Island Treasures: Seasons, Sand and the Seawall
Dear Tourists,
WELCOME BACK TO THE ISLAND! There’s nothing like a 60 degree day in early Spring to remind you that summer is quickly approaching. Visitors begin to flock over the bridges, streets have noticeably more cars, condos become alive with lights on, city workers are hustling to groom the town, vendors very slowly begin to open their boardwalk
businesses and ahhhhhh… the smell of cut grass is everywhere! Next comes the sound of seagulls, a bell of a bike on the boardwalk, the sound of an aluminum bat hitting a ball. Many of these signs of Spring are universal but there is a very different energy that comes to the Wildwoods with the migrating population of excited city folks.

The holidays are delightful at the beach. But January into early Spring comes with a bitter jealousy for those hot summer days. If you're lucky, your street has neighbors that know each other and wave hello. Otherwise, some weeks can be cold and lonely. You can walk 10 blocks in the middle of the street and never have to move out of the way for a car. You can ride your bike around the island and make your own traffic rules as every light blinks yellow. Businesses are boarded up, hotels are dark and the sand is frozen under your feet. But even on blustery 20/30 degree day, going to the beach is a daily activity, surfers suit up to catch waves, fishermen line the beach, dogs are spoiled as they run at the water's edge, and bikes are kept in daily use. All this and more just with an extra layer of clothes and greater appreciation for the beauty of this coastal town in any season, knowing the fun and excitement it brings people in the summer months.

Soon there are beach-goers galore with the smell of funnel cake, sun-tan lotion, and the sound of whistle guarded beaches inundate your senses. As the seasons change, vacationers flock to popular locations such as the North Wildwood inlet beach with its seawall. The seawall stretches for 1.1 miles and has become a major corridor for morning runners, exercise-seekers, beach-goers and dog-walkers. It leads you through the dunes Island Treasures: Seasons, Sand and the Seawall by Lauren Auty, RN, BSN, MJ past many memorable locations, in front of the beautiful, Hereford lighthouse and gardens, and paths take you onto the warm sand. For locals, the enjoyment comes when after months of walking alone on the seawall or boardwalk, you pass someone. The following week you pass two people, saying hello. And with each passing week, you pass more and more happy, new faces. The path has started many new conversations, new friendships, and new romances. Whether you are walking alone, with a sibling, parent, grandparent, spouse or pet, the construction of the seawall has added to the charm of North Wildwood and offers a healthy, relaxing location for your body and spirit.

For years, a rugged man-made rock jetty served as the only barrier from sea-spray at high tide before the seawall. A few benches lined the path with no guarantees of keeping you dry. The rough tides crashed waves into the rocks, leaving no vacant sand for sun worshippers. As a result, the inlet beach was not a choice for beach-goers. Instead, it was a fisherman's haven, allowing for passing people to peer into their buckets to see what had been caught. Only in the early eighties, after a community outcry did the dangerous surf at the inlet become a guarded, somewhat private beach. Lifeguards felt almost punished to sit watch at the inlet beach. The guards would man their chairs at low tide and move to the rock jetty at high tide. Over the years the landscape of the inlet has changed dramatically, lengthening the beach. Today, the seawall connects two stretches of populated beautiful white sand beaches. Two lifeguard chairs are now a permanent fixture at water's edge. There is no better location on the island to watch the sun rise, close your eyes and smell the salty air, and look straight out and see nothing but the waves gently rolling till they softly dissolve back into the current. The simplicity of a town that doesn't lose its beauty in the seasons is evident. SUMMER IS COMING AND THIS MAGNIFICENT SEASIDE TOWN IS DETHAWING!

Sincerely,. an Excited Beach-goer!