Ocean Bay Park

Barbara Gaby Placilla ~ Did you know that July 24, the date of this issue of the Fire Island News, is also International Self Care Day? Neither did I until I Googled July 24, 2019, in search of inspiration. It’s hard to believe that only a year has passed since then. Time takes on a different dimension during a pandemic. Looking back to July 24, 2019, there were so many events and so much activity in Ocean Bay Park to report on. This year, not so much, as most people are definitely staying close to home and within their trusted circle of friends and family.We are all adapting as best we can to the new normal, the summer meeting of the Ocean Bay Park Association was once again “Zoomed.” Reports and updates regarding the completed FIMI project and the planting of dune grass to occur this fall were given. This year, due to COVID-19, we will not be able to have a traditional Community Fair at Schooner’s. Along with my co-chairs, Dawn Cloutier and Lisa Jaffe, we have developed a new, multi-phased fund raising approach. The first phase, OBP tote bags, has been very successful. We still have some available; details on how to get one are on the OBPA website. On Aug. 15, at the community bay beach park, we will still have the annual raffle and 50-50 and a much scaled down “grab and go” gourmet food offering. More details will follow.The more things change the more they stay the same. So Tastee has changed hands and is now called Dino’s on the Bay. What hasn’t changed is that the MOMs still meet there every morning seven days a week. Go to any small town in America and you will always find a group of a certain age who meet each morning for breakfast to discuss and solve the problems of the world. Oh did I mention the MOMs, or Meeting of the Minds as we have nicknamed them, are all MEN?I’ve noticed that families are flocking to OBP – day trippers, weekly renters and of course guests. My niece, Christine Paul, along with her husband, Mike, and their children, Christian and Julia, came for their annual visit albeit a month early. And for the third year in a row Mike lost a pair of sunglasses in the ocean. Pat and Mike Supple hosted her niece, Bernadette McCulloch Kelly, and her three children, Thomas, Rowan and John. Steven and Lisa Jaffe were visited by his sister, Moira, along with husband, Steve, and son, Jack. Jeff and Janet Lewis with their entire clan were spotted on the beach. Ralph and Elise Pleasec stayed with KK, Kenny Klein and DD, Diane Sweeney, and while they are not relatives they are family. Just goes to show that even though COVID has wreaked havoc, the comfort of family and friends still remains.In the spirit of International Self Care Day look out for yourself, your family, and your friends – and wear a mask.