We were kind of shocked by the size of the crowd at the Shamrock when we arrived at 9:00 pm last night. We were lucky to get seats at the bar. Billy Jack wasn’t expecting us, as we had never been there for New Years Eve in our 12 years in Wildwood. The place looked great, with Christmas lights, balloons, party favors and a crowd ready to party. They even had a free buffet – meatballs, crab balls, Chicken Marsala, pasta and deserts. I got my money’s worth.
Billy Jack fed off the crowd immediately and had everyone singing along. He prods people to get involved. There was one Mexican guy sitting across the bar and when Billy Jack saw he wasn’t banging the bar as instructed, he told him he was in America now and he needed to listen. I cracked up. Billy Jack drops F bombs all night long during his performance. We had such a good time, Avalon was even able to get me out on the dance floor – unheard of on a normal night. Billy Jack knows all of her favorite songs and dutifully plays them for her. Here’s her favorite.
With us selling the condo in three weeks, this will be our last time in Wildwood, unless we rent from someone else. We’ve had a lot of good memories and funny stories, including my Dumbass Fat Cat, Crazy Lady, and Section 8 at the Beach story. We’ve seen it all at the Shamrock – wedding proposals on stage, wedding parties after their wedding, girls falling backwards off their bar stool, Avalon arranging a marriage between a monster truck guy and a nice girl, swingers trying to get Avalon to swing, Avalon berating a Wall Street banker, partying with bikers, and numerous other drunken anecdotes.
Who knows what the future brings, this may have been our final farewell to the Shamrock. Thanks for the memories Billy Jack.
Hope you had a blast. Life moves on.
“You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name. “
New Years Eve would be different but I’ve noticed bars are not as ‘social’ as they were. I blame cell phones. You can go in them now and instead of people playing dice for drinks, laughing or arguing, they’ve got their faces looking down at their cell phone screens or talking on the phone with someone instead of the person sitting on the next stool.
unit472 – You get the brass ring. Everywhere I go where there are humans gathered most are in their own little world fiddling with their I gizmo completely oblivious to others.
Eating and drinking is never a good idea. The buzz chases the food and you just end up drinking more but feeling less.
If you’re going to sell before the market has a breakdown I think you’re just about on time. I’m working for a RE appraiser and I’m having a hard time justifying (with comparable sales) the prices I’m seeing under contract right now.
The upper bracket’s going to get hit by reduced or eliminated deductibility of property taxes and mortgage interest. Anyone hit by AMT in recent years has already had the deductibility of those pared back, but many haven’t realized it.
I forgot how gorgeous “Avalon” is.
You be one lucky bastard, Jimbo.
Me, not so much.
Real Rock at the Shamrock.
There are too few places like that.
Great story and super selfie at the end, and I am a guy who hates selfies. Save your photos. Avalon, I hope you are taking lots of photos. You have a photographer’s eye.
And, you two can always go back to Shamrock. Renting is cheaper and relatively care free compared to owning when you are not a year-round resident.
2018, here we come.
Thanks. But you would think if I had such a good eye I would have picked a hubby that would have aged better than ol’ Jimbo.
At least he still has his hair. Unfortunately it migrated from his head to his back. Sigh.
As soon as Avalon told me she had been doppled I immediately said it was Llpoh. I can read him like an old injun book.
He’s on fire the last few days with his commenting. Must be that viagra he’s been taking.
Did you make or lose money on the condo?
Lost a shitload. Bought in 2005 at the top of the market.
So you also got 12 years of vacation/R&R time…perhaps you did not lose so much.
We rented it out the entire summer. I had to pay to rent a week, since I have a partner. At least I’ll have a huge tax writeoff in 2018.
Sorry to hear that Jim. The stories you told are priceless.
I wish I had a crystal ball. I want to purchase a 2nd place in Beaufort SC that will become my retirement home.
WIP, my brother bought a rental house in Beaufort SC but sold it after the renters stole the furniture, TV, and some appliances. And that was with a company taking care of the renting of the place.
🙂
You gotta admit, though, those two were funny.
JQ, that link from 2011 was a great, funny read. Those older posts you and others occasionally add to a current post, are for me, a crumb trail back to the earlier stories plus the comments.
I hope those select, rare blasts from the past keep reappearing. I see you have some archived links to the right side of the page, but treasured memories from the ones that get re-posted are always good starting points. Thx for the peek into that one. Loved it.
Glad you and Avalon had some memorable experiences. I think your timing to sell is optimal, best wishes for a smooth closing.
My New Year’s resolution was to finally leave a comment on one of my favorite sites of 2017. Seeing a photo of Admin himself was all the inspiration I needed.
You’re wife is hotter than mine but I don’t have back hair so, win for me… I think.
Thanks for TBP… I’ll try to be a productive poster in the future… or at least as much as my IQ will allow.
Life chapter endings are often bittersweet, especially when many happy memories are involved. I’m glad your last night at Shamrock was perfection.
Happy New Year, everyone.
I vacillate between two poles. Which do I want more, a condo in Wildwood NJ or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?
I think of my father when I read your Wildwood stories. He summered there and wintered in Clearwater.
Times are certainly changing. My Wildwood Condo is now up too. It’s time. We likely crossed paths many times. From ’79 to ’83 I practically lived at the Shamrock and the London Ale House. Born and raised in SW Philly, so I’m quite familiar, firsthand, with your observations on my old haunts. Like you, I bought my condo in 2006 and just about breaking even, if I’m lucky. Being almost in the Crest, I may have a chance. Be well and good luck.