Fun At The Beach

Our children had no better playground than the beach.  From the time they were very small their afternoons were spent by the sea, for them going to the beach was part of their daily routine and they loved it.  They didn’t have beach toys but that never mattered, just playing in the sand and splashing in the sea was more than enough to keep them happy.

Lower Bay was the perfect spot for small children, they could safely play in the “kiddie pool” until they were able to venture deeper.  It was the ideal location for eating a mango, enjoying a picnic and frolicking with friends.  I often sat in the water or on the beach with other young mothers, chatting the afternoon away as we watched the children play.  De Reef was close at hand for a cold beer on hot days, and food could be purchased for a very reasonable price.  Life at Lower Bay beach was nothing short of idyllic, especially during the off-season when I had the time to relax and enjoy it.

Week-ends were for excursions to Hope Beach, something the entire family looked forward to.  Mac had purchased an old Toyota pick-up truck and we would load it up with food and friends, anticipation high as we set out. The Hope Road, purposely kept in poor shape, was a challenge for most vehicles; our old truck made it down as well as back up as long as Mac drove at a snail’s pace.  I usually got out and walked down the hill, convinced that one day that truck was going to tip over as it made its way slowly over big rocks and broken boulders!

I always prepared more than enough food for the day, by the time lunch was ready our numbers would have swelled and the sea breeze and exercise gave everyone a good appetite.  Mac always made a fire, and we roasted breadfruit and reef fish along with enough barbecued chicken to feed an army. A chest filled with iced drinks and a bag of mangos or plums made everything just about perfect.

Hope, on the windward side of the Island, always has a pretty stiff breeze, and it gave everyone sun-kissed skin as they played in the big waves.  I had to keep a sharp eye on the girls, they were good swimmers but the current at Hope is strong and often dangerous.  Body-surfing is the name of the game at that beach, and screams and squeals could be heard as everyone rode the waves to shore.  There were tears whenever anyone mis-judged a wave and went for a tumble along the ocean floor, but it was a lot of fun when a wave was caught at just the right moment.

One day someone gave us a boogie board.  We had never seen or heard of boogie boards, this was something we would have to learn how to use.  That board quickly became a coveted possession, and was shared by many people in the space of an afternoon at Hope Beach.  We had that boogie board for years, and we became expert wave dancers!

Ah yes, life at the beach was sweet.  After rinsing off at Papa Mitchie’s fresh-water well (that water was always freezing cold!) we would make our tortuous way back up the road in the truck, sunburned faces glowing with happiness. There is no better playground than a beach, there really isn’t!