"Off To the Beach"

This year I decided my wife and I would celebrate Thanksgiving in a different way. Usually she spends her time in the kitchen cooking up a big celebratory meal. And usually we have the kids and grandkids home to eat. Well this year my oldest son and his wife are expecting their first child so they could not make the trip down from Durham. My youngest son and his family hadn't contacted us about what their plans were. Usually they eat the noon meal with my daughter in law's parents.

So when they called to ask what we were doing and saying they were planning on coming to our house, it was too late. We had already made our plans for a Thanksgiving getaway. Friends of ours have a condo at Panama City and they offered it and we accepted. We left town on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and didn't come back until the Saturday afterwards.

I have always liked the beach in the winter. I am not a go in the water person. I prefer to look at the beach from the balcony of the condo and that is what we did. I didn't even touch the sand or the surf. The weather was warm until Friday and then it dropped like a ton of bricks. I had to make a run to Tar-jay and get a sweater.

While there I read two books, reviewed three TV shows, and went to see three movies. There is a new mall being built right across the street from the condo and the movie theater is already open for business. I saw a movie on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

We ate out on Wednesday and Friday but on Thursday my wife made us hot turkey sandwiches with broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes and English peas. We even had strawberry shortcake for dessert. We ate it with gusto!

The only problem was the three and a half days went by too quickly. Even me, who loves my routine life, enjoyed this winter vacation. Okay I was ready to get back and check my e-mails, and pick up my mail at the post office, etc but not obsessively so.

Since my wife's father died this summer I knew it was gong to be tough on her this holiday season. So a change of scenery and doing the unexpected was a great way to divert her melancholy mood. It worked. I am not saying she didn't think of her father but it wasn't the only thing on her mind.

Next year we will probably be back to doing the Thanksgiving thing at our house. By then my new grandbaby should be able to travel, and I will check with my youngest son to make sure we are included in his plans. Still for this year and our trip away to the beach, I am truly thankful.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

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