Monday, July 5, 2010

BloggeRhythms 7/5/2010

I'm not the best predictor in the world. If I was, I'd have a much better showing for the days I spent at the trotters. But, sometimes my guesses are right on the nose. And yesterday proved that point.

We've spent many Fourth of July's at the home of one of our closest friends, and traveled there yesterday once more. My premonition was that the day would be perfect, and it was. And, if things can be better than perfect our day met that measure too.

Aside from the fact that my pal's home is a great place by itself, large rooms, huge kitchen, expansive windows everywhere, two decks, one large, one smaller -there's the location. This place is on a strip of land on the north shore of Long Island in a community having only 254 homes all told. The total population consists of 184 families and 625 people. Of that small group of homes about 40 of them are on Long Island Sound. My friend's place is right in the middle of that row of residences, and his back yard is a sandy beach leading right down to the water.

Since the weather was magnificent, warm but with no humidity and light breezes off the sound, after our arrival, I never left the beach til' dusk. And, I must say there's something very pleasant about lolling next to the water for hours and only having to wave toward the house when you need another cold one.

The house itself was filled with people, many of whom brought food and drink, so whatever your pleasure it was likely there. From the traditional raw clams and steamers, to six foot hero's, seafood and green salads, dips, chips, salsas, pasta dishes, stir-fries, burgers and dogs, and even grilled racks of ribs, then countless desserts. Nobody went home hungry.

Toward the end of the afternoon a tugboat pushed a barge along the water, three hundred yards or so out from the beach, stopping midway of the row of beachfront houses. Around dusk, bonfires were lit up and down the shore. Then at twenty past nine in the evening the skies erupted. Because the barge was full of fireworks, putting on an incredible show. Likely, the event was also seen by folks in Darien, Norwalk, and Westport Connecticut, directly across Long Island Sound.

All in all, as I indicated from the start, I've been to these celebrations often, so I anticipated a marvelous day, and that's exactly what I got. But, there's another side to this story.

Obviously -I think- my friend lives where he does because he's earned the right through significant business success. And, the same goes for his neighbors. In fact, for many of them their beach houses are second homes, used only for summer weekends and perhaps, vacations. Though, likely they travel other places to really get away. Nonetheless, the fourth has always been a festive day up and down the beach.

Most all of the residents use the fourth to kick off their summer. Huge gatherings of invitees normally fill the homes and, naturally, the beach itself. Softball games, football tosses, Frisbees, kites, even horse-shoe pitching. All kinds of toys in the water, floats, catamarans, kayaks, jet skis, goggles, masks and snorkels, you name it. Later in the day, two nearby neighbors brought in music -one a disco group, the other a six piece live band. So, music, songs and laughter filled the air.

But not this year.

The house to my friends left had, by my guess, perhaps twenty percent of the usual guests. There were no throngs up and down the wide beach as there have been in the past. All told, the scene was relatively quiet, especially since there was no music at all from either of the homes usually providing it. They, it seems, decided this year was time to thin the crowds that were "getting out of hand."

And, if that's true, crowd-thinning was the goal, they both did an excellent job, because there surely weren't any crowds to speak of. As for my friend's relatively new immediate neighbors to the right, they didn't even show up themselves, so for the first time to my recollection, that house was completely dark.

So, what does all this paring down really mean? Unfortunately, I think the answer can be found by flipping a few pages of the Wall Street Journal, or tuning in Fox business news. Because, in prior years I never got the sense anyone having a party in a home on that beach cared for a second how many folks showed up. There was always room for more. But today, it's a little different. Because aside from all those fireworks blowing up, so are their investments -and those huge beach parties are very, very expensive.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

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