Belmar's Boardwalk

Today was history in the making in Belmar!

Oliver and I bundled up and headed out to the 4th Ave. beach to witness the first of the supporting beams as it was driven into the sandy ground. 

Had to take these pics, as I thought it was very cool. Each one of Belmar's ocean-front blocks has been barricaded off for some time now... But the boro has made good use of out them. It appears as though local artists have turned them into masterpieces! Below are two that I was able to photograph through my car window.

 

 You can see how enormous the machines are when Oliver stands next to them.
Below, some of the beautiful lamp posts that will surely be put back into place.

It was odd to be in this area-- the space where we've enjoyed seafood festivals, weddings, and, quite simply, grass; it is now a dirt-covered construction zone.

 So here's the post. About as tall as a telephone pole, and just about as thick. Definitely a supporting beam. You can see, if you look veeeery closely, that they've written the date and some names (in chalk?) on the bottom part.

 Guess who wanted to sit on my shoulders during the press-conference? Dude, this kid is pushing 36 pounds, you know... Uggh... Good thing momma lifts weights ;)

So here we have Belmar's young mayor... seems like a nice, smart, devoted guy.

Below, you have Congressman Chris Smith (also a well-spoken guy).

 Frank Pallone...

 And the big man, Chris Christie. Always exciting to listen to him, as he is quite the Jersey guy.
(He mentioned that he's going to be on the cover of Time magazine... look for that... apparently, they refer to him as the Boss... a title he was leery of, as he noted he's juuust started making good strides with Springsteen ;) Read more about what he said regarding Belmar here.

 And then they took questions for like, twenty minutes.
And then it got colder.
And then my four year old was like "Momma! When is he gonna push the button? When will they put the wooden pole in the sand?"
We decided to move closer to the pole so that we could get a better look.
One gentleman that we stood next to (a Belmar local) gave Oliver TWO gold dollar coins. He said that they had both survived the storm in his home (they were quite worn looking). Sweet man noted that Ollie had a brother, and didn't want to leave him out.
These will be special mementos, for sure. For shore!

Waiting for them to push the button.

Still waiting.
Here he comes.

 And then it was like: bam! Button pushed!

 It was loud, but not crazy-loud. The neat thing was that the ground shook!

 Can you tell that the pole is getting deeper and deeper into the sand? Shorter and shorter?

Lots of press around. You can actually see me (green jacket, left side) in the beginning of this news clip here.

Buddy was happy about that.

 And then it stopped.

 On our walk back to the car, we decided to stomp on the sand.

 Some beautiful track-marks right there.
Soon to be covered by a new boardwalk.
A boardwalk where, at Tenth Avenue, you'll be able to see Trenton & Oliver's name!
A boardwalk where both boys will ride their bikes this summer... run around on the surface while chasing each other in the sunshine... play underneath, like the big-kids do... and, eventually, pick up hot chicks ;)

 We love you, Belmar.
We love you, Jersey Shore.
Can't wait to see what you become!
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A favorite Belmar memory (approx. 5/07):