For several summers we spent our days at the beach, Bonnet Shores Beach Club to be precise. Any given beach day might be cloudy in the morning as we got ready to head to the shore, about a 30 to 40 minute ride depending on the traffic. By the time we’d pull into the parking lot and greet the attendant at the front gate, the sun would be shining.
Bags of towels, lunches, snacks, books, clean clothes to change into; each child taking a bag, or younger sibling, up the stairs to the second floor cabana. We’d drop what we didn’t need and grab the chairs, blankets, Coppertone, pails and shovels and rush to set up as close to the water’s edge as we could get.
One of my favorite things to do at the beach was read. I could go deep into what I was reading by listening only to the ocean as it came closer to high tide. Curling up on the chaise that was pushed under the shade of the overhang on the second floor hours would pass before I realized it was time to leave.
On the weekends, it was even better. The weekend crowd was different, not just little kids with moms, but whole families. We often stayed later, having dinner as well as lunch on Saturdays. A big pot of meatballs for dinner would disappear in one sitting. Sometimes the family in the cabana next to us would be there too, and they could eat! They introduced me to zucchini flower pizza, OMG it was good. Most of the folks would stay until the Club’s closing time, making the idea of lingering a vivid reality.
As the sun went down and dinner was done; the best part of the day was the smell of the ocean and knowing the day was well-spent. I know I for sure didn’t want it to end and lived for the next Saturday to arrive.
Today’s thank you goes out to all those families who joined us on the beach, just to name a few, the Reynolds, Fitzgeralds, Maronis. Oh, and the Iafrates who shared that great pizza with us.
Lingering with Bloggers:
365 Days of Thank You 
Going to the beach on a warm sunny day with all kinds of food must have been a joyous occasion one you didn’t want to end.
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Wow I wish I was one of the families that you lingered with. I grew up near the Oregon Coast, so though not always sunny and warm, always beautiful.
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