Coming of age not five miles from Jones Beach definitely had its benefits. It was different then, with a host of activities for kids of all ages. Obviously there was the ocean, which meant you had to learn how to swim before you could play. So, learn we did. As it turned out my dad, though originally a city boy, had developed some excellent swimming skills. Those skills combined with his talent and patients made him quite an effective teacher. Aside from the ocean, there was an extensive playground with rings, monkey bars strap swings, high bars etc. We’d bring a guitar and try some of our favorite songs. Now back then it only cost 15-20 cents for a bus ride down. And as the day passed invariably you’d bump into a friend or two with whom you could get a ride home. As we all got our drivers’ licenses, we would be more than happy to return the favor. As you can see this was one of our many means of social networking. When I think back over my youth, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the youth of today. Fore they don’t have the rich social network of say 45+ years ago. Materialistically they are far richer than most of us were, but in other ways they might as well be “dirt poor”.  Another thing, one can not spend the amount of time in the sun now like we did then. They say that can be chalked up to the depth of the ozone layer. Then we used suntan oil, while today we use SPF#-whatever suits our particular needs. I’ve a lot of fond memories from back then. We may not have been able to fly to some exotic vacation spot, but we could all jump in the station wagon and head down to Jones Beach.