One Flew Over the Boardwalk
One morning recently I was sitting on the boardwalk with my friends, all of us members of the 9:59 Club.1 It was 7:15 and the sun had risen at 6:50. It was a beautiful, nearly cloudless day. And, since it was now the off-season, the boards weren’t as crowded as they had been a few weeks ago.
The 9:59 Club members always sit in the same place – on the benches near the Bethany Beach boardwalk clock. We greet nearly everyone with a “good morning” or “nice day”, hoping to be goodwill ambassadors for Bethany Beach. And, because we show up on the Bethany Beach Web cams, folks from around the country will stop and say hello. It’s nice.
There’s a lot to see on the boards. Of course, there are the pretty girls and regardless of our age (ranging from 67 to 85) the Club isn’t dead yet, so the girls are always an attraction.
But there are people and things on the boards that the casual observer or tourist might miss. Like Birdie who works at the café and has a laugh you won’t forget or the cactus at Campbell Avenue that blooms each year. Or our local and lovable curmudgeon Dean who strolls the town looking for spare change but also to occupy himself.
Being that this is the beach there’s an abundance of wildlife to watch: foxes digging in the sand for the little sand crabs (locally referred to as “sand fleas”), the acrobatics of purple martins catching springtime insects and, of course, seagulls of every type. The seagulls here are refined – they graciously take what you offer them, not like their scoundrel cousins up north in Wildwood, NJ who swoop down and steal your curly fries right out of the cup. I think our gulls’ manners are due to the southern charm of Sussex County.
On this morning I happened to look out over the ocean and saw two large dark-colored birds circling each other. Once in a while they’d fly toward each other and joust in a playful way. Soon, two more large birds joined them and now there were four birds in airborne frolic.
I pointed out the birds to the 9:59 crew and, as always happens with old men with strong personalities and diverse backgrounds, got many different guesses of their species.
“They’re buzzards.” No, they weren’t turkey vultures because buzzards never fly over the ocean.
“They’re osprey.” Nope, the shape of their wings is wrong.
“They’re the big seagulls.” No, these birds aren’t osprey or giant gulls.
I thought I knew and my hunch was proven correct as I looked up. There was an adult bald eagle circling overhead and it was slowly heading toward the other birds. They were juvenile eagles whose white head and tail feathers had not yet grown in. Turns out it takes four or five years for an eagle’s head and tail to turn white. Papa or Mama eagle was on a training mission to school the kids.
Eventually they all drifted off into the distance to practice fishing or whatever it is that bald eagles do.
All in a day on the boardwalk.
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Now that recreational pot is legal and in regular use in many parts of the country, while on the road we have to watch out for impaired users. But this is taking it to an extreme….
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The 9:59 Club was formed many years ago. Anyone can be a member (except yukky girls!); you just have to hang around and tolerate a bunch of old guys. Since Bethany Beach begins charging to park at 10 AM in season we’re sure to vacate the municipal lot by 9:59. Hence the name.