Here on the island it’s apparent that the summer season has started, because a number of streets are being repaved, torn up, patched, etc., usually with detours in place. I don’t know who figures out the planning for these projects, but it’s been pretty much the same deal for decades. The new paving on part of Park Blvd didn’t last long before being chopped up and patched. It’s starting to look like a typical Wildwood street again. Maybe the Moreys can start charging for people to ride the streets in ATVs.
I now have my official salt water fishing card. It’s free, required, and stupid. It used to be a simple matter of just buying some bait and fishing. No one had to tell me what size fish I could keep, because I wasn’t going to waste my time cleaning something that was small. Now they have size charts for each type of fish, and limits on how many you can catch of each species. For some types, there are limits on when and/or where you can catch them. I don’t need fishing to be this complicated; it pretty much takes all the fun out of it.
The crabs are running okay, but I only keep the hard shell type, which have to be 4-1/2 inches tip-to-tip. Shedders and softshells each can be smaller, but I get them confused. I’ll let restaurants and bait shops figure out which are the soft shells and which are the shedders.
Note to drivers on the island: None of the streets here are interstates, and none have 50 mph speed limits.
Weather permitting, I ride my bike every day, and it’s no longer whether or not pedestrians will be walking on the parts clearly designated for bicycles, but how many. Some of them actually act indignant that I would think to ride my bike in an area clearly designated for bikes only.
The other day, I rode into the wildlife refuge, or whatever it is, in Lower Twonship and was attacked by a rogue greenhead fly, which chased me relentlessly for about a mile. A park employee’s chair sat empty with a can of “OFF!” nested in the drink holder.
The island has no ridable hills, excepting boardwalk ramps, but the winds more than make up for the deficiency. March through June is usually the worst, with July and August bringing some almost windless days. It’s been pretty breezy every day for weeks. Any cyclist will attest to that.
Back in the day, The Crest Oyster House used to draw pretty big crowds. Later, a bait and tackle shop occupied the premises. This year, signs went up announcing Tony Luke’s Old Philly Style Sandwiches, coming in the summer 2010. Well, maybe. Somebody decided to pretty much rebuild the whole place, and so far, progress doesn’t look great.
A number of things on the island have changed through the years. The Crest used to be populated in summer with families from Philly, whose fathers worked in Philly during the week. Mom and the kids spent the whole summer here. With the advent of more women working, it seems that many families with summer homes here spend only their weekends on the island.
A furniture company is advertising that for a limited time, they will pay my sales tax! Wait! When did this get twisted all around? I don’t owe a sales tax, because I’m not the one selling the furniture! It’s not a buyer’s tax. Yes, of course the consumer ends up paying the tax, but the merchant is the one responsible for actually paying it to the state. Why is this tax added to the price, rather than included in the price? If legislators want to do something useful for a change, they should pass a law requiring sales taxes to be included in the final price. Don’t go calling me stupid; because I am well aware of the fact that I would be paying the same amount, but if something is priced at $29.95, I want to pay only $29.95, and let the merchant worry about how much the tax happens to be.
AT&T advertises that it covers 97 percent of all Americans. What they don’t mention is so do Verizon, Sprint, and Joe Schmoe’s Phone Service. Yes, with any of these plans you can call anyone with access to a telephone, meaning all but 3 percent of the population. I don’t know what percentage of the population comprises babies and toddlers, but I’m guessing three.
The fireworks start on July 4th this year and every Friday night starting on the 9th.