The rain that never came October 11, 2023
With the threat of rain still hanging over Cape May on
Saturday morning, we decided to play it safe and visit the indoor exhibit at
the Physik Estate – the main building of which is the most historic of all buildings
there with the possible exception of Congress Hall.
The tour guide from MAC had informed us about an outdoor
exhibit there, and I secretly hoped that the actors would be on the great lawn,
dressed up in Victorian garb the way they used to do prior to the COVID pandemic.
Indeed, many visitors also dressed up in period costumes, and I had seen
several people on the mall on Friday night, though I’m not sure if they were
tourists or actors.
Unfortunately, neither actors nor dressed up tourists were
on the law when we arrived, no doubt put off by the threat of rain, and so we
wandered into the exhibit on quack cures of the 18th century – which included
patent medicines.
Strange medicines that strongly resemble the supplement and
health food industry of today in their claims to cure every thing from cancer
to the common cold. During a particularly down time in my life when I had to
work four or five part time jobs, I had worked for one of these companies then
located in East Rutherford, a company that has since gone out of business,
although many still exist.
Except for a brief shower, the rain never came, and we got
to wander through an odd exhibit of Halloween decorations on the lawn before
wandering off to conduct our usual outdoor things, originally intending to go
to Sunset Beach and then to the bird sanctuary.
When we got to Sunset Beach, a crisp wind made it impossible
to camp out there. The ocean looked steal gray with massive waves due to some
off shore storm.
Rather than go to the bird sanctuary, we went to Higbee beach,
getting lost along the way, and when we found it, found it too cold and windy
to stay, briefly watching an off shore rescue operation by the coast guard
seeking to keep a sail boat from sinking under the pounding waves.
We headed back to the motel to rest, and then out to watch
sunset before going back to the Irish pub for dinner.
We wanted to go to hear music, but one venue wasn’t starting
until very late, and the other – with its stage outside surrounded by fire pits,
had cancelled its performances, and so we ended up back at the motel watching a
Star Wars marathon.
I was even too tired to get up to watch sunrise the next
morning.
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