In Search Of Winter

I’m not looking to get into any global warming dialogue and I’ll probably just sound like another old-timer but I am wondering what has happened to winter. Maybe this is the wrong day to ask that question since we’ve been in a fairly cold period and snow is in the forecast. However we are in late January, have had no snow to speak of and not too many mornings in which you had to scrape your windshield. I’m also not saying winter is over because February can certainly feel like the longest month of the year.

It’s just that I remember things which you don’t see anymore. What ever happened to ice skating on Lake Carasaljo in Lakewood? You would drive by on Route 9 and see the area filled with people of all ages. When I was a teen-ager they used to fill the playground in Seaside Heights with water and it would freeze for a good part of the winter and kids would skate all the time. By the way I only tried skating once and my ankles were touching the ice the entire time…I knew it wasn’t for me.

How about sledding? Well you can’t do that without snow and we just don’t get much of it anymore. Was it that long ago when every kid had a sled, toboggan or saucer of some kind and couldn’t wait to use it? We had a hill in Seaside Heights that would be covered with sleds as soon as there was enough snow and later we would travel to the Toms River Country Club
or Ocean County College for more challenging sledding. Gloves and hats were mandatory but boots were not a necessity….you could just put plastic bags over your sneakers. A snow day from school or a weekend gave you plenty of time to go sledding…after you shoveled your own house and maybe those of neighbors for a few bucks.

Again I know I’m sounding like this was in the old days but in truth it was only some 30 years ago. These months were supposed to be cold, snowy and icy and they were. While I’m not looking for a return to that time maybe we could use an appearance by Old Man Winter…even if it’s only from time to time.