Ann Delaney Beach Blog

Category: Life at the Shore

  • Calm for Labor Day

    Aahhh…cool temperatures and a calm ocean for Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

    “Down the Shore every thing’s all right…” playing on the radio as I drove to work this morning.  Have a great holiday weekend!

  • High Tide

    The main event with Earl was the wild Atlantic Ocean.  This picture was taken at high tide in Stone Harbor.

    I posted another video showing the ocean/beach at high tide: http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnDelaneyBeach

    The life guards reported for duty today- to keep swimmers OUT of the ocean.  Because of the tide, most were forced to move their stands to the beach paths… or, in this case, to the private sitting area for Villa Maria by the Sea retreat house- while guarding “Nun’s Beach”.

    It’s now almost 5pm, and the sun is out.  Ready for a great Labor Day weekend  🙂

  • Video of Ocean/Beach

    Mainly overcast and some light rain so far this morning.  The ocean is very rough, and the local police have closed the beaches for swimming (common sense).  Posted a video from my morning beach walk to You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnDelaneyBeach

    Will post weather updates here and on Twitter.

    Friday 2:30pm   Off and on rain showers and gusts of wind.  High tide  at 3:30pm- no flooding expected, but with the rough ocean, there may be some beach erosion.  Traffic coming on to the island for the Labor Day Weekend.

  • Shore Preparations

    We secured our deck furniture, trash cans, and kayaks. Stored the porch cushions, and removed our sneakers and flip flops from the back steps.  With our tasks complete, it was time for a walk to get ice cream 😉

    Noticed this newer ocean front home with storm shutters lowered.  The public works department removed the trash/recycle cans from the beach.  Lifeguard boats are stored, and the stands lay close to the dunes.

    Unfortunately, we also walked by homes with flags, umbrellas, glass top tables, etc. all exposed on upper sun decks.  Even if Earl stays well out to sea, high winds may still be an issue.   Strong winds are common in the “brisk” winter months at the shore, but the outdoor hazards are limited to trash cans!  See my January 2010 post: https://anndelaney.com/2010/01/03/january-weather-2/

  • Wednesday Waves

    I kayaked in the ocean early this morning. It looked fairly calm, but I was intimidated by the 2nd row of swells.   My ride back in was not pretty. Made the decision to abandon ship as a large wave crashed behind me.  The wave knocked me over and rolled me around.  The kayak and paddle made it to shore…and I followed soon after!

    The swells increased during the day- rare for us to see breaking waves that far from the shore line.

    The surfers are excited about the big waves.  Swimmers should use caution- the current is strong and the breaking waves are powerful (speaking from experience- and I was wearing a life jacket).

  • A visit from Earl?

    An ordinary set of table and chairs on a sun deck- no problem until the wind carries the furniture to a new location, and the tempered glass breaks into a zillion pieces.

    Hopefully, Earl just buzzes by our coast.  Yet high winds can still be an issue.  Best bet is to secure all outside furniture, the grill, kayaks, trash cans, etc.

    If you need to hire someone to help with these tasks, Maids Available Services has staff available:  maidsavailable@yahoo.com  or 609-263-1747.

  • Sunday Sights

    Surfers, paddle boarders, and kayaks were WAY out in the ocean this morning catching a bonus set of big waves.  

    The Stone Harbor Lion’s Club 10K, 5K, and 2 Mile Race- the young men and women of the United States Coast Guard are regular participants…and the spectators show their appreciation with applause and cheers along the way.

  • Weekend Weather?

    Well…   Perfect!

    Cool nights, sunny days, low humidity, warm ocean temperatures, late day low tide (room for everyone on the beach), and late morning high tide (boaters can sleep in a bit).

    Enjoy  🙂

  • Atlantic City Air Show

                    The cloud cover was just enough to keep us comfortable on the beach while watching the air show.  A terrific annual event for the Atlantic City area.  The fighter jets are a crowd favorite- especially the Blue Angels finale.

  • Technology at the Shore

    I took this picture with my cell phone and then uploaded it to my Twitter account http://twitter.com/AnnDelaneyBeach while sitting in my kayak.   I see people riding bikes and talking (and texting!) on their phones.  The other day, a woman was walking along the ocean’s edge reading from a Kindle; and at the same time, I was in a beach chair checking my e-mail!

    The most common amenity request with our rental properties?  Internet connection.  Tenants don’t take vacations without their lap tops.

    Remember when it was unusual for a rental house to have more than 1 television set?  Now, flat screen sets with HD service are the norm.

    It can feel overwhelming to long time rental property owners- the pressure to keep up with the times.  Yet, like any other business, we  must evolve to survive.