Nothing like a little sun, salt water, and a warm sea breeze to fix what ails you.
This week, we brought our grandson, Marshall, along to visit the good people at our Flag and Banner store in Miami. What a great trip.
My daughter (Marshall’s mother), to keep him busy this summer, gave him the choice of going to summer camp or hanging out with his grandparents in Hollywood, Florida. This 14-year-old boy picked us! Smart kid.
Never a Dull Moment
Thankfully, there is a Saturday flight direct from Little Rock to Miami; we took it and hit the ground running, landing before noon in the Sunshine State (which, ironically, rains almost every day). For the next five days, we rented boats, bikes, and ate a lot of ice cream. On one such rental occasion, while dining in South Beach, we had a bike stolen right out from under our nose. This misfortune turned out to be an expensive mishap but also fun when Marshall had to show off his track and field skills by running alongside my bike back to the car.
On two different days, we rented a party barge and cruised the intercoastal waterway. We boarded in Hollywood on both days. The first day we went north to Ft. Lauderdale, passing by the industrial port authority with its massive, floating barges and heavy equipment; I don’t understand how those iron barges don’t sink! On the second day, we went south to Miami proper, anchoring in Biscayne Bay at Racoon Island, near Haulover Inlet. The Haulover Inlet is where you go out to the ocean and the setting for so many bad-TikTok boating decisions.
The Good Grandparents
Captain Grady seemed to really enjoy having another boating disciple and Marshall took to the ocean rules and currents like a duck to water. This trip may have sealed the deal on his possible decision to study Naval engineering.
To keep a balance between fun and responsibility, we rose early Sunday morning for service at our favorite, beautiful 1890s church, Trinity Episcopal in Miami. And, of course, we took him to our North Miami flag shop to say hi to all the seamstresses who think he is sooooo cute.
On the last day, we just sat on the beach to relax and reflect on the healing powers of the ocean.
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