During this cold wave, it behooves me to bring forth my last memory of Florida … a sunny, warm day at the beach. I am not usually one to sit in the sun, but Hubby loves the warm, tanning (sun burning) rays. We arranged our folding camp chairs perfectly; mine under the shade of a huge palm tree with palm leaves and seaweed on the ground beneath, with Hubby’s chair straight on the beach sand, chair facing the sun. As we sat, we both smiled at the perfection of our chosen spots.

The beach was wide and the ocean waves could not be seen due to the angle of the beach but they could be heard. The pleasant and random swish, swish, swish reminded me of the sound machine I have used from time to time. Such a relaxing sound; swish, swish, swish. It could lull me to sleep.

Elderly people lined the beach with beach bodies not quite as slinky and sexy as the bodies found at Scarborough in the summer. There were a few people who were obviously in great physical health. A man probably in his 90s stretched in front of us, his back muscles rippling and leg muscles taut. He was exceptionally tan with locks of white hair that curled haphazardly in the beach wind. Next to him sat a woman of similar age, similarly tanned. She, too, had a great body and displayed it in a bikini that, oddly, did not match her age. She was intent on reading a book, oblivious to her mate’s body flaunting. It was like they were putting on a show for the whole beach to watch.

Most of the people, however, were similar to me and Hubby, overweight with bulging tummies, stretching our bathing suits to the max. The majority of people sat under sun protection of some type, and a patchwork of very colorful beach umbrellas stretched as far as the eye can see. It appeared that most people were parked there for the day with coolers and bags of food next to their chairs, (as opposed to me and Hubby who only brought water bottles.) It certainly looked like going to the beach was a lifestyle for most of them, and Hubby would like for it to be a lifestyle for us, also.

Like window shopping, we surveyed the type of beach chairs around us, and carefully scrutinized newcomers and their seating. We had folding camp chairs, not at all the best choice of seat ware because the low seats sunk down into the sand making it difficult to get up and out of with our arthritic bodies. (Plus, folding the unwieldy chair and stuffing it back into the carrier was a mind numbingly difficult task.) Several people, really showing their age and their sentimental attachment to the past, sat in metal folding lawn chairs. While sufficient, these chairs appeared to be difficult to carry. Hubby’s chair of choice was a backpack chair with cooler. So many people came onto the beach with this set up that it appeared that this chair was the most popular. Hubby ogled the different size backs and different size heights so he could go on Amazon when we once again had internet access and order two for us.

Beside the bathers, wildlife abounded at the beach, especially little lizards that sunbathed on the rocks nearby. They seemed oblivious to the many giant people sitting or lying nearby. There were birds of all types; seagulls, terns, and egrets with white bodies, black legs and bright yellow feet. There appeared to be a wider variety than found at Rhode Island beaches, but perhaps I was just more observant while on vacation.

I greatly enjoyed watching the beach occupants, but none as much as when the twenty something year old magnificently wearing a bikini and her tall, tanned, tattooed boyfriend entered the crowd. Like a magnet, all heads turned in their direction. What would be commonplace at a beach like Scarborough was a sensation at this particular beach and provided entertainment for all.

We visited this beach the day before our departure back to Rhode Island but plan to visit it more in the future. By then we will have our own high backed backpack beach chairs with coolers.