People always ask twice –
you live here year round? As if they can’t believe that the town they travel to each week to escape the real world back home actually
is the real world to many families and individuals. We’ve made a life here because we love it and can’t imagine living and raising our kids any place else. Because we need the beach, boardwalk, sand and salt air all year round. Not just in the summer.
Growing up in a South Jersey shore town, the anticipation of summertime was always way too much to handle this time of year. Trying to stay focused on school was virtually impossible, especially when we were only three short blocks to the beach. At the first sign of 70 degree weather, we’d plan to wear our bathing suits under our school clothes and high tail it down to the beach as soon as the final bell rang. I remember being eager to make sure the sand and ocean were all in the same place and nothing had changed, but also to pay homage to the life beyond the bulkhead that awaited us and promised immeasurable joy.
In my house growing up, the world revolved around the 8 short weeks of summer. It was the time of year we most looked forward to - Christmas had nothing on summer! And those lazy days were anything but lazy! It was when we got to live, be adventurous, ride our bikes until the chains popped off, play on the beach until sunset, swim for hours on end and ride the boardwalk amusements a bazillion times. The days were longer and thank goodness. We never wanted them to end.
It was magic.
No wonder so many people would trek miles and hours to experience the same. But when we were young, we didn’t get it. We had no idea that the swarms of people on the beach and boards and those who crowded our street actually drove from all over and sat in hours of traffic to get here. We just thought it was all part of summer. That everyone hibernated during the winter, then came out of hiding to get a little sun on their faces. All we knew was that now our parents had to wait in line when running errands and “find” a parking spot in front of our own house. But for all intents and purposes, these folks were our neighbors. Summer would have been much less exciting without all the crowds.
And we all felt the same way during the months leading up to summer - that there were way too many cold and cloudy days that stood between us and the greatest times of our lives. Once beach badges would go on sale we knew summer was right around the corner. We would anxiously wait for Memorial Day to come knowing then that the countdown to life beyond the bulkhead would truly begin.
And little has changed as an adult. Whether we are ready (tan) or not, at the first sign of sun, we are inspired to start pulling out the warm weather clothes, hosing down the patio and porch furniture, clearing off the decks, cleaning the barbecues, breaking out the beach gear and the flip flops (which were never really packed away), squeezing in an hour or so at the beach whenever possible and walking the boards any warm night of the week.
That first taste of custard after a long, cold winter is still about as close to bliss as we can find. And the first breeze from the ocean – always a little bit chilly – still gives us a rush like no other! We don’t even mind hearing the first squawk of seagulls since it reminds us that beach days – the days of ice cream and funnel cake for dinner - are so close!
Most of the summer residents on my parents’ street still own their houses and have added a bedroom or two to accommodate grandchildren. They’ve watched me grow up and can tell stories of when I was a little girl running up and down the block using their shrubs for hide and seek. We have shared a long, undying love for summer at the shore and vow each year to make it the best. Here’s to the best summer yet!
This story was contributed by Jenna DeCicco, a lifetime resident of "The Shore".
