April & May 2019

Take The Chill
Challenge!
Take an active role in demonstrating
that you care about Cape May by making
some energetic energy choices!
• Buy locally and invest in and use your own reusable grocery bags
• Invest in and use a reusable water bottle and coffee mug
• Use cloth towels instead of paper
• Conserve water in many ways – turn off completely when not in use
like when cleaning your teeth
• Cut your shower time and use cooler water
• Rinse and Recycle all that you can
• When you can, ride a bike or walk
• Be respectful of our trees
• Find local farmers markets and shop there – it’s fresh and fun
• Carry litter from the beach and use containers provided
• Dry towels and clothing on a clothes line when possible
• STOP idling your car
• Turn off lights when not in use/needed
• Use LED light bulbs and unplug electronics when not in use
• Grow your flower or vegetable garden with plants that attract bees
and butterflies, and require less water
• Tread lightly – explore local nature centers and trails
• Build responsibly – Support Green Energy!
ACT PERSONALLY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE
CAPE MAY COMMUNITY WE ALL LOVE!
Environmental Commission meets fourth Tuesday each month at
11am in City Hall. All are welcome. Get involved! THANK YOU!
“dump of The Point”... has so much courage. Has grown with love.
Has the soul of our family in every speck of sand hidden in the corners
of the outdoor shower. It has become us, and we are it.
And so today, as I stand on the deck of the lighthouse, I look
towards the future. The future is standing next to me. It’s her first
time, and I show her how to spot our house from up here, a child’s
rite of passage at this sacred place. She’s scared of being so high
at
first, but quickly finds her
bravery. She counts the steps all the way down. I know the number,
but I know hers will be different and she will get an even different
one next time. It’s my first time, too. My first time handing down
the traditions of my fathers to those who will carry the torch when
I am gone. My first time explaining the concrete ship and the World
War II tower. My first time finding Cape May Diamonds for excited
eyes. My first time showing little hands how to put on their beach
tag. It’s my first time, and I’m not ready for it to end.
I know that the future of this place, of your place, is uncertain.
I know that families age, that money is finite and that time is not
endless. I know
that every summer
in your shadow is
a blessing. I know
it could be the last
one soon. But even
with that, I want to
promise you something.
I want you
to know that the
bricks, the wood,
the mold and the
mildew of this little
temple are a part of
us now. That they
could disappear
tomorrow and they
would be alive in our
hearts. That what
Lauren Eadline and fiance Brad Corrigan
you have given us
has given this house immortality. And I promise to hand it down
another day, or another lifetime. I promise nothing will be forgotten.
I promise you that.
There’s not much more to say, I think. And not much more time:
the beach is next, with rollercoaster rides tonight. She can’t wait
to try my father’s favorite ice cream and my brother’s favorite funnel
cake. I can’t wait to show her the way my grandmother’s favorite
Ferris wheel overlooks the miles and miles of Wildwood beach
which has become such a part of our Eadline summers. We have
things to do, you see, so I should go. The face of our family would be
different. It wouldn’t be us. It wouldn’t be us without you and without
this place. So I guess I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you
for building our little empire in this little corner of the Jersey Shore.
Thank you for passing it down. Thank you for giving us stories to
tell. Thank you for standing next to me on that lighthouse, for guiding
my hand to Lake Lilly when I pointed her home.
Thank you, for Cape May Point.
exit zero 84 april-may