Ocean Shores & More

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Supporting Cast:
Sue: My kidnapper and Cheuffer
Nemo: Her 3-year-old daughter
Mike: My partner in all things

We grabbed a change of clothes, piled into Sue's car and were off to Ocean Shores. The drive there was Nemo The Musical, as the 3-year-old was making up songs: "Mike no swiping Mikes a swiper, Mike no swiping! Bollocks"
Mike was in the back with her, there was much squealing as they played "rib countings."
We all did a few cover songs; Sue used her all-powerful Mommy Voice on Mike a couple times for breaking into shanties a bit too risque for young minds with good memorization skills.
Nemo, as with all children, was mortified by her parent singing. I think its just on principle, Sue has a lovely voice and has garnered much applause at karaoke.

We pulled into Ocean Shores with a hungry, whiny child, who quieted quickly once we pulled in at Galway Bay. Not only was the (adorableomgIwanttopethim) manager(Rob) still working there, he remembered us and why we drove out there: "I know what you all are having." Turns out he's a bit of a local celebrity, as he uses the restaurant's old cooking oil in his car to commute to work and back.

I have driven halfway across the state before for these sandwiches, the beach is just a bonus: Falling apart slices of Corned beef BRISKET -the kind that takes hours & hours to cook- with white cheese on a big roll. Horseradish, tomato, lettuce on the side. Fills me with corned beef awesome.

The corned beef sammiches were as good as ever. I sat back, full but sad it was gone. The four of us split a death by chocolate, popped into the Celtic gift shop, managed to escape with just an Irish flag for Nemo and headed to the beach.

Kites crowded the skies down the beach as far as the eye could see. The wind was steady and cool. Cars drove up and down the beach in the packed sand. People on rented scooters made up about half the traffic. Herds of horses with riders trod by. I recognized one of the pair of clydesdale mixes Sue & I'd rode years before. Huge beasts, riding them was like sitting on a picnic table, bonus: a really jarring gait. Despite that it was good for a horse riding dose at the time.

The flame-haired one made a beeline for the water. Following her example, and since Sue didn't want to get her last pair of clean pants wet, I waded out with her. We gradually worked our way in, the child trying to jump the waves. Every time a wave made its way an inch or two higher on her, she'd run back to Mom.
I adjusted to the water fairly quickly. The wind was strong and steady, but it wasn't cold.
Sue waded and took pictures.

Mike hung out with us at the water for a bit, then curled up in the back of the car and passed out.

The kid tired of the water after a fall resulting in submersion. "I don't want to go into the river EVER AGAIN!" Bwahaahahahaha.

We crossed the 'street' the beach had become, Nemo got a change of clothes on and Sue got the little kite out. Kites scattered down the skies above the beach as far as the eye could see. We attached it to the trunk and it stayed steady above us.

Sue got out the bread and we fed seagulls. Ratty looking youngsters in the throws of their first molt. Nemo threw half-slices, they choked down anything they could. I didn't get the spectacular results I usually do in the winter -they fly up and catch the bread, and take it from upheld fingers. These birds were young and well-fed.

After a loaf disappeared into young gullets, we headed for the small dunes. Sue found a huge beetle that hissed when prodded....*looking that up*...Probably a Ten-Lined June Beetle. I put it in the grass where it wouldn't get stepped on.
I chased Nemo, we all played at rolling down the hill, Sue found her warm spot in the sun and out of the wind, and I practiced getting the kite to stoop and dive.

We headed back to the car, Nemo woke Mike, he popped out for a cigarette and we told him to nap in the warm spot. He said he would, then got back into the car and went back to sleep.

The seagulls were fed the second loaf, their lovely wings spreading against the wind, jumping up to catch bread before the others could get to it.

We went back to the water, I waded out up to my waist with Nemo, having forgotten about her earlier swear to forever avoid the "river". We popped bubbles in the surf and watched surfers while Sue waded, took pictures, and looked for the elusive whole sand dollar. Crab parts and feathers churned in the waves, I showed some to Nemo, she wasn't impressed. I led her away from what looked like a deceased Portuguese man-o-war being churned around. She put her arms up and tried to jump the waves.

I breathed deep, the ocean air scoured my person, the water foamed at my knees, I took off my hat and the wind whipped my hair. Despite having sand in my ears and hair and half-soaked with churned up salt water, I felt spiritually and mentally clean for the first time in ages. It brought on a euphoria and a smile that had me singing with joy.

Nemo ran in and out of the water and along the flat, wet sand. She tripped and made a gloriously perfect Nemo print. She was inconsolable, bawling and casting orders unintelligibly. We splashed the sand off her and went back to the car to change. The child finally stopped crying as we all watched a stunt kite with a 20' rainbow tube tail doing loops.

"What're we doing for dinner?"
"SAMMICHES!"

Five hours after our first visit we turned up a Galway Bay -again- and Sue treated us to a second round of corned beef sandwiches, soda bread, and clam chowder. The owner sat us at the slate table with a little bowl of chalk. Nemo & I went to town, she drew a portrait of Sue & herself, and what looked like a brush fire. I was working on a picture of a riverbank with a fisherman. "That's for the KIDS!" says the owner. I grinned at him.

I had a loose grip on consciousness on the trip home. Half-asleep, I was making up (bad) limericks I can't remember.
We lost Nemo a half hour in, and Sir Naps-a-lot drifting in and out as well. Sue heroically stayed lucid and got us back.

Huge thanks to Sue for the kidnapping.

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Comments

[Sarmonster]

Thank You
Huge thanks to Sue for the kidnapping.