Summertime Blues
Senior Moments by
Charles P. Eberson
It is here. We locals on the barrier islands knew it was coming. It does so every year starting in mid June and it built to a crescendo on July 4th. Summer crowds descending upon us as predictable as the swallows returning to Capistrano every year, yet I am still in awe at the influx of visitors on our roads, beaches, boardwalk and restaurants. Do not get me wrong. This is the lifeblood of our seaside community and I have learned to accept certain realities for instance going to the beach at off times, ordering take out an hour or more in advance and being hypervigilant of people hurling themselves in front of my car at crosswalks with families stretched out across the road like geese. That is just one of the challenges of driving in the shore communities. Motorist are crawling along in search of that most valuable asset, a parking spot near the beach. At any moment, this motorist may behave erratically, suddenly accelerating and pulling an abrupt U-turn upon spotting an open spot. Parking is always an issue, so the question arises regarding the etiquette of taking up two spaces or parking two close to a driveway. Bicyclists are riding on the sidewalks, joggers are running in bike lane, the Ventnor boardwalk is like Thunderdome with Lance Armstrong clones using people like pylons, more joggers, strollers and amidst it all families trying to cross to and from the beach. Locals and visitors alike often seek the council of community Facebook pages to answer questions and stay informed. At times, these questions can be a great source of amusement and wonder. There are the routine questions about bike hours on the Ventnor boardwalk which admittedly, the signs are rather cryptic. When dogs are allowed on the beach, leashed or unleashed. Street cleaning dates and hours frequently pop up. Why are the showers on the beach and not on the boardwalk? Be thankful that there are showers now. Beach barbeques which are now allowed on Ventnor beaches predictably initiated some questions. Since the city does not want to have the remnants of charcoal left behind, only propane is allowed. One question was, “isn’t propane flammable?” Well, isn’t that what you want? Perhaps I can sell that person some non-flammable propane to alleviate any concerns. Another person posted, “you expect me to drag a propane cylinder down to the beach.” Well, no. You are not required to barbeque. I just think it is great that our city is trying to foster a festive atmosphere during this challenging time. My wife and I have traveled extensively over the past year and when visiting other locales, we are aware that we are the “shoobies” and try not to create any undo fuss. The discovery of us being from New Jersey brings with it a certain notoriety; a panache if you will. It is a reputation that takes some undoing. It is wise to remember that we are all guests when we are traveling. Let us all try and have some patience with our visitors and to our visiting guests, please respect us locals and our towns. We promise we will try to stop for you in our crosswalks.
