WT Homage

This weekend we will say goodbye to a legacy that has been an integral part of our lives from the time we were  born. As a child, I was strolled in a pram on it and was fed a bottle from its benches overlooking the ocean. As a kid, I rode my bike along side my parents and walked with no shoes.  It left tiny splinters in my feet as I ran too fast to the ice cream stand.   As a teen, it was there for many first kisses, long walks hand-in-hand and it watched from afar as I sat on its beach looking out at the ocean on a starry night.  It provided shelter from passing rain storms on a hot summer day or a place to change out of a wetsuit.   It keep me hidden from beach patrol while I snuck beers and smoked with my friends.   It made a rattling noise as my bike slapped against its boards while I rode from Neptune to Grand, over and over again.  I’ve jumped from its edge to avoid paying for a pass and sat with friends while they spent the summers as ticket takers.  I’ve dripped ice cream and sprinkles on it, stubbed out a cigarette on it and left grains of long beach sand in its tiny crevasses.   It gave me a place to sit to watch the surfers catch their waves, scope out the hot lifeguards or just enjoy a slurpy on a beautiful summer day.   I’ve watched the summer crowds walk all over it and have enjoyed its solace on cold winter days.  It gave us memories that will last a lifetime and will live forever in our hearts.

-WT Hayley 😦

Photo from CB Sullivan

Tags: boardwalk, long beach, sandy