Comments on the new Byways page, #10

This year our six year old Granddaughter and I caught the closing night of the Onancock carnival. So you’ll see her in the pictures. She is the tiny, joyful face looking over the side of the whirly ride (sorry the photo is so grainy, but I really had to blow it up large to be seen - she’s so small). For the record, Grammy does NOT do the ‘ride’ thing. Also for the record, that did not slow our granddaughter down for the first little minute! I watched her ride everything - alone! She was absolutely fearless!

We had a great time. It’s a shame that this is one of the rites of summer that is disappearing across the land. It’s an opportunity for kids and adults to hang out together and have a good time. Affordable times like this are hard to come by these days. Here on the Shore we’re still the lucky ones. And it’s a ‘one size fits all’ sort of thing. Everybody turns out, the very youngest and the very oldest, the handicapped are welcome and biker guys drop by and have a good time. And we fund the volunteer fire companies at the same time. In several of the pictures you will see those same firemen keeping watch over things at the park. They really look out for the kids. And there’s another plus. From time to time one sees traveling carnivals set up in shopping centers and similar places. And the kids always want to go. Well, having walked though some of these with our children, I can tell you - they’re not always safe. And please know that the art of the flimflam is alive and well. At our fireman’s carnivals - no worries. These dedicated folks are our neighbors, friends and families.

Shore carnivals feature the usual games of chance, cake walks, pitching quarters, spinning the wheel and like that. There’s always Bingo. Ferris Wheels and Tilt a Whirls of various sizes and styles light up the night. Usually there’s a local band to hear. And FOOD!! Sure, there’s the usual hotdogs, pizza and cotton candy. But this is the Shore - We also have homemade ice cream, sometimes clam fritters and oyster sandwiches. HEY, we do food right.

Now, I can’t stand it any longer. I’ve been good for too long. I’m going to break bad for just a minute. I’ve left it for last so you can leave now and not miss anything and not be offended. I heard someone say the other day that we simply had to start being accommodating to all the people who were moving to the Shore. There just weren’t enough things for them to do like they had where they came from. Give me a break! We go to carnivals, we play baseball, we go
crabbing, we go fishing, we walk in the woods and on the shore and the marsh, we bike with our families, we garden, we play with our kids, we watch TV, we go to the movies (yes, movies are still affordable enough for families to go together here). WHAT? There aren’t enough golf courses, wine tasting parties and fancy dress balls here to suit ‘em or huge shopping malls to hang out and spend money in? I’m so sorry. I’ll bet there were plenty of these where they came from. They can always go back there. We still have simple things here. And it would seem that one can’t always have both styles. There are plenty of places they can get what they want for entertainment and there are very few places left for folks like us. I see three choices here, go home, blend in or get over it. A while back I would have seen a fourth choice, share. We are perfectly willing to share reasonably. That doesn't seem to be working.

For those of you who appreciate the simple things in life, enjoy the pictures.