Under the Boardwalk

Since I have been here, the ocean has been calling me.  While living in Detroit, Alexandra and I went to Warren Dunes (on Lake Michigan) at least once a summer.   I missed that terribly this summer, and when I discovered that the Jersey Shore is 2-1/2 hours away from me, decided I would get there before winter.  Yesterday, I drove to Ocean City.  It was hit very hard by Hurricane Sandy, but somehow, the boardwalk remained mostly intact.

Yesterday was about 60 degrees, sunny, with a very strong, warm breeze. The ocean was choppy, but beautiful.  About half the stores were open.  The area has recovered very well from the hurricane.

My favorite picture:

Sea grass

The Boardwalk: The boardwalk is about the width of a two-lane road.  As you can see from the picture, it is striped with lanes:  pedestrian lanes, "surrey" lanes (which I presume means strollers, because it's a pretty narrow lane for an actual surrey!), and bike lanes.  I was told it is so busy, it is hard to move during the summer.

Finally, I'm not sure what this building this is.  

After I left Ocean City, I traveled 15 minutes north to Atlantic City.  I was unimpressed, and didn't take any pictures.  There are MANY opulent casinos, but outside that area was poverty-stricken.  The wealth from the casinos is clearly not spreading to the city.  I drove around and left.

Despite this, I had a wonderful day, got some fresh air, and walked the beach.  Life is good.

My Job

It's been 4 weeks since I started my job, and I like it a lot.  Last week we had a client who was months and months behind on his mortgage, and was to go to foreclosure.  His story was so sad:  his wife left him for another man, taking the kids with her, he added a second job to continue paying the mortgage plus child support.  He then had a stroke, and is permanently disabled.  I did not want him to go into foreclosure, but he is so far behind.  He was in a panic, understandably.  At the very last minute, as I was starting the foreclosure process, the manager put it on hold.  When I called to tell the client, he told me I am his "angel," and the only one on his side since this nightmare started 5 years ago.  I cried.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

It's been a while since I posted.  I have been having problems transferring photos from my phone, but I'm back up!

Last weekend, Linda and I visited her home town of Jim Thorpe, PA.  It is a beautiful old Victorian town about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia.  The town was originally called Mauch Chunk, which is a Native American name meaning Bear Mountain, and is pronounced as one word:  mockchunk.

To get the name change to Jim Thorpe, you need to know a little of Jim Thorpe's story.  He was born on a Native American Reservation in Oklahoma.  His Native American name was Wa Tho Hunk, meaning Bright Path.  In 1904, he was sent to the American Indian School in Carlisle, PA which is about 20 miles from Harrisburg. Although not a college. the American Indian School's football team played against college teams.  In 1912, the football team beat Army, including Dwight Eisenhower, who would later say that Jim Thorpe "could do anything better than anybody I ever saw...."

Jim Thorpe also won gold medals for the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics.  These medals were later stripped because it was discovered he had played semi-pro baseball.  Ultimately, his medals were restored in 1982.

When he died in 1983, his third wife wanted a suitable memorial for him.  She made a deal with the city council of Mauch Chunk to build a memorial to him, including placing his body in a mausoleum, and renaming the town.  His family maintains that he should be returned to Oklahoma, an ongoing battle.  

The memorial is very understated and tasteful.  It's right off the main road, with statues of Jim Thorpe playing football and discus, and a brief biography.

Moving on from the memorial, we went to Mauch Chunk Lake Park.  It was a beautiful day, about 60 degrees and sunny.  This is the park.

From there, we went to Flagstaff Park, which has a dance hall where Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, who were from the area, used to play.  This is the view of Jim Thorpe from the overlook there.

On to Lehigh Gorge State Park, with these pictures.  The road passes over the river, and the walking paths underneath it, as you can see from these pictures.    The path continues up a steep hill to a waterfall,  which I did not see.

Unfortunately, it seems to not be a good year for the fall leaves.  They were falling down, not  changing colors.

Musings on the Job

I have learned a lot in the past 10 days talking to people who are behind on their mortgages:

There are a LOT of people who are behind on their mortgages.  Thousands of people.
When you ask them why they are behind, there are a variety of reasons.  Many of them fall into 1 of 3 categories:

• One of the mortgagors is unemployed, or their hours have been cut, or they took a pay cut
• There has been a serious illness in the family and there is no health insurance
• The couple is divorcing, and one is not contributing to the mortgage.

In my life, I have been in all three of these situations, and hearing their stories is breaking my heart.  One woman was crying when she said her husband is gone.  My coworker said that he answered the phone when she called last week.  The woman's response was that was the day he came back and moved all his things out.  It killed me.  And took me back to 1994.  

What this is leading me to is gratitude.  I have a job and a place to live.  And I am NOT going through a divorce or separation or heartbreak.  Life is good!  And I am grateful for everything!

Including all of you who read this blog. Thank you.

And have a wonderful week.

The First Couple Days

Two days in, I have met some very nice people.  I will be working with people who are 45 or more days late with their mortgage.  This week, I am working with people who are between 15 and 45 days late.  The first two days, I spent learning the computer system.  Tomorrow, I start answering the phone and making calls.

Next week, I'll move back for training in my own department.

Today, I discovered the lunch room on the 4th floor of our building.  It has an outside seating area facing Front Street.  This is the view from the seating area.

And this is out the front door of our building.

There's a walking path running parallel to the street.  Tomorrow, I'm bringing my walking shoes!

My department is on the 6th floor.  The dome of the PA Capitol is visible out our window.  And a gym in the basement, open 24 hours a day for all employees.

I am looking forward to what comes the rest of the week!