I also grew up going to Jones Beach on Long Island. Favorite pasttime during summers in the 1960s. Jones Beach also had a theatre and so I saw lots of plays. We didn't surf. We swam and sunbathed.
Ah, the good old days!
I have fond memories of Jones Beach...and also Coney Island. Yes, got there too. Summers were for working and then fun. What better way to unwind than a day at a beach?
I don't go to beaches now. As an old lady, I'm neither slim nor minus wrinkles. I've seen wrinkled prunes - women - who don bathing suits at any age and hit the beaches. While I applaud their "to hell with what others think" attitude, that's not me.
I've had my fun, have my memories to reflect on, and now don't like the heat, sweating, or sand. Staying in AC places suits me just fine!
None of my stories include a beach love scene...something to consider for another time.
Do you have fond memories of going to beaches? Doing that now?
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Photos: Flickr: Joe Shlabotnik, and Eden, Janine and Jim's photostreams.
7 comments:
Lived on an island in the Atlantic, right below Atlantic City. Yep, I was that surfer girl! Okay, I'll admit I was a lousy surfer, but it's all relative, except when one of your best friends is a International competitor. Compared to her, I sucked. I was a strong swimmer and 90% of the time I could stay on my board and look as though I was great. Compared to most of the tourists, I was great. LOL
Ah, yes the places sand and seaweed manage to find on our bodies.
I'm so with you on avoiding the beach. I don't want to be in bright sunlight or fight for a parking place, etc. And this ghostly white body isn't exactly public viewing material. That 23 inch waistline is long gone! It's been replaced by a worn tire. But give me a camera on that beach during a balmy day in the fall, winter, or spring, and I'm a happy camper. The scent of salt water, the feel of sun-warmed sand between my toes, the crash of the waves, and the call of the waterfowl provides the most wonderful serenity imaginable.
I've always loved the beach, having grown up in a beach state. I used to sunbathe back in the day. It was an exercise in futility considering I don't tan. I still love the sun but if I'm out for any length of time, I wear sunblock. I like to go to the beach or shore once in awhile now to walk the boards, but I no longer go on the beach and I no longer wear a bathing suit.My bikini days are long gone.
How fun to have grown up with an ocean beach near. I'll bet you had quite the shell collection as a child! I had Lake Michigan in my back yard. Not the same thing at all. I enjoyed the post, Marianne. :)
Sounds like you had lots of fun growing up on a beach. I grew up surrounded by trees in Tennessee, and now, living in the mountain area, I long to see the ocean/beach at least once a year.
I'm going to age myself...I also loved watching the Frankie and Annette movies. I loved them so much that I bought the DVD's! That was my ideal of a beach...a bunch of friends, music, and fun. Never the hot sweaty sandy days with my kids. When my kids were younger, we did two weeks at the beach (South Carolina) and loved the early mornings, then we'd go back out in the evenings. Hitting the pool during the afternoon. Now those memories I cling to and want to recreate as my children are adults.
I loved your memories. Thank you for sharing them!!
Loved hearing about your beach days.. I didn't even see a beach until I was an adult, and now live only five miles from the ocean and love it see its changing moods. Enjoyed your post, Marianne.
Living near the ocean sounds like it was fun. I've always been land-locked but my parents used to take us to the drive-in to watch the beach movies. The closest I got to a beach was when we'd go camping and I'd use the swimming area but even then I had my nose in a book, lol! Enjoyed your post!
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