Cast of Characters: What the Tide Brought In...

 Every book has a cast of characters....

For my time in Barnegat Light, NJ -- in what is termed, "Michelle's Great Escape" - these are characters in my cast...
                                             

My Mom... Barbara Buttram.   

                                     

She has a servant's heart and an Italian's temper. As do all of us at "Team Dotter" - how could we not?  An Italian Grandmother and a German Grandfather!  Mom loves life, her family, and the shore.  I heard her comment to someone at the shorehouse that she's a "wallflower" - but she is anything but.  She is talented, vivacious, loved. I should tell her that more.   Any strength I have, I get from her.  Her life hasn't been easy - she's had many disappointments and discouragements - but she has always dug in and endured.  She took care of my brother and I as a single mother for many years.  We may have been considered poor - but what we didn't have in money, she made up for a thousand-fold in memories - love of family, of Christmas, and the seashore.  I can endure what I must in my "Life with Autism, Seizures, & a side of PANDAS", because she endured what she had no choice but to endure.  My strength, came from her adversity.  The best things in my character, were forged from the best things in hers.  It was a blessing to be with her this summer in Barnegat Light -- seeing the joy in her eyes, hearing the stories of her childhood memories there, watching her collect the seashells in the sand.  I can't wait to go back next year with her.  And you will, Mother, go back with me next year.  And the year after.  And the year after that...

I will cherish this time at the shore house with her -- I am Thankful, Grateful, & Blessed that she had this time for her - as I had it for me!

On one trip to Surf City 5 & 10 where this below picture was taken - on the way there she showed me where my father worked when they were together.   

Sometimes it's hard to get a genuine smile out of her..... but after this particular trip to the souveneir shop, I now know how to get her to smile big for a picture...

Right before I took this snapshot, I told her to "Smile like you did the night I was conceived!"

Yep - that did the trick.

My Uncle - George Dotter, Jr.

Larger than life for as long as I can remember.  He and my Uncle Joe were my "Mafia-Uncle's" - Italian to the core, literally looking like they could have played lead roles in "The Godfather" movies.  In fact, there was a time or two I remember referring to them as just that....being in the Mafia.  It saved me a time or two from people making fun of my Polish last name -- Baginski.

Uncle George is perhaps one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.  We have a brotherhood/sisterhood in that I think we both see ourselves as the "black sheep of the family" as it relates to standards the world measures a man, or woman, by.  Perhaps that's why I love him as I do.  He is real, genuine, grounded in truth & transparency.  For me at least - that has been a curse more than a blessing it seems.  Where many are fake, with us, what you see is what you get.  We say what we mean, and mean what we say, and I for one, wouldn't want to live life any other way.  Through the years, he has been the only one in this world who has ever reached out to me consistently.  Always the first to call on a holiday.  Always.  Every time a holiday would be upcoming, I would make a mental note to call him first!  But I always get busy, or forget.  He, never has.  That has brought such comfort to me all these years -- just knowing my Uncle George loves me enough to make sure he calls me and checks on me.   And if I made the ghastly mistake of telling him "bye" when we hang up - he will call right back and admonish me that you never say "good-bye" - you say "see ya later."    One hundred years from now when he's allowed to die - that will be on his gravestone....  A simple, "See ya."

He absolutely spoiled us while there - I never knew he was such a great cook; - and the night we had our shell-painting-pocalypse, he proved to be quite the artist as well.

Uncle George is as salty as the sea with a depth of character as deep as the beaches are long.

He loves his son like no one's business, is a loyal friend, a devoted family-man, and beloved fisherman at heart.

He would do anything for you - he would give his right arm for a friend, his life for family, and one day on a dock in Florida years ago, he gave his left eye freeing a Blue Heron who got tangled in his fishing line.

I'll never forget that this night-owl got up at zero-dark-thirty to walk to the South Jetty with me to watch the sun rise.

When Todd & I went Kayaking in the bay in our sinking ship in a thunder storm, I knew that if we were swept out to sea he would search for us until he found us.  And I was right.  When we made it back to the dock, I saw him at the Bait & Tackle Shop borrowing a pair of binoculars to see where we were...

My Aunt -- Elaine Watley

If my mom's quiet demeanor (for the most part, ha ha ha) could be described as the soft glow of the moon --- my Aunt's vitality would be described as the Sun in all its brightness & boldness.  Because of the seclusion of my "Life with Autism, Seizures, & a side of PANDAS" - I don't know her as well as I would like.  But the things I do know, the memories I do have - are priceless.  My Aunt is a woman of faith who has been the center of her family...  From the days on the farm, to her days living on the water, she has been a devoted Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister, & friend to many.  She has seen it all and done it all!  From raising chickens on a farm to catching crabs in the sea.   She has a wanderlust to travel like no other!  She has always prayed for us, and Brandon; and her Christmas cards and Birthday cards over the years have warmed my heart.

It has been an absolute joy to have that time with her at the shore house!  It would not have been complete without her!

The "Jersey-girls" as we called ourselves made for such lighthearted times of lunacy & laughter!

And oh my goodness - can my Aunt Elaine make some killer pizza, porkroll, pissers, & dessert!

I cannot wait for next summers adventures!

And food!

The Jersey girls!

My cousin -- Mike Dotter.

Ha ha ha, this picture isn't the greatest because I had to crop it so much - but it was the best depiction of what he must have felt like in a house of - well - us!  "Mike, can you help with........"   Oh Mike, "Can you fix this..............."   "Mike, come take a picture with us eating pissers even though you don't eat them!"  - Hence this picture of the face he made that I didn't even realize until I was editing pictures!  Oh my golly-gee I laughed so hard!

I don't have many memories of Mike simply because we live so far apart and I've only like been in the same room with him about 3 times in the last twenty years or so!

I am so Thankful, Grateful, & Blessed for these past two weeks spent with him!  He is a remarkable young man and the love he has for his father is so evident!  I hope he enjoyed being with us as much as all of us certainly enjoyed being with him!   He taught me much, about many things.  He's smart and well rounded in a myriad of intellectural musings; and as the picture shows - he's funny as hell.

God Bless him, he endured playing continental rummy with us for the first time ever!

As a vegetarian, he has taught me many recipes in our short time there!

He's such a good sport - even though he doesn't eat seafood, he went fishing and clamming with us; and even though we weren't crabbing - he caught one of those too!

He put us all to shame with his artistic ability in painting shells!

I enjoyed our time going to the coffee-shop and watching the sunset!

I cannot wait until next summer!

My neice -- Aly Buttram.

Aly, Aly, Aly.... this was her first trip to Barnegat Light, NJ!   
She represents the 4th Generation of LBI'ers to grace the grounds of greatness!  Her chapter here is just the beginning of a great book to come - and I hope to be a part of it as much as I can!  Already an accomplished world traveler - I hope she comes to call this place her favorite - as so many of us do!  She was such a trooper from climbing the crow's nest to fishing to packing and unpacking as we played musical shore houses!  She was there for only a few quick days - but I hope that was just enough to catch "Old Barney" fever!

My brother - Robert Buttram.

World traveler, business tycoon, international foodie, - my dork of a brother.  We are as different as day and night in some things, but share the common bond of love for family and the shore!

I love him unconditionally and was so thankful, grateful, & blessed that he could be there with us if only for just a few short days!  We tried to do as much as possible in his time there - and have already decided to go back next summer!  This year he could only bring Aly - but next year the whole crew - I cannot wait!

I'm sure Uncle George appreciated his visit most - in that it gave him a break from cooking!  

My brother is the "beefmaster" of the grill - and dang he can cook some steaks, fajitas, & burgers!

In his own way, he too came for healing - and I so loved seeing the times he was able to totally relax.  I pray that next summer when he can stay longer - he can totally have a time as I did, of total unwinding and revival!

He even rented a boat for us while there - maybe next year he'll be rewarded for that generosity and catch the most, and biggest, fish!

Me -- Michelle M Guppy.

A stark-raving-mad-camo-wearing-lunatic-who-loves-the-Lord-and-lives-on-the-edge-of-crazy-yet-not-too-far-from-sane...

I didn't want to hang Mike out to dry with him being the only one with a goofy picture, so I chose this one to represent me.    And truth be told, as much as my hair was the elephant-in-room - the - can't-see-the-forest-through-the-hair of my time there - it pretty much sums up why I needed to even go there!

I felt like I was hidden under a mountain of mundane tasks that didn't seem to make much difference in the world...

 In the words of the Mad Hatter, "I used to be much muchier". 

 I lost my muchness....  

A song that I fell in love with right before I left - has the line, "I was blind but now I see....just an old hallelujah with a new melody!"

This trip was my "Old Hallelujah with a New Melody!"

I saw an old island through new eyes and indeed came home singing a new melody!

I will forever marvel at that.

Well, that, and the fact that I got up at 4:30am to walk the beach to the South Jetty to sit on the rocks and wait for the sun rise........

Todd -- my rock, my spider-monkey, my husband.

Much like in this picture above - he too remains hidden behind the responsibilities of work & caregiving.  It was such a joy for me to look at him through the lens of my camera during his time there with me - and see him enjoy himself.  Albeit a bit too much in climbing to the top of the Bell Tower at the end of the jetty and the top of the Crow's Nest at a family friends house!  I wish Brandon could know the depth, breadth, & width of love and selfless caring his daddy has for him.  I pray Matthew never has to know that with his own children!   What we have lacked in worldly pursuits, we have gained in not missing those worldly pursuits!  I think that is the greatest thing about him, and us.
He truly is the rock of Team Guppy.   I love him, and how he has walked endless miles on the beach and jetty, kayaked endless hours in the bay, and is slowly but surely with each trip there, - understanding why I love Barnegat Light so very much.  His love & servive for the Lord both humbles and inspires me.

Basil - the Shorehouse dog.

Every shorehouse needs a dog - and Basil fulfilled her role in stellar ball-chasing fashion.  I'm sure she's still exhausted from all the fetching and fooding.  I know at one time or another, I saw every one of us sneaking food to her under the table.

What a remarkable dog she is.

She is just what we all needed while there - icing on the cake of a most magical, memorable, miraculous time with family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of these people, and the dog, made for an incredible cast of characters in this fairytale time of family.


I cannot wait until next summer - to see them all again - and whoever else the tide brings in!