By Georgia Osten
Yep, these are the Dog Days of Summer. Hotter than a pistol, why I could fry an egg on the sidewalk! The only cool place to hang out is under the house, or under a canopy on the beach or in the pool. In the pool is where I hung out this past weekend. Saturday & Sunday, grabbed my drink of choice and my favorite floaty thing and spent the hot afternoons out in the pool, floating, doing a couple of laps in between floating and worked on my tan. Not a bad way to spend my days.

Usually on a weekend, I’ll go into town to catch up on some necessary shopping. Not this weekend. Nope, I Shopped Local and saved on gasoline. The Chamber of Commerce would have been proud of me. Keith too! But, that Big Store, geez, when you have to wait in line for 15-20 minutes, makes you wonder why you can’t put off shopping for a weekday. Well, guess what? Weekdays aren’t any better, the crowds are out of control. But they’re spending a fortune on boogie boards, sun hats, bathing suits, and Blue Bell ice cream. They’re upping the sales tax and The Big Store is about the Only Show in Town!

What ever happened to our sleepy little beach town anyway? I look around my neighborhood at the rentals, one across the street from me and another two doors up the street. I kept waiting for Sunday, thinking they’ll be packing up soon. But no! Here it is Monday and they’re still there. Must be their week-long vacations, cramming it all in before school starts.

I remember when we were just weekenders, couldn’t wait to get here on a Friday and staying through Sunday, getting up early Monday morning to go back home to our jobs. Sunday evening was sacred! Oh to be alone on the beach again. It was the fuel we needed to go back to work to exist until the next weekend.

I realize the tourists are a good thing and the growth of our little community is important. Heck, it’s my Bread & Butter these days. All that property tax and sales tax, is what pays me!

The growth is amazing, everywhere you look, another house is going up or another business is cropping up out on Highway 87. Crystal Beach has been discovered! Look at that RV Park for goodness sakes!

All this makes me want to have a vacation home somewhere … Maybe the Hill Country, yeah, that’s the ticket. I think Maezy would like the Hill Country. In the meantime, I’ll sit tight and wait for a bit of Fall Air when I’ll venture back out to the beach for a stroll.

Y’all stay cool, think cool thoughts and we’ll see you out and about in another month or two.

Prayers for our friend Charlotte and her family during this time of sorrow.
Rest in Peace Dear “Robbie” or “Rob” to most of us, “RR” to our dear Charlotte.

[Jul-26-2022]