eighty six

THE BEACH LIFESTYLE

This is an East coast beach, once again I'm not sure where. My visits to Ocean City Maryland when I was in Grade school and High school planted this love for the ocean in my heart. I think most people love the feel of the beach, that's probably why it is expensive and crowded. 

I remember clearly a man who sat in the sun all day renting beach chairs and umbrellas. He had the classic sun bleached hair, that was actually bleached by the sun. Tattoos were not common in those days  and he had the first sleeve I had ever seen. 

I remember he was always talking to women in bathing suits, which in my youth was very impressive. He was there year after year and seemed really happy in his work. I saw many of these men and women working in bike rental and surf shops on both coasts. 

Over looking the beach were expensive mansions and high rise resorts with the view side at least one hundred dollars more then the other side. 

People save their money, take their vacation, and pay big money to spend a couple of weeks trying to pass as a native. Then they return to their lives, save more time and money, to return in a year for another two weeks to act like a native. 

The guy at Ocean City was there year after year. He probably lived in a trailer behind a fish cannery, but he spent his days on that expensive beach and he was a native. He probably had no family, investments or retirement plan. I make no judgment on which is better, I'm just passing on the observation.