Memorial Gratitude

Hi there. Did you go to a natural body of water over the weekend? Did you love it? I hope so. I had The. Most. Glorious. Day on the beach on SUNday, possibly ever. I had my Mermaid posse on the sand with me for the first real Beach Day of Summer 2010 at Playa de Los Amigos, and we all went all the way in the water, even though it was so cold my flesh was blue and you probably could have pierced it without me feeling it. But then to lie there on the warm sand, drying off in the very slight caress of a breeze, while sipping some contraband that bubbled that perhaps one of the Mermaids procured from her bag ... it does not get much better.

The Regulars of our usual spot at the Beach all showed up, and greeted each other with "Happy Summertime!", as this exact slab of sand is really the only place I ever see some of these people. It was happy, like a family reunion, but a Summer reunion. The guy that sells frozen treats out of his cooler, and always gives you a quick reminder lecture about sunscreen was there. There was a new guy this year that was covertly saying, "Ice Cold Coronas" and wearing a heavy-looking backpack. One guy selling his bracelets was throwing in a free lottery ticket with each purchase this year ... sign of the times?

June Gloom was another sign of the times, as it seems the atmosphere was totally aware of the Calendar, and was extra thick and gray this morning, after quite possibly the most beautiful weekend on record in the '10's so far. And then walking this morning, we saw another dead sea lion pup or seal ... I didn't want to get close enough to differentiate between the two. I didn't even want to see it at all. There were also so many jellyfish cleverly camouflaged in the sand that we really had to pay attention not to get zapped by one of those guys. A bunch of guys were out picking up all the trash that some Memorial Day revelers still can't get through their thick brains that you walk ten feet to a garbage can to deal with, not just throw it where you sit.

So after a perfectly stunning weekend on the beach, you get thrust back into real life. The BP tragedy on the news turns my stomach every day, and here we are with the blessing of clean(ish) beaches and water, and some mental patients still think the sea is both an ashtray and a trash bin. What does it take to get through to the dim bulbs out there that you have to be grateful and CHERISH what you have, while you have it? The news isn't doing it, so maybe us constantly talking and protecting it with each other and going on little rants like this, will. I'm at least gonna try.

Before Memorial Day becomes a day that we have to honor our fallen nature along with our fallen Veterans.



Thank you, Mother Nature, for putting up with us this long.




Photos by my cool brother PEG.