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Lasting Impressions

I remember the Caravelle of the 70"s.  I was 14 years old.  My first job was at the beach in front of the Caravelle.  I worked for Ladd's beach service.  I was the "beach monkey" who set up the umbrellas and chairs.

I would arrive at the beach just before the sun started to show itself on the horizon.  I  poked holes into the sand with an iron bar, careful to keep them in a straight line.  I then dropped the umbrellas into the holes.  Then set 2 chairs at each umbrella.   It was a beautiful site when I walked to the water's edge and looked back.  A row of blue umbrellas, 10 to 20 on each side of the life Gard's stand with the 3 story Caravelle in the background.

I remember the little hut where near the shuffle board court where Tish was making burgers and sandwiches.  I always got free drinks and discounted hot sandwiches for lunch.  I would often take a break from the stand to go hang out at the hut and sometimes to take a cool dip in the pool.

I was friends with the hotel staff.  Monroe was the head bellman.  Mr. Kennedy kept things working around the property.  He did it all, from fixing broken furniture to plumbing and electrical repair.

In the evenings after putting the chairs, umbrellas, and canvas floats away for the night, I would go up to the game room and hang out with the kids who were staying at the hotel. Many of them I would see again in the following years when they would vacation at the hotel.

In the winter the beach was desolate, the roads were empty, but the pool at the Caravelle was open.  It was one of the few enclosed pools on the strand at that time.  being friends with the staff allowed me to "crash" the pool anytime I wanted. It was wet and warm, I loved it.

I have since moved from the beach, but it is still entrenched in my memory.  The beach, the girls, the food, the friendships are locked in my heart.  Though the Caravelle has been through a lot changes since the summers of  the '70's.  the pool is still there cover and all, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves, and the screeching of hungry gulls brings me back to my childhood.

I have introduced a new generation to the beach and the Caravelle. My family and  I have stayed at the Caravelle many times,  usually in late spring, early fall.  I love to stay on the first 3 floors ocean front,  on the south side, in the "old part" It just feels like I am home again.

I grew up at the beach and the Caravelle.  I miss them.  Thanks for the memories.