MaureenDempsey.me
Today I saw a spring breaker in a wetsuit – without shoes – at the deli counter when I was selecting my hummus. His friend was wearing jorts. Jean shorts barely looked good the first time around, back when spring break was still held in Daytona (and way before they had the moniker jorts).
When they say “beach casual,” this isn’t what they mean.
When Spring Break hits, I try to avoid the beach, or at least the areas where our future leaders are riding around (wasted, no less) on rented scooters. But sometimes, that’s not possible. Today was one of those days.
I was heading to a class and my route took me into the mayhem. Throngs of spring breakers were walking on the shoulders of the sidewalk-less road with no apparent direction. Though there was no sand or water in sight, many were wearing only their swimsuits.
I will try to put this as tactfully as possible. This is a generation that grew up on partially hydrogenated everything and even their activity was done inside on a computer (Wii tennis, anyone?). So cover-ups really shouldn’t be left up in the room. Continue reading
How did we become the hosts for the heinously tacky bike rally, Thunder Beach? Wasn’t that Daytona’s shtick? They seem to be shedding all of their mistakes and we are snatching them up one after another. Case in point: spring break.
Come on Panama City, can we not actively pursue the seedy side of life?
You know how American’s often put Canadian flags on their backpacks when they travel abroad because they don’t want people to know where they’re from? That’s how I feel about Panama City sometimes. Continue reading
Sooo…today wasn’t so good. I just think the stars were aligned (against me) and I maybe should have stayed home.
I was already having a tough time walking because I cut my foot on a shell a few days ago when I jumped off my board (I know, I know, I “really shouldn’t do that”). In spite of my aggressive cleaning regimen of hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin, it has still managed to get infected.
So I was already battling that delightful reality when we walked over the dunes to the beach and saw the seriously dumpy waves. Maybe it’s the hurricane in the Yucatan, but whatever it is, the waves are super dumpy right now.
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Definitely two of the cutest children on this earth are the son and daughter of our lucky coworker Jason.
He and his wife have been told that they should just “make children for people” – and you’ll know why once you see a clip of their children surfing (and after you get past the whole creepiness factor of that idea).
Ted has had quite a bit of experience teaching kids to surf by teaching both of his children, not to mention me – essentially a child when I’m not having a good surf session. So Jason asked us if we’d be willing to take his 7-year-old daughter out with us one morning before work.
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I’m getting more and more settled into my shortboard popup and we’ve been getting some great footage with the GoPro.
This morning was just one of those mornings when we didn’t have high expectations (the first step to happiness) and all we wanted was a ride or two before we started our day.
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The lead for my project at work takes our group out on his boat every year as a little team building opportunity. We always anchor on the bay side of Shell Island and spend our time playing around the boat. Probably one of the more riveting games is throwing the football in waist-deep water while avoiding the sea urchins.
So back in the winter, I started noticing a fleshy spot in the corner of my eye that would get red when I’d spend too much time on the computer. When it didn’t go away (and when my coworkers were telling me with increased frequency that I looked tired), I figured I’d make an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
“It looks like you have a pterygium,” the doctor told me. That doesn’t sound good. “What exactly is a pterygium?”
The answer: a noncancerous growth, common in light-eyed people who spend a lot of time outdoors, particularly on the water.
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Ted and I are the proud new owners of some of the coolest advancement in recreational technology: a GoPro.
These little puppies are high-definition video cameras that can be mounted to a borage of things like helmets (to capture skiing, skydiving, or anything else that requires a helmet), bikes, boats, but most importantly, surfboards.
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This past weekend was Memorial Day and we were invited out on our friend’s sailboat for a trip to Shell Island. This barrier island is a hugely popular spot for boaters in the area. Because there’s limited access there for the tourists, it’s the most local beach around.
We had our boards in tow, so once we arrived at the bay side of the island, we paddled to shore and walked across the island to the gulf. Jumping off the 50-foot sailboat with our boards looked nothing like this but is was fun navigating through the other boats having their own Memorial Day parties.
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