Page 26 - Holly Carney Issue (3)

Bitchin’ & Moaning

Summertime in San Diego
By Judith A. Habert

Summer is upon us and we have those lazy days to look from home to Jones beach. We would circle the parking
forward to. As a transplant from New York, I often marvel lot for 40 minutes trying to find a parking spot which would
at the strict adherence to "seasons" when it is often beau- inevitably be 2.3 miles from the beach entrance. We
tiful enough to sun bathe in December. Yet, the beach would unpack the car and lug all of the beach stuff with
and pool parking lots are virtually empty once the sum- us to the perfect patch of sand. Of course the sand would
mer months have passed. This is a concept foreign to a be 127 degrees so it would be a brisk skip to the final
former New Yorker who valued every precious day of our sunbathing spot. Then we would put everything in place.
skimpy 2 months of good Open the umbrella,
weather. spread out the blankets,
and sit down. Then one
I can remember the pro- of us, usually me, would
cess of getting ready for let Mom know that
our one of two summer we needed to use the
trips to the beach. Yes, restroom. And we would
in those days, growing begin the ascent back
up in Queens meant to the boardwalk and
heat filled summers with the facilities. When we
the corner fire hydrant returned to the blanket
serving as our only cool- it would be my brother’s
ing device. When word turn and off Dad would
came from Mom that trek with him on a simi-
Dad had a Sunday off lar path. When we had
26 from his job as a city bus all settled in my brother
driver, the excitement
and I would run for the
began. We would gather water…Mom warning to
up the cooler filled with a not go in to deep or the
large thermos full of lem- undertow would drown
onade, pepper and egg us. We would play for
sandwiches (the official awhile and then it was
Italian beach sandwich), time for lunch. Out we
fresh fruit, and a myriad would go to the blan-
of snack foods. Then we ket and indulge in our
would have the towels, lunch. Then we had to
beach chairs, Frisbee sit around and look at
and beach ball, umbrel- each other for an hour,
las, change of clothes, since we were never al-
radio, and a hernia, lowed to go back in the
which generally accompanied the carrying of all of the water because we would cramp up and drown if we didn’t
beach paraphernalia. allow an hour for the food to digest. After more swimming
and sand castle building we would go to the boardwalk,
Off we would go, all smiles in anticipation of this semian- get changed and go to the special show at the Jones
nual beach experience. Well, the smiles actually only Beach Amphitheater. I remember seeing The Sound of
lasted until we got in the car. My brother and I were in Music, and it was magical.
the back seat of our medium sized family car with all of
the above mentioned paraphernalia. Unlike typical car Those summer days were great. The lugging of beach
rides, my brother and I would not be bickering during this stuff, the long walk, the unbearably hot car ride there and
trip - basically because we couldn't see each other over back, but still it was the highlight of our summer. I guess
all of the stuff packed into the back seat. Since it was this is why I don’t understand the limitations of our sum-
New York and typically 98 degrees with high humidity, and mer season here. But who am I to complain, because
of course no air conditioning in the car, we wouldn't have come December there I will be sitting on the beach with
had the energy to fight anyway. my pepper and egg sandwich enjoying every off- season
It would take two hours in the Sunday traffic to make it ray of sun.
July/August 2008