Thursday, August 10, 2000 Older Editions

Cold comfort

By Rebecca Piro

Maybe the calendar is off. Maybe the thermometer's just broken. Whatever the reason, summertime temperatures have been less than sizzling, cold enough until this week to make people trade in their T-shirts for sweatshirts.

It was one of the coldest -- not to mention wettest -- Julys since 1920, according to statistics at the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

Circular reasoning -- Despite a much cooler summer than usual, Pomps Pond beach-goers such as Lizabeth Scoble (left) and Madeleine Tucker are trying to put the best spin on things.

But, despite the weather, many residents have been determined not to let the lazy days of summer slip away.

Even in the rain, a steady number of Andover residents are still lining up at the beaches and ice-cream stands.

"The kids just don't really notice it," said Sheila Tucker of Abbot Street, mother of Anne, 10, and Madeleine, 7. "Last week when we went to Maine, it was pouring rain, and the kids were out on the beach looking for sand dollars for hours. They were oblivious (to the weather)," she said.

The same was true last Thursday afternoon at Pomps Pond, where thunder rumbled and skies were gray. Kids, shivering with blue lips, climbed up the sandy bank to grab beach towels and huddle just long enough to shake off the goosebumps. Then, they headed right back into the water.

"People will still come down when it's raining," said lifeguard Katya Yerozolimsky. But if it is "really ridiculous rain" the pond will close for the day, turning away even the most determined swimmers, she said.

From a lifeguard's perspective, every gray cloud above Pomps has a silver lining for a special reason. "It's nice when it's a cold day, because not so many people come," said Yerozolimsky, who still gets paid the same, rain or shine.

Young swimmers like Jessica Torres, 7, of Southridge Circle, take a logical approach to combatting the chilly air at the water's edge.

"(The rain) makes the water a lot warmer, because you've already been rained on," she explained patiently.

The gloomy weather hasn't truly rained on the parade of local ice cream stops either, said Ken Sawaya, owner of Gina Marie's Homemade Ice Cream stand on Andover Street. Though it looks like the lines at the windows have been shorter since the chilly temps set in, sales have been up 17 percent this summer, he said.

"People still go out. They are still eating ice cream. The numbers don't lie," he said.

It could be that Gina Marie's is well-equipped to handle the wet weather. Tables with umbrellas are scattered outside the building, and there is indoor seating for those not wanting to take their chances with the rain. Then, there is always take-out.

"If it is bad weather, people usually pick it up and take it home," said Katie Buckley, 17, a server at Gina Marie's. Katie and the other employees usually grab bites of their favorite flavors in between customers. But during the colder weeks, the pace is slower.

"We have a lot more time to sit around and eat ice cream," said Tamsin Tyler, 17. "When it is raining, there is nothing else to do."

When Kathleen O'Brien, of Highland Road, took her family on a vacation to Cape Cod last month, the entire brood was disappointed by the measly three beach days they salvaged out of the entire two-week span. But the wet weather didn't stop them from having a good time, O'Brien said.

"We kayaked, we played golf, we took bike rides. We still managed to do those things," she said. "The weather was so bad that we just had to laugh."

The real challenge to rained-out vacations is just keeping the kids entertained, said O'Brien, who is mother of Matthew, 8, and Kate, 5.

"It's more work coming up with ideas of things to do," she said. But the family has hopes for a warm summer yet.

"We need to go back to the Cape just to redeem ourselves," O'Brien said. And the sooner, the better, she added.

"It's going to be winter too soon."