I just went back to bathe in the golden glow of blogger KerryCan’s early summer memories here. I’ve been planning to take her up on the idea of sharing a childhood summer photo and letting train of thought take over.
KerryCan says she and her cousins had “absolutely nothing to worry about except breaking a plastic flip flop or getting sticky drips of Popsicle running down an arm,” which doesn’t quite fit my childhood. But I was always looking forward and believing something nice was coming.
I began dreaming of Fire Island in January or so — creating a paper pocket on our front door with Ocean Beach postcards tucked in and badgering grown-ups with “When are we going?”
And goodness knows, I dearly loved the ocean, swimming every day in my early teens unless there was a red warning flag. On choppy mornings, I might be the only one out there in front of the lifeguards.
Here I am at about age 10 with the older of my two brothers, probably competing for who could run fastest.
I didn’t learn until I was practically a grandmother that some kinds of competition with him might be ill-advised — like the time I tried to bend back my thumb the way his joints allow him to and ended up with a trigger finger and a hand operation! Ha, ha. Laughing now.
On this Atlantic beach, we used to dig for the tiny armadillo-like mole crabs that we called “jumpies.” Where are they now?
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
What a wonderful photo
Says a lot, doesn’t it?
Yes!
Oh, you did it! That photo is wonderful–you’re both so intent and what a cute, little swimsuit! The anticipation of summer and its wonders was huge for me, too. I remember my sister and me taking cold baths, starting in about April, to get used to cold water so we’d be ready for outdoor swimming. We’d also go walk on our crushed stone driveway barefoot, to toughen out feet up for summer!
Oh, great details, KerryCan! I can totally imagine that. I’m sure that’s what we would have done, too, if we had thought of it!
Love the photo >
Makes me wonder why I ever stopped playing in the ocean.