Inquirer Staff Photo by Michael Wirtz
See, the ocean was just toying with us, what with throwing that frigid water out through July, coughing up a little medical waste in August, stubborn land breezes keeping things a little tense. But then, on Labor Day weekend, things were, well, rather lovely. Saturday maybe a little humid, but Sunday and Monday, a nice ocean breeze kicked up, the ocean was warm, the waves were kicking, the tide was low, perfect for contemplating the implications of Bristol and Sarah Palin's pregnancies as you dozed in a chair. People seemed ready for the season to end, shortened as it was by the calendar. I noticed a lot of multigenerational families this year, posing for a last season group pictures. Grandparents really are the heroes of the shore, aren't they? They were in the surf all summer chasing after the little ones, stocking the fridge, setting up the big shade canopy, letting their their kids hang back for a little reading or digging the big holes. There's a lot of love splashing all over those sands. The crowd at the beach also seemed a little less homogenous this summer, a little bit more like real life, gathering in from all over. As it should be.