Florida Road Trip — Nine-Year-Old Style. New Smyrna Beach.
After helping Mary ease into her sixth decade last night, I didn’t set the alarm today.
Even in the summer, I’m up before 6:15 every morning. Last night, going to sleep in my old room with no reason to get up before 6:15 other than to exercise voluntarily — I chose to see how late I could sleep.
When I crawled out of bed at nine, I looked at my Joe and asked, “What should we do today?”
“The BEACH!”
The beach is an hour away from my childhood home. And get this people. At this beach you can drive your car right on the sand.
When we announced our plans to my mother her response. “By the time you get over there, we have thunderstorms every day.”
Pooh.
She was right you know. Central Florida has been the Central Florida of my childhood recently. Huge electrical shows every afternoon. But what the hay? We drive and hour and just get an hour on the beach. Better than no hour on the beach.
By the time we gather our things. Stopped at the store for provisions: Cheese-Its, pretzels, water and sunscreen. It was almost noon before we got to our spot.
Joe was fired up.
Notice dark clouds behind him.
But no. I wouldn’t.
We swam and boogie-boarded. Made drip castles and scooped up tons of periwinkles shimmying down into the sand.
One line of black clouds, rain and the occasional flicker of electricity went by.
Phew.
We bought hot dogs and snow cones. Swam some more.
Then this cloud. A cloud of biblical proportions gathered to our north.
Surely this was the cloud that would send us home. But we had been there at least two hours so not bad.
This was the view on my left.
This was the view to my right.
And somehow MIRACLOUSLY (with a few flickers and KABOOMS that made me nervous) the storm stayed out at sea and passed by us going southeastward.
Hurrah.
We ended up staying as long was we liked. The high tide washing into our chairs and towels.
As we were packing up to leave I heard a “Jamie?”
One of my sister’s closest childhood friends.
So that was fun.
The whole day was fun.
This was the last shot before I pulled out at 5 o’clock this afternoon.
In life, a lot of ugly storm clouds threaten.
But hang in there.
You’ll probably get a lovely day.
Right?
