Observations of a beach badge seller/checker

re: flags/swimming off limits

when I was about 13, I was caught in a rip tide a little south of point pleasant. there were no flags, the lifeguards didn't notice a problem.....i only knew what it was from watching Baywatch, but had never heard of it happening in NJ and didn't previously know how to get out...luckily my gut instinct told me to swim parallel to the shore and I was able to get out on my own.....its not fun....with all the information nowadays you would think people would be more educated....schools should be required to teach water safety as part of phys ed or health...even if they don't do actual swimming...

In Bradley Beach, there are large, prominently displayed signs warning of rip tides and telling what to do if caught in one. Hopefully, people pause to actually read them!

jmitw said:
re: flags/swimming off limits
when I was about 13, I was caught in a rip tide a little south of point pleasant. there were no flags, the lifeguards didn't notice a problem.....i only knew what it was from watching Baywatch, but had never heard of it happening in NJ and didn't previously know how to get out...luckily my gut instinct told me to swim parallel to the shore and I was able to get out on my own.....its not fun....with all the information nowadays you would think people would be more educated....schools should be required to teach water safety as part of phys ed or health...even if they don't do actual swimming...

Do not know if I previously mentioned this but I keep observing something that is so interesting...American families come to the beach with what looks like everything that they own piled on top of wagons, or beach carts and people from other cultures come with maybe a small plastic bag -no chairs, or umbrellas-just a tiny bag with who knows what in it.

The summer is winding down and we are seeing families that need one more day...and when I get off the beach between 4 and 5 the beach is still full of patrons....no one wants to leave!! (understandably)

I used to go to the beach with a towel, my car keys, and a few dollars to buy a hot dog and Coke... maybe a book. I miss those days.

So yesterday in the morning a car pulls up the street and two men and two women get out and the two men unload the car and bring the stuff up by my gate...the women follow-the men pay for the four of them and I put their bracelets on and then the men carry the stuff down to the beach and one of the men comes back up and gets into the car and waits for the other man. The other man is down there for about 15 minutes and when he finally makes it back p to the boardwalk and I turn around to look and he has set up the whole "camp" for the two women-chairs, umbrellas, beach towels etc.....I say to him "What a guy" and he breaks out into a big smile and says "well she is my wife"! He appears gleeful in doing what he did for this woman just because she is his wife...That was so nice to observe. The two men then drove away looking for parking and eventually came back on the beach for the day.

Jenkinson's has a variety of food places on the boardwalk between the inlet and the pavilion...there are many line workers that pass between the inlet the pavilion daily and I always say hello to them...in the beginning of the summer I might get a nod because I do not think they were used to being acknowledged...but now, they stop and say hello, or take out their earbuds and give me a smile...one in particular-who I especially like told me a little bit of himself yesterday....His name is Fabian, he is working for 4 more days and then going back home to Jamaica for 3 months and in December he goes to Vermont to work until late spring and then comes back to Jenks. He is such a pleasant man and always makes me smile!

For the second time this summer I observed a woman with 2 blind children one is a teenager and the other is a pre-teen-the older boy has his white stick with the red tip and holds on to his Mom's elbow-the pre-teen is very brave and she walks in front of the other two swishing that stick back and forth to make sure nothing is in their way.....When I see this I am reminded of how very blessed I am...with a healthy family and the gift of sight.....

Yesterday we had another rough day with sea rescues-people just do not listen to the guards who tell them to be very careful out there and for parents who let their children go in the water unattended when the caution flags are up....and then there was the AH that jumped the fence down by the inlet and ran unto the jetty and fell face down on the rocks....only to find out he was high on acid....an ambulance and 4 police persons took him away.....

More and more families are saying goodbye now and it is bittersweet for the summer to come to a close....I think I am going to sit on the boardwalk in the winter in a hat, coat and gloves and see what I can see....I love this job!!!!!

And we LOVE reading your posts, Beege. I'm so sad that the summer (and your reporting) will be coming to an end soon. Thanks for the smiles.

Did we ever get the report on the crazy day a couple weeks back???

My favorite time on the beach/boardwalk is September-April. The older I get the more intolerant of the sun I get, so this works for me and I'm looking forward to it.

Beege -- when you were talking before about people sitting on the beach in their sand chairs after 5pm, not wanting to leave, it reminded me of a very vivid memory in 2001 -- my last summer in Surf City -- with my cousins and I sitting on the beach in our sand chairs watching the waves and saying "it doesn't get better than this, does it?" 2 days later I was back home, on my way in to work, watching a jet plane fly into the WTC. If only I had stayed on the beach another week..... Nothing was ever the same in so many ways. I'm looking forward to making new, happy, memories starting this September.

Funny you should mention that @mumstheword. My birthday is Sept.10 - the year after 9/11, I didn't want a party, I just wanted to get past the day. My husband called my office a few days before to tell them I wouldn't be in - then he surprised me and drove to Ocean Grove where the healing power of the the wind and surf washed over me. An overcast, peaceful day, and exactly what I needed.

So I have a Vailsburg reunion going on in front of my gate.....a great guy, Jay stops by regularly and we talk about the Munchmobile in the Friday Ledger and other worldly important topics, a couple-Charlie and wife whose name I cannot remember come trotting by every day-she is a lean mean trotting machine and he has his own version of a sixpack-firm but has a few years on it....and then Dan shows up...turns out they are all from Vailsburg at one time or another and the reminiscing begins. My only connection to Vailsburg was waiting on the corner near by Dover Street for the 31 Prospect St bus to complete my commute home from downtown Newark back in the day. So fun to listen to the 4 of them talk about the "good old days"-

Observation -almost every child has a pair of sunglasses on...and not the kiddie kind...am glad that their eyes are being protected from the really harsh and bright sun.

What a great summer it has been. So little rain, so much sun! I've spent more time on the beach this summer than ever before. A few random observations to add (from Bradley Beach):

It almost seems that more people have tattoos these days than don't. How popular they've become.

By and large, beachgoers, including daytrippers, have been respectful of the beach, cleaning up after themselves and not scattering garbage. Nice to see.

Fishermen (and a few women) seem perfectly content to stand for hours with their lines in the water without catching anything. They seem to get much enjoyment from casting. Kind of a zen thing, I imagine.

Some people really need to learn how to parallel park.

I've been lurking in this thread all summer...I love all the observations. Thank you for sharing!

Avon is trying to reduce visitors with this charming new sign. I'm not exactly sure whom it's directed towards...

And What Is The Thinking Behind Starting Every Word With An Upper-Case Letter?

Actually, it's pretty clear that the sign is directed at people who decide to hold parties on the beach, or people who set up unsanctioned food vending stations. At least, that's how it seems to me.

Actually, I've never seen an "unsanctioned food station" on any beach. This seems directed at any large group, which of course includes families with kids. In fact, at least on Bradley Beach where I hang out, most of the canopies and tents are used to protect little children from the sun while they take naps, eat, etc. And I've never seen anyone in Bradley or Belmar cooking on the beach.

Near as I can tell, the Avon complaints may have to do with garbage on the beach, though that's mostly a guess. I've read that Avon residents are complaining about having too many people, which is really strange because they have a big beach which never looks overly crowded. If I were an Avon resident, I'd be spending my energy complaining about no parking, which appears to be a far bigger problem; there seem to be very few driveways/garages for nearby homes.

It's really pretty odd. All the other towns are happy that they've exceeded their expected revenue this sunny summer, but Avon has only complained.

PeggyC said:
Actually, it's pretty clear that the sign is directed at people who decide to hold parties on the beach, or people who set up unsanctioned food vending stations. At least, that's how it seems to me.

Meanwhile, back to Beege's thread...

Avon is one of the wealthiest communities on the Jersey shore. The regulations and lack of parking are to keep the likes of you and me (well, me, at least) away from the place.

Only if you come armed to host your 35th family reunion, going by that sign.

The whole thing is kind of odd. If they just wanted to keep non-Avon people away, they could have simply raised the admission price for non-residents. Instead, they came up with those bizarre rules. (Interestingly, I walked the boardwalk past Avon this morning and did see some canopies and tents on the beach. Perhaps they're not enforcing, or perhaps they figure that after today (Labor Day) it won't matter ... till next summer. I wonder if they will ban coolers next, which someone told me they do in Spring Lake.)

Formerlyjerseyjack said:
Avon is one of the wealthiest communities on the Jersey shore. The regulations and lack of parking are to keep the likes of you and me (well, me, at least) away from the place.

Having worked on the beach this summer. albeit not at Avon, I can understand some of the rules above. The canopies can blow over easier than an umbrella if not put up properly=they also impede the view from people who are behind them...especially if the canopies are more like tent like with sides that can be rolled down - that is not fair to other beach patrons. I firmly agree with no cooking on the beach-you leave hot coals unattended while you go for a dip, a stiff wind comes up and baboom-you have burning coals on the beach for some unsuspecting person to stumble upon.....I have to say-for the most part, the biggest worry we had on our beach this summer was the sneaking in of alcohol....which every sane person knows should not be consumed in the hot direct sun....if you need to drink-drink at home or in someone's back yard...not in a public place where you can get hurt or hurt someone else.

Avon is my favorite beach to go to when I have time off-it is clean, well maintained and does not have an amusement park attached to it so the people who are coming there are there for the beach and the sand-not for a lot of partying....it really is a family place....and worth parking 5 blocks away to get to the ocean front....imho.

There is one more installment of my observations for the end of the summer....I have to collect all my scrapes of paper that I wrote notes on and put them together...stay tuned! beege

PS-unicorn-where have you read that Avon complained about too many people on the beach this summer? I have not seen that anywhere....

bgs- I have a subscription to The Coaster, one of the regional papers that cover Monmouth towns. I'm mostly in Bradley Beach, but love walking the boardwalk north to Asbury and south into Belmar. Those Avon signs are brand new, and I had read about them in the paper before I saw them.

Interesting what you said about the canopies, though I don't think I've ever seen one blow over. Lots of umbrellas go flying though on those windy days!

I've never seen anyone cooking on Bradley or Belmar beaches. Don't know about Avon. Alcohol, though, can be a problem on beaches and carries a heavy fine. In fact, we saw a man get ticketed for having beer. The Bradley cops patrolling the beach were as pleasant and polite as they could be, but they wrote him a ticket all the same--as they should have. Signs very clearly say that alcohol is prohibited.

bgs said:
There is one more installment of my observations for the end of the summer....I have to collect all my scrapes of paper that I wrote notes on and put them together...stay tuned! beege
PS-unicorn-where have you read that Avon complained about too many people on the beach this summer? I have not seen that anywhere....

So, on Sunday 2 young women breeze by me onto the steps leading to the beach and I lean over and say " excuse me" and then repeat myself-as the two young women turn around a blousy blond says-"hey-don"t get so snippy"-I turn to her and deny being snippy and say that it is my job to check everyone for badges or bracelets and she tells me that she has the badges right here in her hand....and I said "and I am supposed to know that how" - then she tells me that she owns a house here and I say "and what impact does that have on this situation?" and she proceeds to ream me out and tell me that her girls have been coming to this beach their whole lives and do not need to be talked down to. Again I say that it is my job to check everyone and she waved a bag with 4 badges in it in my face (literally) and stomps down the stairs-I told her that she needed to get the chip off her shoulder and she proceeded to give me not one but two fingers two times. I am over hearing about how the badges leave holes in your bathing suit-next year I am cracking down I swear-do not need to get admonished by management for people not wearing their badges.....

One of the younger gate keepers came up with a great strategy for people who are trying to pass off 14 year olds as 11 year olds.....and it works because I used it on Monday. She told me that a woman came to her gate with a kid that had to be 6 feet tall with whiskers and said that he was 11. The gatekeeper asked her what year he was born and she told her "June"-she again asked what year he was born and the woman said 2001 and the gatekeeper said " he is 14 that will be $10 please". I will put that in my arsenal for next year.
It happened to me on Monday and I asked the kid what year he was born in and he did not even know....puh-leeze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A couple came up to me and said they only wanted to be on the beach for 1 hour-what would the charge be? I replied "$10" and they thought for a moment and decided that they did not need to put their feet in the sand for $10.

Next year I am making a sign and laminating it and putting it around my neck "I do not make the rules".

So Monday as the swansong of my summer....a couple who jogs on the boardwalk every morning (part of the Vailsburg reunion crew) brought me two donuts from the Top That donut shop with a nice note written on top of the box-another couple that I had directed to Joey Tomatoes for excellent pizza brought me back a slice after they went to lunch....totally unexpected by me. I was actually planning to go there for a slice myself on my break...and last but not least, the young woman who runs one of the sweet shops on the boardwalk insisted on giving me a cup of softserve (swirl-for you inquiring minds)-i I enjoyed every single lick of that swirl!!

So folks, unless I find more notes -this is probably it for 2015! Thanks for your encouraging words and thoughts. This has been a wonderful summer for this gatekeeper!!!

bgs says: "So Monday as the swansong of my summer....a couple who jogs on the
boardwalk every morning (part of the Vailsburg reunion crew) brought me
two donuts from the Top That donut shop with a nice note written on top
of the box-another couple that I had directed to Joey Tomatoes for
excellent pizza brought me back a slice after they went to
lunch....totally unexpected by me. I was actually planning to go there
for a slice myself on my break...and last but not least, the young woman
who runs one of the sweet shops on the boardwalk insisted on giving me a
cup of softserve (swirl-for you inquiring minds)-i I enjoyed every
single lick of that swirl!!"

Lovely, bgs, so fitting for you! I have loved sharing a bit of the summer and the shore with you. m

Beege, it was almost like being there (Well as close as almost can be without the sun in my face and sand in my toes)> Thanks for sharing and I look forward to all your stories next year!

Again, you might be able to sell this to NJ Monthly.

It is a fun read.

Thanks Jack-I have no idea how I would do that.

bgs said:
Thanks Jack-I have no idea how I would do that.

Take your posts and put them into a single narrative. Maybe add a couple of photos of Jenks and you and send them to the address on the masthead.

Thank you bsg. This has been the best thread of the summer. Made me feel like I was at the beach.