In New Jersey where I grew up, we never really kept the windows open on the house. It was a split level and had a horrible air flow. Contrary to the typical view of the Garden State,
I lived in an area that was packed with trees and flowers and natural beauty. You're probably thinking of
Elizabeth or
East Orange NJ.
Behind that first link was a river and an area of trees that lead back to some high thickets of Raspberries, Blackberries, Frogs and other natural things. I doubt that you'll find much of that in the latter two.
You will also not find Citrus trees growing outdoors in NJ unless it is summer and they're in a pot.
Here in Florida I have a house that has leaky Jalousie windows. Basically I get about 90 percent, give or take a bit among friends, of air flow through here. If there's a breeze outside, there's a breeze inside. Being about 2 miles from the beach, there's almost always a breeze. I'm sitting in my bouncy Poang Chair with the windows cranked open, listening to A Fifth Of Beethoven on Sirius "The Strobe" and the only thing I smell is Orange. My tree went nuts. Orange blossoms all over the place, there must have been hundreds of them at the peak. The scent is almost overpowering since my tree is about 20 feet from where I sit, and directly in the air flow to this chair.
I think that I may just have missed something by not keeping the windows open as a child. The scents were different in NJ, Pine instead of Orange and Lemon, Coffee instead of the restaurants that occasionally waft over on the breeze here. Not at all unpleasant, but certainly a wonder to behold.
Yes, Coffee in NJ. Every so often the Melitta plant at the
295, Turnpike and Berlin Rd that roasted coffee for distribution here and everywhere else that it is sold in the US would catch on the breeze. Very rare, but it would happen.
And now I have to make my own.
sitting by the window and relaxing and then smelling fresh oranges-WOW that sounds amasing!!! Love reading your descriped words on things-really makes you feel like your right there in that moment! And yes you can still smell Melitta here but not often!! Sometimes when your driving on 295 you'll get that wonderful smell of roasted coffe beans!!! Love the smell of fresh coffee but don't care for the taste! And does the oceans down in Florida have that ocean smell it has here at the Jersey shore? Like when your getting really close to the shore you get that ocean breeze smell-love-love-love that smell!!!
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing was that I just ... Wrote.
ReplyDeleteI started writing and was half asleep when I posted that so I guess it makes sense that I was being honest and descriptive. I can't say that I'm truly an author, but every so often we get going and the muse hits you. Thanks though! I'm quite flattered
I remember that smell of coffee at the old house and how we'd get it once in a while if the wind was just right. Now I will have that tomorrow AM because I'm out of the home roast.
Seems to me that the smell of the ocean is much more muted here. The reason why the water off the Jersey Shore is green is algae - and all that plant life is what you're smelling. Here the water is crystal clear down to about 6 feet so you get a scent but it's much less.