An unusual day at the beach

The ocean was fabulous today--gentle breeze, no flies, warm water, and soft waves. You could just float over the waves without a boogie board and without the threat of being tossed around. The beach wasn't crowded (hasn't been the last few days), I assume it is because all the college kids are back at school and families are busy preparing for the school year, which makes it a very pleasant day on the beach for those fortunate to be there. 

Until...the commotion started a few feet in front of us. We were entertained by some trashy women who had a bunch of children and one man (who didn't say anything through the entire 20-minute ordeal) in their group. Great role model for the children she was not. 

The out-of-control situation over a beach badge (or should I say lack of one) got so out of hand that two police officers had to intervene. One woman was so disrespectful to the life guards, a 14-yr-old kid whose job was to ask for badges, and then the police officers who appeared later. All over a $5 badge that she insisted she had but couldn't show when the young kid asked to see it. She started screaming at the poor kid and not once was the kid rude to her. 

The police showed up and still she wouldn't display her badge. She kept screaming she was being harassed and she was going to file charges against everyone--the kid, life guards, and the officers. Which by the way, none of them ever raised their voices to her.

The two cops were so patient with the nut. All the while, she is complaining that she is being harassed and how unfair it is that she is being picked on because she lives here and why don't the badge checkers bother people who don't live in the town. Long story short she wasn't a resident; the police officer requested her license and guess what--she lives in Little Egg Harbor (where she should stay). If she did live in the town she would have had a seasonal badge and she would have known to attach it to a place where the young beach checkers could see it without having to ask.  

The woman with the big mouth was on the larger size and she had the nerve to keep referring to a young beach checker as the "fat girl." The crazy woman should look in the mirror.  

While the situation heated up, two of her friends tell the cops they were going to the bathroom and would be right back. The man in the group doesn't venture to get involved. While the women are in the restroom, miraculously 3 badges appear! Really..how stupid did they think the police officers were? The life guard didn't need to come and tell the officers that the women just purchased the badges.

Some people just should not be out in public. 

Needless to say, we had a wonderful day at the beach!  For the price of our seasonal badges, we were entertained along with enjoying a beautiful day. 

6 summer skin care slip-ups

Consumer Reports
Here’s how to goof-proof your sun protection routine

Published: May 30, 2015 06:00 AM

Good summer skin care mostly comes down to one thing: use sunscreen. It seems like an easy thing to do (except for covering your own back, of course), but many people are confused about the right way to protect their skin from the sun. Not using sunscreen correctly can leave you vulnerable to burning in the short term and wrinkles and skin cancer in the long term. Get summer skin care savvy by avoiding these common sunscreen slip-ups.


Slip-up 1: Applying it outdoors
EASY FIX. Rub in sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes or more before going outside, so that it has time to be fully absorbed into your skin. To limit staining, allow it to dry before putting on your clothing or swimsuit. Almost all of the sunscreens in our tests stained fabric.



Slip-up 2: Skimping
EASY FIX. To get the promised SPF, you need to apply sunscreen liberally, like the woman pictured is doing. Use a dollop of lotion the size of a golf ball for your entire body. If you aren’t baring that much skin, use a teaspoon per body part. Prefer a spray? Cover yourself twice and rub it in to make sure you didn’t miss a spot.



Slip-up 3: Lubing up just once
EASY FIX. Forty percent of people in a 2014 survey from the Consumer Reports' National Research Center said they never reapply sunscreen when they’re in the sun for much of the day. That’s a mistake. For full protection, reapply it every 2 hours (or after you get wet), no matter what SPF you use.



Slip-up 4: Going without it on cool, cloudy, or nonbeach days
EASY FIX. If you’re outside, you should be wearing sunscreen. After all, incidental UV exposure (like when you’re walking your dog) accounts for as much as 80 percent of your lifetime exposure. And that accumulation is linked to skin cancer and aging. UV radiation is invisible, so it doesn’t need to be warm or sunny to cause real damage. In fact, up to 80 percent of UV rays penetrate through clouds.



Slip-up 5: Thinking that sunscreen is all you need
EASY FIX. Sunscreen should be used as part of a complete sun protection regimen that also includes sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and clothing. Also try to stay out of the sun during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when you’re most likely to get burned.




Slip-up 6: Assuming that you can hang out in the sun all day
EASY FIX. Exceeding a sunscreen’s maximum protection time—it depends on your sun exposure and skin type—can lead to burning. So if you normally burn after 10 minutes without any protection and have been using an SPF 30 sunscreen for 5 hours, your best choice isn’t to reapply it but to cover up or seek some shade.


—Karyn Repinski