By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Scene: OG Boardwalk at 8:30 am, Monday, 7/27/20. A family consisting of a father carrying an infant and a mom talking to a 3 year old son who is quite attentive. She is kneeling down explaining what the man with the big truck is doing by the curb.
It turns out that the man is servicing the Porta Johns by hosing them down with, I suspect, a disinfectant. He wears body protection and heavy duty gloves, but no mask. (Yikes!)
I walk a little closer to mom and this is what transpired:
Me: Hi. How old is your son? Two?
She: He’s three. His name is Logan.
Me: How old was he when he first spoke?
She: 1 1/2
Me: Wow.
Just then the little boy takes an interest in me and walks over. He tugs on my shorts leg, points to the truck, and says, “Poopie truck!” We all laughed.
Then, I notice a TV crew interviewing people on the boardwalk and the pier. One man was videoing and the other was warming up the next customer.
I approached one of the men:
Me: Hi, I’m a journalist in Ocean Grove. Can you tell me what’s going on?
He: We’re from Channel 12 and we are doing the weather.
Me: Why here? Is there a story here?
He: No. We just like to change locations. (He’s sweating and goes in and out of his van, I guess for the AC. The motor is running by the curbside at the boards. Unlike most TV trucks I’ve seen, this one is white with no writing. But you can guess what it is because there is a sort of flying saucer sitting on top.)
Me: “It must be sort of dull doing the weather. After all, weathermen have been talking about the same thing since the Stone Age.”
He, not taking the bait regarding my historical reference, nods and goes back into the truck.
I follow onto the pier and overhear a piece of that interview, and the woman is talking about parking. (Oh no, not more of that!)
As I head back towards my car, I observe the same morning parade of young women in their summer shorts/black tights, jogging either north or south, pony tails flying in the breeze, perfect bodies bouncing about. A few shirtless guys join the parade. I see no kids jogging. And a few seniors are tempting fate. Hardly anyone wears a mask.
Over at the Boardwalk Pavilion. at about 10:30, a gaggle of kids is being herded from the boards onto the beach. This is obviously a CMA activity, and I see no kids distancing or wearing masks, but they are moving quickly towards the surf.
Isn’t it funny that the CMA’s Badger told an APP reporter that his organization is much too sensible not to follow all the Covid rules.
I hope they know what they are doing!
CAST OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS: “A Summer in Ohio.”
OG porta potty comment: Noticed on Sunday and Monday that the three porta potties in the south end parking lot were missing. And earlier in the month, I was happily surprised to see that the public restroom at the Embury Avenue beach was open. Perhaps too much trouble maintaining the porta potties? Badger commented earlier at an OGHOA meeting that there were issues with porta potty vandalism, which included stolen TP and hand sanitizer.
PG: Is Badger just plain lying, or does he really believe he is following the Covid rules?
I saw nothing but offenders walking to the beach this weekend.
He needs help. He’s not doing the job.