owning the beach

Finding a place to sit on the beach is not difficult. Except for one other couple, my mom and I are the only ones on it. And, it's late. 1:30.

My mom keeps observing, "It's good that it's windy. Without the breeze it'd be really hot."

Around two, Jeannie arrives with Ellen and Jodi.

Except the breeze that is keeping us cool soon morphs into a major wind. Now we're all eating sand and its sticking to our skin and getting in our ears.

"I'm going back,"I announce around three.

"Oh stay, it's not that bad," says my sister.

And the company is great. So I do.

Sun is nowhere in sight and big cumulous clouds fill the sky.

Sand is blowing everywhere.

Our little group stays. Now we are the only ones on the beach.

"It's so nice with the beach empty," someone observes.  I'm with a positive-thinking group.

"I feel rain," I say.

"Oh, it's not raining," says my mom, ever the optimist.

My sunglasses (clearly not needed) are covered in droplets. "Well, it's raining over here," I say. 

We stay. Some drink. Some eat. We talk. We laugh. But the light rain continues and now everyone feels it.

So we all pack up.  We unbury our towels. Attempt to shake off the sand from our bags.  Fold up our chairs. And brush the sand from our skin.

But then someone sees a glimmer of sun, and the rain has stopped.

So the beach chairs are put down and set up again. And the towels are re-laid. 

I leave. 

About fifteen minutes later the others follow. The rain has returned.

Blowing sand. No sun. And sporadic showers. 

Still, it's a great day at the beach.