Beaching It at Ocean City

My friend Bruce has a share time condo in Ocean City.  His share is the last week in January right around his birthday.  I’ve been invited to join him, Jodie, Carly & Dean for Beach Week for years.  This year I actually got to go!

Afternoon at the Beach Day 1

January isn’t exactly Ocean City’s prime time.  Almost no one is about and most of the restaurants, retail stores & the boardwalk are closed.  Its actually pretty surreal.  But enough places are open to make it fun and the scenery is awesome.

 Looks Like Lake Michigan in November

Lake Michigan back at my home town looks like this pretty much all the time.  It was enough to almost make me homesick.  Almost because it was Michigan biting cold with a stiff wind.

6 ft. Curls  Mid Afternoon on Day 2

So I wandered around the beach some; had a grand visit with Bruce, Jodie, Carly & Dean: and generally just plain had a good time.  There was a Greek omelet, a fine oyster dinner out and plenty of good food whipped up by Jodie too.

 Seaweed Flotsam

For all that the winter beach at Ocean City looks like the winter beach at St. Joseph there’s never any seaweed flotsam on a great lakes beach.

 Wind Patterns in the Sand

I’ve always loved the wind & water patterns in a beach’s sand, the ones that get made overnight & cover the beach until people footprints obliterate them.  January doesn’t have many folks about to make beach footprints.

 Snow Fence Shadows on the Saw Grass

This too is another sight from a Michigan Beach calendar.  Except there wasn’t any snow or ice about.

 Seagulls Chillin’

It was quite windy, windy enough to keep most the seagulls on their feet rather than their wings.  This group was checking out the tide line for snacks.

 Trawler on the Horizon

It was a cold & biting day day to be fishing.  Hope this trawler’s haul was worth it.

Frozen Downspout

This downspout was on the beach side of the condo building.  It didn’t thaw much while I was there.

Dawn at Ocean City Day 3

Dawn just before the sun cleared the horizon, the 1st dawn I’ve ever seen over open water.  I grew up on the east side of Lake Michigan so I’m accustomed to sunsets over the water rather than sunrises.  Both are magic times of the day.

 Surreal Seagull

I’m not sure just how I managed this shot with a “ghost” seagull, but I think it’s way cool.

Hopefully I’ll get to do this next year.  I’ll pack a warmer coat, canvas insulated overalls, and good gloves next time too.  I underestimated the cold factor & could only spend a short time outside taking pictures. 

Thank you Bruce for inviting me – I had a wonderful time.

USMC Museum

January has been one gray, cold, and rainy day after another gray, cold, and rainy day.  It was enough to give a body serious cabin fever.  So on yet another gray, cold, and rainy day I decided to head over to Quantico and the United States Marine Corps Museum.  I figured it would make a good day trip. And it did.

 Rev War Marines

Marines are basically foot soldiers trained to fight on board ships.  They were the marksmen & swivel gunners on the fighting platforms mounted to the masts.  They were the core of a boarding party.  They foraged and provided protection for seamen filling a ship’s water casks. 

  Rev War Era Marine Flintlocks

The Marines were the first US troops to train as marksmen.  The idea was for Marines on the fighting platforms to pick off the officers and the marines on an opposing ship.  Other Marines would board the ship once grappling hooks had been secured and subdue the crew of that ship.  This required close order fighting as a team rather than melee style fighting.

Boarding Ax

Boarding axes were primarily used for cutting away damaged rigging.  Long knives and short swords worked better in the close quarters of on deck & below deck fighting.

Swivel gun & Pistol

Swivel guns with short wood stocks could be hand held or used from any empty belaying pin location.  Pistols were issued to Marine officers.

                                                  Powder Horn

Powder on board ships was stored in kegs.  Horns were used to load and prime the guns of marines on the fighting platforms.

Marine Shipboard Berths

Marines slept the same as seamen.  Their gear would have been stowed mostly in sea bags hung from the deck above, in wooden sea chests, or in nets lashed to the ships side. 

 Early 19th Century Summer Uniform Jacket

Marines wore blue wool jackets with white facings in winter & short off white linen or cotton jackets in summer.  (The long white sash behind this jacket makes it look like a strait jacket.  It’s not.)  The Marine Corps saber design comes from its time fighting the pirates of the western Mediterranean Sea.

This cap plate is about 4x4 inches. The Marine Napoleonic Era field use uniforms are fancy as was the common practice of the time.  Usually Marine gear is the most utilitarian of its era.

Mid 19th Century Uniform

The new United States government of the 1800’s had an on again off again affair with the Marines, but finally decided they were useful. 

Civil War Federal Marine

Federal Marines provided snipers to the blockading ships as well as landing parties.  The Confederates barely managed a navy although it too had its marines.

 Navy Colt

Navel & Marine officers were issued .36 cal. Colt revolvers.  They were favored over the Remington revolvers because they were easier to clean & oil, a constant need aboard ship at sea.

From the Civil War until WWI the marines went wherever our growing international activities took our navy.    Then came WWI and the American Expeditionary Force.  It was a war of innovation that no one was ready to fight.

Marine Tank

If this thing looks rather like a motorcycle on steroids with armor of sorts it’s because that pretty much is just what it is.  But then motorized war machines was a brand new idea.  WWI is the war that has the Marines fighting off the ships and on land extensively for the 1st time. 

 

Marine Ambulance with Navel Corpsmen

Where a Marine goes a Naval Corpsman is sure to follow.  The Navy provides the Marines with all their combat medical personnel.   

WWI Marine Accouterments

The Marines have always had  gear that was different from the army’s gear.  The Marines functioned first aboard ships, then as landing parties, official honor guards, and finally as highly mobile fighting units on land.  Their gear has tended to be more “function first” than regular army gear. 

 WWI Marine Field Ration Kitchen

Sometimes Marine gear becomes the Army’s gear too.  This Marine kit can handle a field mess hall meal as well as a combat ration meal.

The museum itself goes to the end of the Vietnam War with a planned expansion to the current era.  The exhibits from WWII, Korea & Vietnam are very interactive full size dioramas.  These are very well done but not easy to capture with a camera.  There is also interactive stuff for kids and a place to eat on site.  Its definitely worth a second visit.