Memoir Mondays 1: Beach Days Then and Now

This is Lake Michigan where we have spent all our summers together as sisters.

Memoir Mondays are being hosted by Two Writing Teachers at: http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/
This is the first time I have participated in another website’s activity.

Directions from Two Writing Teachers:
THEN & NOW: Think about a good friend… someone who you’ve known for at least ten years. Reflect on the way your relationship has flourished through the years. If you need help, use photos to get started. As everyone knows on my site I love pictures.

I am using the pictures of my sisters, my cousin, and myself as a jumping off point. The black and white picture that was taken in 2007 on the beach where I live. It includes my two sisters, Susie and Rebecca, and myself. We wrapped towels around our bathing suits since we are all not sure we want it all ‘out there’! The color picture was also taken at my local beach where we spend hours and hours of time all summer long in the early or middle 1970′s. It includes my cousin, Emily, and sister, Susie, and myself. No towels were necessary when we were little! This time we are wearing matching purple with flower bathing suits that also matched my mom’s bathing suit that Grandma made for all of us.

These two pictures represent a special place to me along with special people. I think writing a memoir piece about the beach with my sisters is a place to begin. This is the brainstorming and planning that I am starting to kick around. …

-people: My mom, Susie, Rebecca

-place: the beach, warm rough water

-sandy beach: reading, towels, sunkissed whole body, days and days all summer long,

So thinking about small moment, one time at the beach, narrowing the topic, why is it special? What are the emotions?

First Draft:

The three sisters dip a toe into the water and declare the water, “TOO COLD”, or “cold”, or “warm, rough, and just right” or even “flat enough to water ski.” The lake is available in many temperatures and conditions. Only one is perfect for playing in though: warm, rough, and just right temperature. Most summers there are four or five days of perfect beach days.

Lake Michigan on “wear-your-life-preserver days” is my favorite kind of beach days in the summer! It does not matter if it was twenty years ago and I am wearing a purple bathing suit, or now and I am wearing a mommy bathing suit. I still love to jump in the waves with my sisters. The roughest waves are the best. We hardly can keep our legs under us. The undertow keeps dragging us to out too deep and to the left.

We jump into the waves.

We laugh as the water crashes over us.

We spit the left over water out.

The life guards change the green flags to red flags while beach goers groan and the EMT, who has been rescuing dumb-barely-know-how-to-swim-swimmers all day, secretly cheers with relief. My sisters and I sit staring dejectedly at the flag. We are hoping the flag will magically change back to green while the waves stay rough, the water stays warm, or the lifeguards go home.

Eventually our kids suggest we pack up our beach stuff for home. The three sisters want to out wait the lifeguards, but eventually our kids talk us into going home since they are hungry and have eaten all the snacks.

Twenty years ago, it was our mom who told us to pack our stuff and go home, I guess some things never change, the pull of waves and warm water is stronger than the pull of making responsible decisions.