Today I saw that Florida’s Caladesi Island was named the nations best beach.
Starr and I have been there! Almost 5 years ago, we returned to the Tampa, FL area to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We decided to take the drive, and hop on the 15 minute ferry ride to Caladesi Island. It was very, very beautiful. The calmest waves, the whitest sand, hardly any people and it was the middle of June. It was wonderful.
But my memory of Caladesi Island will always involve the murderous beach umbrella. When we went on our trip to Florida this time, we decided to just pick up a cheap beach umbrella at a Big Lots. We bought some beachy looking umbrella, and used it our entire trip. However on Caladesi Island, Starr (if I remember right) didn’t stake the thing down hard enough. I can clearly remember walking back from the snack bar, and seeing her chasing this umbrella that is barrelling over and over across the beach stabbing it’s spear-like end into the sand every 5 feet or so. All I could think of was some snoozing beachcomber getting stabbed in the heart or back while enjoying a vacation. Luckily, and amazingly, it skipped over and around crowds of people and crashed into the trees behind the beach.
Good Times…
