December 9, 2012. Paul Goldfinger photo. Copyright.
Some people will never get over their need to “walk on the boardwalk.” It was a cold,windy, rainy, grey day today. The boardwalk was impassable, but there was a path between the boardwalk wreckage and the dunes. A lone stroller just had to be there … no discussion. Others were wandering around also. A man pulled up in his car, got out, and, in the driving wind, walked slowly down to the water’s edge. He pulled out a camera and took a picture of the rough ocean. Then he walked back to where his wife was standing and got her to take a picture of him with the beach behind him. Then they got back into the car and drove away.
Another man was surf fishing by the jetty as a second man approached carrying a fishing pole and a folding chair. My hat blew off, my camera got wet, and I walked briskly back to my car and cranked up the heat.
The South End.
As I drove back on Main, I saw a man in a parka sitting in front of Nagles, by himself, sipping from a paper cup. It seemed sad, so I decided not to take his picture. However, there were people downtown shopping for Christmas. A guy was struggling to carry a very large multicolored box out of the toy store and into his car.
I met a couple in the Comfort Zone who were so happy to be in the Grove. They told me how much they enjoyed Blogfinger. She laughed as he made me raise my hat so he could see what I looked like. They were feeling joyful this holiday season because they just moved into an apartment on Embury Avenue, and it was their dream for many years to have a place here.
In Smuggler’s Cove, Rich Lepore, the new President of the OG Area Chamber of Commerce, was waiting on a steady stream of tchotchke buyers. He’s always in a good mood and he laughs at my jokes.
Over near the GA, on Mt. Carmel Avenue, a young couple — Tom and Pegi — were busy working on their Victorian house, getting ready for a large group of “grad students” who were renting it for the holidays. Tom and Pegi have big plans for their place, and we will do a story about their home, the old “Women’s Club” of Ocean Grove, next month.
The wreckage of Sandy is all over the place, although it has been simplified into multiple more orderly piles of sand and debris. The restaurant at the north end is still sitting as you saw it following the storm, with its back end collapsed onto the beach. Several “for rent” signs remain in place as if someone would soon show up to open a new restaurant. Those signs are sort of a cruel joke.
— Paul Goldfinger