Going to the beach has been my favorite activity since I was a child. No , there are not many beaches in West Virginia, but my family once spent a week at Virginia Beach. We made all the mistakes tourists make and got hopelessly sunburned. My brother even had heat prostration and we had to call a doctor. I had my hair in braids, and the sun burnt little blisters all along the part line. I couldn't comb my hair for weeks! And , the 300 mile drive home in a car full of burnt people was like being trapped in a 4 x 4 prison cell!
Then , we moved to Florida when I was 16. My dad didn't have work yet, so our days were free.
We would get up at 7 a.m. and head for Pass-a-Grille beach, where once stately Australian pines offered a nice spot for sitting in the shade. It was bright, beautiful, and not too hot at that hour and we loved splashing in the waves . (One photo shows my son romping in the surf with his daughter)
On the way home, we would stop where they were selling watermelons 3 for $1 and get a big , bursting melon. We all learned how to "thump" them to choose just the juiciest, sweetest of all.
For breakfast, we had watermelon after hosing off the sand from our bodies. Spitting watermelon seeds was a great pastime!
While I was in junior college in St. Pete, we loved to sneak away and go to the "Surf Club" on St. Petersburg Beach. It was just as you see in the movies..young , oiled and tanned bodies all lying around on blankets, hoping to "make out". Young, virile men from McDill Air Force Base were everywhere and stirred up the blood of hormonal young women.
Our friends would plan beach parties at night. Back then we were allowed to make a fire.
The most fun was to go into the water and watch the phosphoresence in the water light up our every movement and splash. It was a magical time,never to happen again.
There was never enough surf on the Gulf Coast for surfing, but my sons got into that sport in a big way while they attended University of Florida in Gainesville. Many weekends betters spent studying were gleefully enjoyed at Daytona and neighboring beaches.
I expect those are golden memories to them.
One year, we had a family reunion in St. Petersburg. My three sons and their wives/sweethearts were with me and we all decided to go into the water at sunset. We had heard about the green flash, and we actually saw it. I would try to explain it, but you would be better off googling "green flash" and see photos of it. It is a phenomenal thrill.
These days, (my "golden years"), I don't get into the water much but love to walk along the beach, especially at sunset. It never fails to bring me peace and happiness.
The first photo is my son and his daughter frolicking in the surf.The second photo is two of my grandsons playing "push me , pull me" at Siesta Beach, Sarasota.
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