Sea Level Changes
Then....
This history photo comes from a photo collection given by the previous owner to the current owners. Nothing unusual in that except more than a few things have changed. We often ask folks for old photos not just because we like to see pictures of their flowers, their cottages or events on the beach. Then we announce that we are really looking for what might be in the picture behind the primary subject....perhaps cottages which are no longer there or street scenes which have dramatically changed. In this case, there have definitely been changes to this grand old cottage at the corner of Ocean and Bayview. The wrap-around porch has been transformed into living space, the front and side steps are gone, and the back yard barn has been incorporated into the main house as a garage and new kitchen area. And perhaps the greatest benefit to those of us who don't happen to live on the waterfront is that the owners have permitted us to install a web cam on the side of that 2nd floor balcony.
But we share this photo not so much as for cottage history but for beach history. So ignore the background for a second and check out the foreground of this 1958 photograph. Many older folks continue to say that the beach hasn't changed that much. But as a teenager, I could stand on the beach and look down onto Bayview Avenue. Before I reached my teens, we used to have life boats positioned on the beach 24 hours a day for possible rescue needs. No longer the case!!
Now....
Picture taken 3/11/16
These days, we have a massive stone sea wall as we walk down the concrete steps to the beach. The smaller stones at the base are left over elements of previous seawalls. Sometimes, by early summer, they can become covered with sand. Things indeed have changed.
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