In the late 1960s, when we began renting on Long Beach Island, cottages were not air-conditioned. You considered yourself lucky if there was an attic fan in the dormer. The windows stayed open and if the slightest hint of a breeze came through the front door, that stayed open, too. Our only security was a loose hook and eye latch on a flimsy wooden screen door, which we attached at night to feel safe. The world was a different place.

The refrigerator was small and the freezer compartment only held two ice cube trays.