Jennifer Walsh, a former aesthetic director and now a health expert who specializes in the healing aspects of nature, is one of the rare seasonal inhabitants, also known as the “tenters”, Methodist tent colony near the beach in Ocean Grove, NJ Close-knit community, Consisting of 114 tents attached to small cabins, all side by side, established in 1869.
Mrs. Walsh, whose parents rented a tent from Ocean Grove Camp Meeting in the 1980s. “We were rogue Catholics who had arrived. Now there is a 12 year waiting list. So many people want to live here, especially since the pandemic.”
The tents are on pedestals, taking off on May 15 and landing on September 15. Mrs. Walsh, 51 years old, there’s room for her at the beginning and end of the season. In between, she shares a summer home with her parents, devout levitations from Florida.
For the remaining three seasons, you’ll find her on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where she develops wellness programs for corporations and leads mindful walks in Central Park. .
FIT I woke up at 5:30 because the sun was breaking through the canvas, and it was very bright in the tent. The first thing I did was put on a bathing suit. The beach is two blocks away. I walk on the water’s edge or swim at sunrise. Then I went back to the tent and took the first shower of the day.
MAIN ROAD I like to make my own coffee, but on Sundays I walk to Main Street. It’s the only place in town with shops. I get a cappuccino at Odyssey Coffee and pick up paper at Pathway Market. Back in the tent, I made avocado toast with an egg, sat on the porch and read. I don’t have a stovetop, just an electric stove and toaster/air fryer. My sink is 100 years old.
TEN VOICE The tents are about 12 feet apart. If I’m in my kitchen, I can hear my neighbor’s running water in hers. You can hear people snoring and sneezing. You have to use your voice in the tent, especially at night. Our tent and cabin together could be 600 square feet – basically the size of my apartment. You have to really like your family.
SECOND CHURCH My parents and I went to a Catholic church in Asbury Park, next to Ocean Grove. Then we went back and listened to the music at the end of the Methodist service in Large auditorium. It’s a very nice old wooden building. They compared the building’s acoustics to Carnegie Hall.
DOG WATCH, EMOTIONS I put on my jogging clothes and ran to Asbury Park. The Wonder Bar there is a Yappy Hour where people bring their dogs. There are swimming pools for them to play in. It’s my place to breathe, relax and watch the dogs. From there I go to the farmers market, then come back. Second bath of the day.
SIGN UP CARD Tourists all day walk by the tents. They always have the same questions: Do you have electricity, running water? People take pictures here all the time. Our street is very Instagrammable, very Americana with flags hanging in the aisles. It’s like going back in time when you’re here.
NEIGHBOR We water each other’s plants when someone is away for a few days. We all share our tomatoes; it’s like our personal CSA A neighbor passed away a few months ago who was an icon in town. So sad. Now we have a new family with three kids. It is the circle of life.
PLAN IN THE SAND I burn very easily, so I don’t spend a lot of time sitting in the sun. At about 3 years old, I put on a bathing suit and a giant headscarf and a big hat and sat on the sand. I work for a few hours. I have a laptop and Wi-Fi at the tent, but I like to handwrite my plan for the week.
SUNDAY OUT OF CAMP A friend of mine lives full time in one of the Victorian houses here. During the pandemic, he started what he calls “Off-campus Sundays.” We actually got in the car and went somewhere. There are many great restaurants in towns along the Jersey Coast.
SUMMER SLEEP By the time we get back, I’m tired. My phone goes to sleep at 9:15, notifications go off. I go to bed at 9:30, after 10 o’clock. If it rains, there is nothing like the sound of rain falling on a canvas roof. I sleep better here than anywhere else.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Jennifer Walsh on Twitter @BehindTheBrand and on Instagram at @thejenniferwalsh.
