For many years before City Girl decided that hanging around your parents was equivalent to death, the three of us would go to Fort Desoto beach. We avoided the paved parking lots and crowds in favor of parking on the grass along the road and walking a short distance to a mostly deserted beach.
One day when City Girl was around three, as we were driving in I saw a sign that said 'Naturalist Society' with an arrow pointing to the path we always took to get to the beach. How cool, I thought, nature lovers have discovered our beautiful spot. Maybe they'll tell us the name of some of the birds we always see.
We put our blanket down at our usual spot. I noticed a group of people off in the distance and figured that was the Society. We headed towards them, picking up the pretty shells that were littered around the beach. As we got closer, City Girl was intently filling her bag as I looked up and saw about 15 people sitting buck naked in their beach chairs.
People we aren't talking about looking up and seeing Shemar Moore or Matthew McConaughey.
With wry grins on their faces obviously enjoying the predicament I was in, they quietly waited to find out what I was going to do now. With a slight panicked feeling I said gently, Sweetheart let's turn around and go back so we can empty our bags and get some more shells.
And bless her, City Girl said ok Mom and happily turned around without looking up.
Back to the future, City Girl now thinks hanging around your parents is only a little like death, and we have a lot of fun together. Last night she suggested that we go to the beach to watch the sunset and we headed to our favorite spot.
We didn't let this log get in our way as we made our way to the beach.
As usual it was deserted, except for a man sitting next to his bicycle off in the distance.
We watched the beautiful sunset.
Turning to head back, I sadly observed that sign pollution and ropes have now infested our favorite beach.
In case you didn't know.
As I recounted the buck naked beach story to City Girl, bicycle man hurriedly put on his swim trunks as we approached. I am not kidding.
I say all signs should be banned in favor of periodic public announcements in all languages recounting all of the things that we're not supposed to do, because there are people arriving all day long and many of them are blind or can't read signs written in English. Are you with me?
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