SHORE THING: Just Another Walk on the Beach

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 7, 2012

We walk on the beach most every day — after all, that’s why we came here. Rarely, however, do I carry my camera. I don’t even wear shoes — why would I want to be bogged down with a camera?

But the other evening at low tide seemed a great opportunity to snap a picture of the WADS.

What? You know — WADS — Wave Attenuating Devices.

Whoever came up with that acronym had to have served in the military.

On the way to  the WADS, we passed a human interest story playing out — a dog riding a boogie board.

Human interest? Or dog interest?

The doggie’s expression says worlds: “I hope you realize I’m not doing this for myself — it’s all just to please you. I will do anything for you, because you feed me.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Before we took another step, here came the flying boat. Everyone who lives in Cape Charles knows about it, so it’s not news, but still — when a flying boat soars past, you look at it. If you have a camera, you take pictures.

And then, over to the WADS behind Seabreeze Apartments. I’m not sure what to make of them. Clearly they’re necessary, if there’s to be any land remaining behind Seabreeze. And they’re supposed to work better than the stone breakwaters. Town Planner Tom Bonadeo says the WADS can gather sand on their own, and act more like a living shoreline than the solid rocks.

OK, but it’s just that they look so — well, modern. Reminds me of the Transamerica building in San Francisco.

Here’s a picture of the Transamerica building. Don’t you think that if the WADS were stacked vertically, we could have our own Transamerica building right here off the Cape Charles beach? Not full scale, of course — more like the Las Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower.

In fact, a small-scale Eiffel Tower in the Bay might go over better than Transamerica in the Bay anyway.

Here’s the Las Vegas Eiffel. What do you think?

Here’s what I think: If “traditional” and “historic” are all the buzzwords in Cape Charles, the WADS just don’t make it.

But what’s got the Town all a flutter? Not the WADS, but the plate glass balcony dividers on the new Hotel Cape Charles. The Town has denied the hotel a permanent occupancy permit. The Historic District Review Board will consider the issue September 18.

I assume that the Historic District doesn’t extend into the Historic Bay, so the Review Board can’t review the WADS.

SHORE THING is the opinion of the writer. It is an occasional feature of the Cape Charles Wave.