What had started out as a possibly iffy beach day turned into a beautiful one. It wasn't too warm, there was a good breeze off the water, and the skies blued up nicely.
Some observations:
- Having only two sets of public restrooms on the boardwalk, 18 blocks apart, invariably means that the happy-accident, "oh, wow, we're really close to the beach" parking spot will land you pretty much equidistant between the potties. Yay. Especially when you have small kids. A 2/3-mile hike to the bathroom when your five-year-old has to pee "really bad" is, well, really bad.
- I really need to learn semaphore. Or something. I was curious what the beach lifeguards were telling each other with their little orange flags.
- Even with reapplying my SPF-70 sunscreen, I still managed to get burned on my shoulders and face. One side of my nose is even redder than the other...because that's the side that was shielded from the sun by both the way I was sitting and the shade from the beach umbrella. Doesn't anyone make a sunscreen that's SPF Bulletproof?
- Standing or walking on the boardwalk is cooler than being in the two-holer ladies' room. (Seriously, folks. More stalls. And how the heck do you think you're going to effectively police the "no changing clothes in stalls" rule? That's what was going on in both when I entered the bathroom.)
- I must seriously reconsider my previous stance against wearing tankinis.
- Watching the lifeguard blow his whistle with obvious irritation (at the next guard down, it turned out), point hard, then jump down from his chair and take off down the beach in the opposite direction and at a good clip is both entertaining and concerning. (I heard no sirens, no beach patrol, nothing to indicate that it was a serious emergency.)
- Looking way out to sea and seeing a pod of dolphins frolicking along the surface is really cool.
- I hope the dolphins come back tomorrow and I can get better pictures.
So... the men's room is 2 - 3 miles in either direction, yes? But you're on the beach, so that suggests that you are in close proximity to a large body of water. How about taking the kids for a swim?
ReplyDeleteAs for the lifeguards, usually they blow their whistle and wave at people swimming into a rip, swimming out too far or doing something stupid in the water. If one takes off full speed he's either after a loose sawbuck or, more than likely, someone is in danger of sucking up too much water. Most times the lifeguard just pulls the person out and that's that. Other times some first aid might be needed, like for a bad cut or something. Usually EMS doesn't get called.
Now then. I looked up tankini and saw a racy lower married with a demure upper. What's the deal here? Why are you against wearing one?
Actually, about two-thirds of a mile one way and closer to a mile the other. The ocean is fine for some things (although my twin girls initially rebelled at the thought of peeing in the water; later, they got a huge kick out of telling Daddy they went pee-pee in the ocean...five-year-olds), but not others. And small kids aren't known for their ability to recognize certain bodily signals before they get to "BREACH OF CONTAINMENT IN FIVE SECONDS!"
ReplyDeleteSeems our lifeguard was gesticulating wildly at the next guard down the beach, who came loping over to cover our area while ours took off. Whatever action there was occurred far enough away that we didn't see what the adventure was.
And mommies who are getting really close to pushing 40 should take careful consideration of the distribution of their body fat before wearing a tankini...especially since most I've seen don't always meet well in the, er, middle. If that's yer problem area...well.... However, I happen to know that Land's End has some that would offer sufficient coverage. Next summer, perhaps.
Despite those 'little' observations that you got, I can tell that you had a wonderful day at the beach, Aunt J. We can always expect those tiny distractions but at the end of the day, it is the moments that you spend to the beach that really count.
ReplyDeleteDarius Cartmell
It was a wonderful trip. The girls are already about to plotz over summer vacation and possible beach-going...and it's only May.
ReplyDelete