Perfection

After a couple of days of “iffy” weather, we finally got our perfect day!

It was sunny when I got up a little after 9 AM, and I was able to sit outside and read in the morning. It was hot and humid enough that when Ken went for a run, I put on my swimsuit in order to sit outside. I was getting overheated even in a tank top and shorts! I still had to come inside to cool off periodically.

After Ken got back and got cleaned up, we took a walk down the beach to one of our favorite places, Breakers. After sitting at the inside bar for a few minutes, a spot opened up at the outer bar. That’s where you can sit in front of open windows and look out onto the beach and the ocean, so we nabbed those seats quickly! We both had burgers, and these are the best burgers I’ve ever had. I don’t know how they do it, but even with me ordering my burgers well done (it’s an E coli thing, you know?), they’re still tender and juicy. LOVE me a Breakers burger!

Then we headed back—the sun still shining—and hit the beach. The sun felt great! Ken took a picture, and I was very surprised to see how brown I’ve gotten. Since the sun had been shining all day, the water was nicely warmed up, and it felt great to get in and feel some waves. I did my best to keep my footing and stand my ground against them. Haaaa...see what I did there? “Stand my ground?” In Florida? Yeah, those laws SUCK. We have it in Indiana, too, so that also sucks.

Anyway, the ocean felt great. I held onto my suit and had no “flashing” moments...maybe a butt cheek here and there, and a close call with the top, but I managed to hang onto everything. I noticed a woman close by who was also hanging onto her suit and we shared a laugh. We exchanged a couple of remarks, and she had an accent, so I asked her where she was from. She was from Venezuela! They do a lot of traveling, but this was their first time in New Smyrna Beach. I gave her a few tips about places to eat, and she mentioned shopping in boutiques, so I told her about the little Flagler Avenue area with neat shops and galleries. If I recall, her name was Azita (I’m not sure if that’s how it is spelled), and she was very sweet and lovely. I really enjoyed talking to her as we both held onto our suits and got pummeled by the waves! Haha!

She mentioned being at Ocean City, New Jersey. She said the waves are much worse there, and she said she had a few “exposures” due to those waves, so she’s more careful now! She also said that she liked this beach very much, and that it is not nearly as crowded as Ocean City and other beaches she has been. She said that you would never find as many spots open as you find here. I told her that New Smyrna Beach is a small town, maybe 25,000 people, and although it’s open to everyone, it’s just not as crowded as other beaches. Daytona is only about 20 minutes north of here, but its beach is completely different from this one.

We had a really nice chat, and you all can be very proud of this introvert. I chatted up a woman from Venezuela. How about that?!

That's mah butt over there.

After getting worn out by the ocean, Ken and I flopped on our beach towel and dried out a bit. We headed up to the bungalow, and since the perfect weather held, we got to spend a little more time outside reading (although in the shade this time). We enjoyed a pleasant evening, Ken grilled some salmon (it was delicious!), and we watched a Sopranos episode.

I have a feeling it’s not going to be a late night tonight. The ocean and the sun really takes it out of me! Ken is planning on golfing in the morning, but I plan on sleeping in and maybe hitting the pool while he’s out and about.

Here’s hoping for a carbon copy of today, but like I told Ken, if this was the only perfect day this week, it was a week well spent. This is the kind of day we come down here for, every year.

Perfect!