Dear Sun

Mary Ann with (The Sun), her friends and daughter Julie on their summer of 2008 vacation in Wildwood~ here they are at an historic Wildwood annual event, the 85th National Marble Toournament.

Way before when I can even remember, we made our journey every year to Wildwood, NJ.

I was not even a year old, and my mom would push me in a stroller, in that hot sand, which seemed like miles to the ocean shore, carrying an umbrella, chairs, coolers, wow what wonderful memories!! And getting our pictures taken in those little cubes. . . I still have some of those old photos. (I have to send some of them to The SUN!)

Now we stay up near North Wildwood, and the ocean isn’t so far away. Anyway, on our annual trip to the shore, we would start out from Pittsburgh, PA. It should have taken about 8 hrs, but it was always at least a 10 hr. trip and it was a ritual to get lost in Philly before crossing over the bridge.

But let me tell you, being with family, and friends, we would have a blast driving down. We would pack our homemade lunches along with a full packed car, leave at midnight, and eat all the way down, making a zillion stops for breaks, it was so much fun! We would get to Wildwood in the morning, after being up all night, we were so tired, but could not wait to smell that salt air, and see the water. we would fall asleep on the beach.

At night, it was like magic, everything came to life... the whole place was lit up with neon lights... the boardwalk was like nothing else in the world... its smells, its souns, its sights...

Back then, we stayed at a house, rented rooms from the same people we knew every year, and became good friends with them. I still today mail the lady a Christmas card.

We had no air conditioner, no pool and we shared a shower on the one floor, and washed the sand off our bodies in a homemade shower stall outside. I recall it had a green curtain.

We look now, and say how did we manage? No air, maybe its the global warming thing now? But we would stay up all night, not wanting to miss out on anything and wanting to enjoy each moment of our week long vacation. It was so much fun. We would stay on the boards, playing fascination till 1:00 a.m. or whenever they threw us off of the boards.

We would win a lot of prizes playing skilo then, a generic bingo, would wear funny hats, those were good times. Getting Macks Pizza, running in front the tram car, eating always at Groffs, and making sure we took Douglass Fudge and candies home and ate them and saving them for weeks in the fridge, these are all my wonderful Wildwood memories. I can smell the food and taste it about right now.

I want to see Wildwood in the winter, and as soon as my husband retires, our dream is to move to Wildwood and live there for good, all year round and take our beagle with us to the beach.

I can recall the boardwalk auctions, they used to have. My dad would come home with the craziest things for the walls. And the singing at the Boardwalk Chapel, and we always bought a ticket from St. Anns to win a car. Never did win, but still try today! Spending the day at the beach after breakfast, was our pastime, cause we had no pool then. Thank God we do now when we go. . . and air too!!!!! Those were the good old days. . . I can go on and on about all the good memories of the Wildwoods. And here I am, 40 years later, and I still come every summer. Now I take my daughter there, just like my family took me. We love going, and it will never be a bad memory in my mind.

We love you Wildwood, and thanks for being such a big part in my life!!

Mary Ann Csahok
Duquesne, PA