, lots of time in her dark cave of a room
Started to become aware that we were poor.
Food stamps for grocery shopping, "government cheese", generic
food, donations from churches

Carl lived with us from 8/79 till 8/80

Gave Mitzi away

High school

Color guard

Band trips

#11: 32 E 16th St Surf City, NJ

#11

32 E 16th St

Surf City, NJ

September 1976 - July 1978

Year-round rental

First floor of a two floor duplex.  Upper unit summer rental, lots of noise

Ocean block

Mary, Veronica and I shared a room, Donald had a room, as did Mommy

Halloween candy stolen in a “mugging” when I was maybe 11 or 12

Mommy took pity on me and transformed a front porch room that had been
used as storage into a bedroom for me.  First bedroom of my own. Very
tiny, only enough room to hold the bed and a dresser, but I loved it

First “boyfriend” Pat Taylor, one of the summer rental folks from upstairs

Records playing during dinner, stack of 45s

Simon and Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond

Mommy going out in evenings to The Villa on the Blvd
Connie spent a lot of time with us when her Mom would take off.

Matt and Ann Bradley

Donald got an Atari with Pong

Donald's model airplanes and ships

Donald taught me about football.  I knew all the teams and QBs

Overrun with fleas.  Glasses of water throughout the house where we would
pick off fleas and put them in water glasses to drown

Before moving, washed every item of clothing, sheets, towels, etc at
laundromat, and double bagged in black trash bags

#10: 5901 Ocean Blvd Brant Beach, NJ

#10

5901 Ocean Blvd 

Brant Beach, NJ

January 1976 - July 1976

Small 1 bedroom/2 room apt over garage of Bishop’s house

Mary and I shared twin bed, Donald on pull-out trundle, Veronica in crib
(all in bedroom), Mommy on daybed in main room.

Ocean-front

Dark brown cedar shingles, yellow trim

Got lost on beach first time taking bus home from school, not sure
which bus stop

Fire in kitchen when power came back on, catching towel over parakeet
cage on fire.  Donald put it out.

Mommy's fish net with starfish and shells

Bob's kitchen counter

Miss Julie

Mary’s BD party at Bishop’s house
Mommy was housekeeper/cook for Bishop

Latin masses in Bishop’s LR
Donald, Mary, and I stayed with Daddy and Caggy that summer while
Mommy and Veronica stayed with friends until they could find a new place.

#9: 1301 Personality Ct Lexington, KY

#9

1301 Personality Ct

Lexington, KY

? - 1/76 (?)

A purchased 3 bedroom small ranch home

Best friend Chris

1:1 Talks with Daddy on deck

Wall ball in basement

Caggy's notes on floor

The "good sofa" we could only sit on in our church clothes

The little park area Daddy built down by the creek in the woods

From there to LA to see Mommy and meet Veronica 7/75, but then
back to KY till 1/76

Asked Mommy how women became pregnant.  She told me the
man gives the woman a seed.

#8: 3550 Pimlico Parkway Apt 93 Lexington, KY

#8

3550 Pimlico Parkway

Apt 93

Lexington, KY

4/75 (?) - 

Three bedroom apt.
Moved there end of 4th grade b/c Mommy was pregnant, although we didn’t
know that at the time of the move
Liver and onions

#7: Bay Terrace Ship Bottom, NJ

#7

Bay Terrace

Ship Bottom, NJ

Sept 1974 - May 1975

Winter rental

Bayside half of a second floor apt above garage

2 bedrooms, 1 bath

Sand and gravel back yard

On the bay with a dock

Fishing, swimming, crabbing, Mommy’s attempt to cook crabs

About 2 blocks from LBI Elementary School

Friends with Noelle

Mommy’s boyfriend John
Mommy bought me Princess, with money from the divorce, I guess.
She was a leopard Appaloosa with a roached mane. We boarded her
where we bought her, in Parkertown. Mommy would drive me out there when
she could so I could ride her.
Mommy turned 30 our first full day there. Kids were 11, 9 and 6.
Mommy wrote: "That's where we lived when I found out I'd have Veronica,
and I was happy (just surprised!). The bay froze in winter, and winter winds
would blow across that ice. I'd be happy when my children were home from
school".

Met Caggy Dec (?) 1974, they married 1/4/75