Hello Friends and Family,
Link to this year's index by clicking here.
Maryland, My Maryland, Part 4 |
One of my earliest memories of Ocean City is the pier. However, when I was a child (oh so many years ago), the pier was not as long — because the beach was not so wide. Later, they built jetties to capture sand which resulted in a wider beach — wide enough to lay down asphalt for a huge parking lot. Parking has long been at a premium on this sand bar of an island and that certainly helped. Of course, the increase in population came faster than parking expansion so it is still a problem. Sorry, back to the pier, after the beach grew, the pier had to be lengthened just so the far end would stretch out over the ocean. |
After my family moved to Florida during my high school years, it was a long time before I returned — only to discover that the access was now by paid admission only. It may be different now but since much was closed, we did not check it out. The other big change came with the building of the Jolly Roger Amusement Park on the beach side of the pier. Years ago, most of the rides were on the west side of the boardwalk — but now they are on both sides. |
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Next door is Boog's Bar-B-Q — which brings back more childhood memories. During my youth, living just outside Baltimore, my dad was a great fan of the Baltimore Orioles and that got me to like them as well. During their glory years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Boog Powell was the all-star first baseman for the team. Kids now will remember him as the guy who brought the "Bar-B-Que of Camden Yards" to Ocean City — I guess that is not a bad thing to be remembered for. However, I must confess that I have not yet sampled Boog's BBQ — one item still on my bucket list. |
To be continued...
Life is good.
Aloha,
B. David
P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com