The OG Beach at Heck Avenue was pretty active at twilight on a Saturday. A big party with dancing and a sit-down dinner on the front lawn was going on across the street at the Handford House on Ocean Ave.
On the beach there was a bridal photo shoot near the dunes, and by the water was a big volley ball game.
Who said that the “season” is over after Labor Day?
Personally, I wouldn’t care if the Tour de France came down our boardwalk today. It is a perfectly fine day to cycle, and the dangers of summer crowds are over. In fact, we should have a Lance Armstrong look-alike contest on the boards this Saturday to make sure that every inch of the Grove is filled on Giant Flea Market day.
The Neptune ordinance #1120 says no bicycles on the Boardwalk from 10 am to 3 am. from May 1 to October 1. But no one gives a rat’s tuchus about that law once Labor Day is over. Bicycles were all over the Boardwalk this morning. And that’s great. Why not petition Neptune Township to change the law to allow bikes after Labor Day? Change it now and declare all today’s bikers as innocent.
In fact, all summer long the police specials on Segways were absent because no one would pay to hire them, so who would enforce the bike ordinance anyhow? Evidently the badge checkers were deputized for that. Shouldn’t Neptune pay to enforce their ordinances? How does that relationship work between the CMA and Neptune? Is there something in writing that spells out how ordinance #1120 should be enforced?
As for the criminal bike riders on the OG boards today, they are correct to assume that no one will enforce the law. So knock yourselves out.
And why not have a meeting of all the shore towns around here and settle on a time schedule for bikers that is consistent from town to town.
Here is a link to a popular BF post about cycling around this part of the Jersey Shore.
Amelia had a busy summer, and even though the beachfront is pretty quiet today, she says that “crazy people” are still driving around. She has experienced drivers practically running her over (“They keep going”) even though she holds her sign up. Of course, if she holds it upside-down it will say “POTS.”
The crossing guards were 4 in number by the beach, and there were some on Main Avenue as well. It’s always possible that somebody will dash across the street in a hurry, before the ice cream runs out.
As we spoke, a slowpoke came by, and she called out, “The winter’s coming, people.” Tomorrow is the last day helping pedestrians for Amelia in the Grove, but she will still be practicing her craft as a school crossing guard in Neptune.
Ocean Grove is an extremely dog-friendly town, but the Township and the CMA cannot find it in their hearts to provide a dog park or an after (or before) hours dog beach. Such places are as much for the owners as they are for the animals. It’s a quality of life issue.
Want to smoke on the OG beach? Well, you cannot; read the sign. Oh, you can smoke on the Boardwalk. Blogfinger photo.
The NJ Governor just signed a law forbidding smoking on public beaches. The price of a ticket is $250.00.
OGCMA banned smoking on our beaches some time ago, but would the OG beach be considered a “public beach” making such OG puffers eligible for that fine?
Late afternoon on a cloudy day at the Ocean Grove South Beach. There were kids with dads, and guys playing with their dogs in the sand, but overall, the beach was sparsely populated. Several surf fishermen were out. One was sitting at the edge of the surf talking on his cell phone while watching his line. Can you be in the zone while talking on your cell? The vibe at the beach was very mellow as the clouds began to darken, and the waves were a bit rambunctious.
Tom Wik lives on Heck Avenue almost close enough to cast from his porch. But he was not keeping his distance as he readied his gear. To fishermen, it is the being there that’s most important. Catching a fish is secondary.
Tom chose to wait till the end of the day to go surf fishing. The temperature was about 60 degrees, and given the misty moment, it seemed like Tom picked the perfect time. Being alone out there might set your mind to wonder why things are as they are.
ART GARFUNKEL: “I Wonder Why”
“I wonder why it is the sea’s so calm tonight,
The sands are ghostly white
Beneath the moon.
It seems strange to me to stand in endless space,
And know that in this place
I’m held within its timeless sway.”
Notice the sign. In big letters it says WARNING!!! NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY. Isn’t that enough warning for those who might consider swimming? So why do we need 3 exclamation points? We don’t need even one. There is a limit to how effective that sign will be. Recently we heard from a surfer dude who wants red flags to be posted when the water is dangerous. But maybe this sign is more than enough to try and discourage dopey daredevils.
And the sign says “No Diving!” Is there any way anyone could dive down at this beach. I suppose someone might walk over to the pier and dive in, but if anyone is so inclined, the little message on the bottom of this sign is not likely to be influential. And besides, it’s all sand under there. Maybe the sign should also say, “Don’t stick your head in the sand!!!”
The lady with blue hair smiled at us as she went by, but she was moving fast, and we don’t know why she smiled or why she has blue hair in Ocean Grove. This is a rare sighting here, but maybe she was going to Asbury to attend a meeting of the Blue Hair Society.
And the girl on the bike? She was on the beach and came up to get her bike—seemingly caught between the seasons.
BARBARA ROSENE WITH VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS. “Am I Blue?”
August 17, 2017. Ocean Grove beach: “It’s 7 pm, the sun is setting, mostly everyone has gone home, but there’s always an assemblage of beach lovers clustered together, who don’t want to call it a day.
