A Dead Tradition

I know that I am not the only kid that couldn't wait for warm summer nights where you would climb into your jammies and then jump into the family car and head off to the drive inn movie theater.  This summer event was a big part of my younger years.

When I started having kids it turned into the perfect way for us to go to the movies as a family.  The little ones could move around and eventually fall asleep while my husband and I could cuddle up on a blanket.  The price couldn't be better either.  Two movies for one price.

Going to the drive in movies has been a tradition in my life for as long as I can remember but now I fear it has come to an end.

I was shocked to learn upon moving to the Eastern Shore that there are no longer any operating drive in movie theaters.  According to Drive-Ins.com There were at one time 9 theaters on the Eastern Shore.  Sadly they are all closed now.

The other day while driving on Rt 50 East I came across the sad remains of one.

According to Drive-ins.com this was the location of  "Shore Drive-In".  This theater had room for 500 cars and was in operation from 1954 to 1976.  It was located just 3 miles outside of Ocean City.

As you can see, the land is for sale.  I wish that someone like me who loves the romance behind the drive in theater will buy this land and bring the theater back.  I know it is a long shot.  More likely then not a large shopping plaza or a housing complex will be built there and that makes me sad.  All the young people who will not be able to experience the magic of a warm summers night under the stars watching the latest movie. Or the young couple cuddling up in the front seat of the car.

I will miss this tradition in my life and can only hope that some day the drive inn movies will come back to the Eastern Shore.

I would love to hear about your memories of the drive in theater and if you would like to see if there is a drive in theater near you, drive-ins.com has a listing by zip code or by state.

It's a Shore thing

So I just came across this video this morning and thought I would share.  Kinda of corny but I hope you enjoy it!

Now you just can't wait for that summer vacation can you?

~Just Me

Ocean City Jetty Tower

This past September, Hurricane Irene plowed through Ocean City Maryland.   OC was lucky and did not sustain too much damage but the one thing that was destroyed was finally replaced yesterday.

The tower at the inlet needed to be replaced.  To steal a quote: officials say its a critical aid for navigation. "To advertise to our mariners and give them the best system for them to safely navigate in and out of Ocean City, that's why we need to go ahead and put it back up on this jetty," said Aric Deuel, Officer In Charge for the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Team.

The most efficient way to do this replacement was with the Coast Guard bringing in the new tower by helicopter.  I of course wanted to see it happen, so I jumped into my car and headed off to the inlet parking lot to wait and watch for it to happen.

I was not alone.  Seems that the shore birds were enjoy the pre-show just as much as I was.

of course there were some of the birds who only showed up for the buffet.

Oh and there were people there too waiting for the show to start.

As the crow gull flies, the airport is very close and I was able to watch the helicopter land there and then rise up with the tower.  Unfortunately my zoom lenses are not that great and all my camera picked up was a black dot.

As the helicopter came closer you could see just how large both the helicopter was and the length of the tower is was delivering.

I will tell you, there is no way I would have wanted to be either the pilot of that helicopter or the ground crew.  The pilot had to maneuver the helicopter over the site and lower the tower perfectly to were the ground crew was waiting to anchor it onto the jetty.

The winds were steady and with the down draft the helicopter was putting out the ground crew was not having an easy time of it.

After MANY tries, they finally got it to work and got the tower installed.

Here is a "borrowed" web cam photo of the finished tower

I can tell you that I will never look at the tower and not think about how dangerous it was to get it there.


~Just Me

FISHER'S POPCORN

It is next to impossible to walk the boards in Ocean City Maryland with out smelling the amazingly delicious smells coming from Fisher's Popcorn.  The store is right at the corner of Talbot and the board walk.  This is the same place they have been since 1937.


For more information, please click here FISHER'S POPCORN


As I am writing about this Ocean City landmark, I am finishing off the last of the caramel popcorn that I picked up from their store on Christmas Eve.

The funny thing is that I don't normally eat popcorn.  Even when I go to the movies I don't buy it.  There is something special about Fisher's popcorn that I love and can't resist.


They have 4 different kinds of popcorn: Caramel, Caramel with peanuts. White Cheddar, and Buttered.  I am torn between the Caramel and the White Cheddar as being my favorite.


They are open on the weekends all winter long so you can always get your popcorn fix right at the store or visit the web site and they will ship anywhere in the US.  I order a holiday tin of Caramel popcorn for my grandparents every year for Christmas.  They do have tins for birthdays, valentine's day, just to say thank you and summer scenes.  If you don't need a tin you can get your popcorn in a regular plastic tub like I pictured above.  


I will tell you that I am amazed how long it stays fresh tasting in the tubs or tins.  I opened this tub on Christmas day and just finished it this morning and it was just as fresh as when I first opened it.


So now that you have that craving for popcorn, jump in your car and come visit their store or visit their web site Fisher's Popcorn and start enjoying the worlds best popcorn.


~Just Me

THE CENTRE AT SALISBURY

So the kids talked me into taking a trip to the mall ... "THE CENTRE at SALISBURY" today so that they could spend their Christmas money.  This was only our second time here and I have to say it is a very nice place to shop.  To learn more please click here - The Centre at Salisbury

The one thing that I am really loving is all the great shopping there is around here.  Coming from Schuylkill County Pennsylvania were there was almost no shopping at all, I am a bit overwhelmed but loving it just the same.

Our first stop, since it was lunch time when we arrived, was the food court.  I love food courts!  With 4 kids that each have very different tastes, the food court is always a good choice since everyone gets what they want.

There are plenty of tables and chairs.  Most tables are set up for a party of 4 but there are several set up for 6 and 8 people.  Today we ate from Shoyu Japan, McDonalds and Subway. For dessert we visited Mrs. Fields for chocolate chip cookies, frozen yogurt and pretzel bites.

After we were done eating the boys wanted to play and jumped onto the mini carousel in the food court.



Only 3 little horses but they do go up and down.  The thing that shocked me was the ride only lasted maybe 90 seconds but cost $1.00!  I remember riding these outside of the grocery store when I was a kid and never put more then a quarter in and that ride seemed to go on forever.

............by the way, I know this picutre is sideways, but for the life of me I can't figure how to turn it around.  It is the right way on my computer.  Anyone know the trick??

We walked the entire mall, which for me with my back pain was a feat.  One thing I have issue with is their lack of benches.  I found only two in the entire mall.  Is it just me or did malls use to have benches every so many stores way back when? 

The kids had a blast visiting all the "cool clothing stores", and the boys were amazed with the mall directory ..

We did a lot of window shopping at Aeropostale, Hollister Co., Spencer's (which I found out quickly is NOT little kid friendly!) and their favorite store, GameStop.  This last store is where we made our only purchase.

My review, The Centre at Salisbury is a great place to shop.  MANY different stores to suit everyone in the family.  The even have a cobler!  A real cobler.  We will be coming back as I really liked how clean, bright and friendly this mall was! Just wish they would get a few dozen more benches :)

~Just Me.

PENGUIN SWIM - OC Maryland 2012

Today was the 18th annual PENGUIN SWIM in Ocean City Maryland.  This fund raising event is held every year rain, shine, snow or whatever else mother nature throws our way.

The event raises money for the not for profit Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin Maryland.  You can view more information by visiting this link  PENGUIN SWIM . Celebrate New Year's Day by "Getting wet for a good cause." Everyone looks forward to this annual dip into the chilly Atlantic Ocean to benefit local hospital Atlantic General. Registration at 11:30 a.m.; swim at 1 p.m. Incentive prizes begin with $25 donation at registration.

It is held at 91st street and the ocean in front of the Princess Royale Hotel.  They even open their hot tubs and indoor swimming pools to the "penguins" after their ocean dip. 

Even though I am not brave enough to jump into the surf, it is a lot of fun to go and people watch. 

We saw Elvis -

and Superman -

Fireman guy -

A beer bottle guy -



and an angry bull guy -



Of course there were a lot of regular "people" there too.

My youngest boys just enjoyed the chance to play in the sand and build the first sand castles of the new year.

It was a lot of fun for everyone and it is something that will become a yearly tradition in this family!