What I Did On My Summer Vacation – Day 4 - A Guide to Beach Fashion For Boomers

Though Disney World was the primary motivation for us choosing Orlando as our vacation destination, our research told us to avoid Sunday’s at the Magic Kingdom due to high attendance.  So – since our first full day in Florida was a Sunday, we headed for the grandkids new favorite destination – the beach - instead of the Magic Kingdom.  Luckily, Cocoa Beach was only a half-dozen toll booths east of our hotel.

Arriving early, we staked our rented beach umbrella in a prime location on the dry side of the high tide line by 10:15 am.  It was a beautiful, warm day with a nice breeze and chance of rain in the afternoon, which pretty much describes the majority of days in Florida.

My Wife Holding Down Fort Reece
At Cocoa Beach

As the kids played in the surf under their parents watchful eye and my wife lounged under the umbrella, I took a walk to the pier.  “Wouldn’t it be nice” I thought, “if I could get matching t-shirts for my 3 grandkids and me?”

No luck with that idea at the Cocoa Beach pier.  Maybe Ron Jon’s Surf Shop would be able to help make my matching t-shirt dream a reality later in the day.

Note the diversity of
swim suit attire

As I walked the shoreline, I saw great diversity in the seaside attire of my fellow beach-goers.  Personally, I believe that for every birthday over age 65, a person considerate of other people’s feelings should add one piece of clothing to their beach attire.  Smokey Greene sums up my sentiments in this little ditty called “I Just Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore!”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6jhPBHe238

Back at our umbrella, the kids were getting spooked by the jelly fish washing up on shore.  Luckily, these were not the stinging Portuguese Man-of-War jelly fish.  They were transparent and gooey with no stingers but they still had the kids spooked, especially if they inadvertently stepped on one.  Especially Brooklyn, who was already miffed that the ocean had rudely picked her up and dumped her on her head, and then did it again once she regained her feet.

After 3 hours of fun in the sun, we returned our beach furniture and walked the two blocks to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop.

We all went our separate ways as soon as we hit the entrance.  My first stop was the children’s dept. where I was able to find 3 identical t-shirts in the right sizes for my grandkids.  “Do they make these in adult sizes?” I asked the clerk.  “Yes they do” – he said.  “Try that rack right over there.”

“Bingo!”  I found an identical shirt in XL.  Usually I wear medium or large, but it was the only one they had so I decided to try it on.  A guy my age unlocked the fitting room door and found me a stall.

As I tried on the shirt, it seemed a little tight.  “What do you think?” I asked the clerk, who I later decided must work on commission.  “It seems a little tight to me” I added.  “Nah, it looks great!  Wear it down to the beach and you’ll look just like everyone else.”

Not convinced, I called my wife on the phone and gave her directions how to find me.  “I’d like your opinion” I said.  In the distance, I saw her and my son heading my way.  As they approached, I had my answer with not a word spoken.  They both had looks on their faces like they had just spotted our two-year old grandson picking up a copperhead.   “That’s a compression shirt.  Look for one that says “Loose fitting”’ chipped in a fellow shopper who was a complete, but honest, stranger.

Bottom line – my grandkids all got matching shirts and look adorable.

Three out of four ain't bad.