Beach vibes

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Another perfect beach day… although, honestly, maybe all beach days are perfect.

I packed up and headed to the beach before any household chores could take hold of my attention. After all, our summer season is short, and the mess will still be there on a cloudy day! There will always be laundry, dishes, dust and a never-ending list of things that need to be done. But there are only so many summer beach days, and I intend to soak up every single one I can.

The beach was just about perfect, sunshine, a light breeze and water that was much warmer than expected. In fact, the water was so inviting that when the heat of the sun became too much, it practically called me back in for another swim.

Thank goodness for the Rays, brother-in-law Ray and friend Ray, who both enjoy swimming as much as I do and never hesitate to invite me along when they head into the water. I’m always happy to join them. There’s something about swimming in the ocean with good friends that makes an already perfect beach day even better.

The photo attached shows our great friends Ray and Carole, two people who are always part of the fun and who make our beach days that much more special.... also our vacation friends...we seem to travel well together. 

Tim, meanwhile, always arrives at the beach hours after me, waiting for the midday sun to pass. Either that, or he’s enjoying the complete beach setup that is already in place thanks to my early arrival. He may just be smarter than a fox.

Me? I’ll drag my beach gear onto the sand any day, setting up my little space and happily parking myself there for the duration of the day, and sometimes into the evening. I love being settled in, surrounded by friends, with nowhere I need to be and nothing more important to do than enjoy the day.

After a full day of beaching it, we all eventually found ourselves up on the club deck, pulling on sweatshirts, chilled from a day in the sunshine and eager to catch up with one another… as if we hadn’t just spent the entire day together. That’s one of my favorite things about our beach club family. You can spend hours together and still somehow have more to talk about.

Tim and I were probably among the first to leave. He was heading off for some music at the Mist, while I stopped to visit with my son before finally heading home and attempting to get myself into bed at a reasonable hour.

And then, just like that, the reality of the week ahead started seeping into my weekend. Nothing like a Sunday evening to remind you that Monday is waiting around the corner!

But Mother Nature apparently had perfect timing. The forecast ahead is calling for rain, which means I can feel a little less guilty about being inside. There’s nothing that makes me happier on a Monday morning than waking up to the sound of rain after a spectacular sunny weekend. Timing is everything.

Soon enough, I’ll be packing away my beach chairs for the season, replacing long, lazy days on the sand with crisp mornings, colorful leaves and all the beauty that autumn brings. But not just yet.

For now, I’m going to keep chasing the sunshine, swimming until my fingers wrinkle and squeezing every last drop out of summer. There will be plenty of time for fall… but not yet!

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau