Grey No More

It has been quite a while since my last post. My last entry was titled "Another Grey Day." Well, thankfully, a lot has changed since then. The weather has gotten great and it really feels like I'm in the thick of summer. This is a great place to be at. The weather has been consistently good, and I couldn't be happier.

I sit on 96th street in Stone Harbor every day, and it sure has gotten very busy. This is one of the busier streets in town because 96th street is sort of like Stone Harbor's "Main Street" with lots of shops. I enjoy it, though, because busy days always go fast. Plus, I sit with one of my good friends from high school every day, so it's always enjoyable. One of the busiest days yet was, unsurprisingly, the 4th of July. Not only was it a beautiful day, but it was also a Saturday, so the weekend crowd was out in full force. We set up a big American flag on the back of our stand and gave out red/white/blue ice pops to kids. It was a great beach day that went great for everyone with little incident. This great day led into an even better night. Our house has a deck which provided a perfect viewing spot for the Wildwood fireworks show. It was quite a spectacle, and fun was had by all.

Another reason that it feels like summer is in full swing has been the start of the lifeguard races. Everyone who lifeguards in Jersey looks forward to these races, held every Friday starting in July. There are many great athletes on all the patrols so it makes for a competitive yet fun and laid back atmosphere. Events include doubles and singles rowing, paddleboard, swim, run, run/swim, and surf dash. I participate in the run/swim, which is a grueling yet fun event. It is a 1.5 mile run into a 1/4 mile swim. It is fun because it is a pretty unique event, and is, in my opinion, good testament to what a lifeguard should be. Watching the races is always awesome and there are always big, enthusiastic crowds. I like to watch the rowing events the most. They are sort of like Nascar - you want your patrol's boat to do well, but you secretly really want to see a good crash or a big wave mess someone up. Most entertaining, though, is when skilled (often veteran) rowers till a wave. This is when the rowers use their oars like rudders to steer the boat once they've caught a wave. When done correctly, it is very impressive, and can often bring a boat from out of contention right into first place.

I hope everyone's summer is going well. Summer is a great time and I'm glad we're in the midst of it right now. I'm sure when it comes to an end it will seem like it flew so I'm just trying to savor the days. That's all I got for now, later.