NOTES FROM CAPTIVITY: LIVING AT THE BEACH

St. Simons is the place to be, Beach living is the life for me,

Sand spreading out so far and wide, But I wear SPF 70 when I’m outside.

I thought the city was the place to do, But I just adore a dolphin view,

Captor I love you, let me pack a cooler for me and you.

The dunes, beach tunes,

Fresh air, Oysters and seafood fare.

The beach is my new favorite place to be,

Now if all these New Yorkers would just head north and let us be.

(With apologies to the Gabor sisters, and Eddie Albert. Albert Eddie?)

A few years back, the woman “The Governor” calls my Captor decided we should move to the beach, full time.

I heartily endorsed the idea. Of course, by then our family home had been sold and the moving van loaded, so I was out of options. But just being invited along for the journey made me feel special.

And I know it sounds disingenuous to complain about moving to the beach, but I assumed I would miss city life. However, having grown up in Nebraska I was used to beach living, so I was prepared.

But more than just the beach, we moved to a small town, where you become ‘visual regulars/locals’ at your favorite restaurants, and servers know what you eat and drink. And how much. That part can get embarrasing.

And people know your name. Or think they do. When I pick up my Rx at the Winn-Dixie (the Senate candidates promised us a Piggly Wiggly, but I’m still waiting), they have it ready without even asking my name. The time they got it wrong was a bit traumatic, but my acne has cleared up, so there’s that.

And downsizing led us to rent a storage unit, where we kept valuable things like my old baseball cards. But it came in handy during the pandemic, when we would head over there and tailgate during the GA football games.

But there are downsides to small town living.

People know your business – especially our mail lady. Sorry, Postal Professional, aka The Minister of Lost and Late. She doesn’t like being left out, so we now invite her to everything, and give her reviews on our Amazon purchases. Note to self: Don’t leave her off this year’s Christmas card list, last year was ugly.

And we have some big city issues, like traffic. It can take 10 minutes to get to the Harris Teeter, and the roundabouts can be pretty backed up from 12:15-12:20.

And tourists can make things hectic.

The GA-FLA weekend is packed with college carousers, and you have to step over the occasional undergrad face down on the beach. But it brings back great memories of hurdling the homeless on our trips to Berkeley.

And how about that capsized ship, the Golden Ray?  We keep rooting for it to be turned into a boutique hotel, drive in theatre, or a Piggly Wiggly, but no luck.

And there’s always a concern about access to quality medical care, but you’d be amazed at how cross-trained veterinarians are today.

But I re-realize that we take living here for granted, whenever we have visitors. They remind us that we are lucky to live at the beach. Of course they are on vacation, and we are providing them all they can eat and drink, but I get their point.

But perhaps the best part of living here is what I tell our visitors: “Every now and then, common sense prevails.” I was reminded of that this AM when I saw a shot of Central Park full of mask wearing folks. Outside. And likely vaccinated. I hear the man they call “The Governor” is a yeller, and can be a bit ‘handsy’, so maybe they’re afraid of him.

But our “The Governor” lets us walk on the beach, and decide to do the right thing re: masks. And keeps his hands to himself. So I’m happily staying here. Come visit.

ENHANCE YOUR READING ENJOYMENT, PAIR THIS POST WITH THESE SONGS:

The Dock of the Bay  Otis Redding

“Sittin’ in the morning sun, I’ll be sittin’ when the evening comes,

Watchin’ the ships roll in, Wastin’ time”

A Dip In the Ocean   Fountains of Wayne

“It’s you and me on the beach, Leaning into the breeze from the willows,

And rhythm and grace are reborn in this place,

I’m assured the process is painless”

• And also check out Hackensack.  (RIP Adam Schlesinger)

Fisherman’s Blues  The Waterboys

“I wish I was a fisherman, Tumbling on the sea,

Far away from dry land, and it’s bitter memories”

And check out the live version of “We will not be lovers” Athens 21/11/19. WOW!

(I am working on a post to convince the rest of the world to fix their dating and measurement systems. Stay tuned).

And finally, a quote(s) from Willy Wonka:

“But Charlie, remember what happened to the man who got everything he ever wanted … He lived happily ever after.”

(But also consider “Oh, you should never, never doubt what no one is sure about”, or “What is this Wonka, some kind of fun house? Why, having fun?”)