Whenever they get the chance, tall, lint-fair and handsome will drag his Araminta or Olivia off to the beach. Seldom is it sunny and warm. More than likely it will be "invigorating" which is code for: shiver me timbers, it's cold! Often it will be pouring rain. This is all well and good for our hero, but poor Araminta is wearing last year's suit (skirt and jacket), tights and sensible lace-ups. If she's lucky she also has a scarf and a threadbare but still serviceable coat. In Always and Forever, Oliver takes Amabel to the coast twice in November/December.Details like that don't much bother the Founding Bettys. Nope. The unspoken motto for our family would go something like "If it's water, let's go swimming!" Never you mind about the weather - if it's cold outside, the water will feel warmer! (This is true...as we know by our experience). No swimsuit? No problem! Just swim in your clothes and ride home soaking wet. (again, true stories). Our family has been known to pile into the family vehicle and drive to the coast at any time of year. Yes, we have been swimming at the Oregon coast in January and June. Sometimes the weather is actually better in winter...summer is no guarantee of balminess in the Pacific Northwest. The regular temperature of the ocean off the Oregon Coast is such that when you first step in, your feet cramp. It's not so much getting used to the water as it is just getting numb enough to not feel the cold.
Yes, our parents raised them some hardy lasses.
Since this is at least the second time we here at The Uncrushable Jersey Dress have referred to it, we're giving you a handy link to Hulu - where you can watch the entire feature film The Pirates of Penzance for free. (The founding Bettys have worn out more than one VHS tape of this piratical gem - and yes, we know nearly all the words by heart).
Enjoy.
My hardy little lass is certainly uncrushable.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big G&S fan by virtue of my parents, but I'm having a tough time getting Betty Ross to come aboard, as it were. I won't give up, though.
My family had a house on the beach in Maine, so I've been swimming in the North Atlantic in May and October. Brrrr. But here's the odd thing. After Henry and I bought Harmony (that's what we call this house), we still went to the family place in Maine for a week. Every time, though, I would miss my weekend house. Finally, I sold my share of the family house and haven't been back to the beach. It's (for me) always nicer in theory than in reality.
(That noise you heard was my mother turning over in her grave. She went swimming pretty much every single day from May to October, and walked on the beach the rest of the time. She would not approve of my retreat from the sea.)
And see? That John Masefield poem *has* relevance, after all!
I remember when they built the showers and we Bettys (and the Bobbys) could take a tepid to scalding shower if Mom didn't want to have a ton of sand at home. Then riding home standing up because your jeans chafed too much sitting down, while Dad swerved through Noti telling hilarious stories. Good times.
ReplyDeleteBobbys! Yes!
ReplyDeleteBetty Magdalen: Of course the John Masefield poem has relevence! We can twist just about any subject to suit our evil plan (you thought we were kidding about "conquering the world"?)
ReplyDeleteBetty Debbie -- Then we simply must get you onto Twitter. All the very BEST would-be world conquerors are on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteOh, there was always chafing. It didn't seem to matter if there were bathing suits involved or not... our jeans always got soaked. How is that possible. Do you remember wave jumping in a line while holding hands? It's not so much fun when you are the youngest... aka the shortest. I drank a lot of sea water and rarely on purpose.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha Debbie on Twitter.
ReplyDelete