A Spring-Like Day to Savor the Shore

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Jim and Deb McLaughlin and their children, Mark and Molly, had a vast stretch of the Sea Isle City beach all to themselves on Saturday. Oh, there was another family member, too – Nellie, their dog. The McLaughlins, from Springfield, Pa., were visiting with Deb’s mother, Maureen Charamella, who lives in Sea Isle, for a relaxing weekend getaway at the shore. “It’s great. It’s quiet. Other than the ocean, you can’t hear anything,” Deb said of the tranquil setting on the 41st Street beach. The McLaughlins savored the solitude just a week before spring’s arrival, knowing that come Memorial Day the same beach they were standing on Saturday all by themselves will be crowded with summer tourists. “During this whole thing, it’s nice to have a quiet place to go to so we can get away,” Deb said, referring to the pandemic. Others took advantage of the sunny and mild weather Saturday to hit the beach, stretch their legs on the Promenade or take a bike ride. A lone boat moored at Sea Isle's municipal marina reflects the quietness of the off-season. Jim and Deb McLaughlin laughed while watching 6-year-old Mark and 2-year-old Molly play on the beach. Mark had his two Monster Truck toys speeding along the sand. One went careening into a pool of water, drawing a shout of approval from the young daredevil driver. “I like driving my Monster Trucks. It’s fun!” Mark exclaimed. Bob and Jennifer Lydon, along with their children, Jessica and Bobby, were also planning to have some fun at the shore. After enjoying some time on the Sea Isle beach, they were heading to Wildwood to buy a surfboard for Jessica, 14, and Bobby, 13. The Lydons, who live in Ivyland, Pa., bought a summer home in Sea Isle last year. Bob and Jennifer dropped a pleasant surprise on their kids Saturday. “We’re going to live here this summer,” Bob said. “We are? Cool!” Bobby responded. The Lydon family makes a stop at a Christmas tree on the beach now adorned with St. Patrick's Day decorations. Before taking a walk along the ocean, the Lydons stopped at what has become a locally famous Christmas tree on the beach at 44th Street. Placed there by a local family, the tree has become a symbol of hope and goodwill during the pandemic, drawing countless visitors over the last four months and gaining widespread exposure on social media. After Christmas was over, the tree was decorated for Valentine’s Day and now has been dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day. “We saw it on Valentine’s Day. We came down here to take another look for St. Patrick’s Day,” Bob McLaughlin said. Off the beach, other people were enjoying the sunny day with a walk or bike ride on the Promenade. For Cathy and Bob Fagan, who live in Sea Isle, it was a day filled with exercise with their son, Rob, who was visiting from his home in Levittown, Pa. “We had a five-mile walk this morning. This is our second bike ride,” Cathy Fagan said during a stop on the Promenade in the early afternoon. Cathy Fagan is joined by her son, Rob, at left, and her husband, Bob, for a bike ride on the Promenade. Their bike rides went from the northern tip of the Promenade at 29th Street all the way to the Townsends Inlet Bridge at 94th Street and then back to 29th. “With COVID, all you can do is exercise,” Cathy said. Rob agreed with his mother. He said it was a relief to escape from the worries of the pandemic by visiting with his parents at the shore. “It’s nice to relax and take a bike ride here. I can get away from where I live at and from COVID,” he said.