Last Day

The famous, or infamous, last day at the beach. It's comparable to late afternoon on Christmas Day. It's so over, with just a little left. The effort to savor those sounds and sights and scents. The feel of the wind - we've had a great breeze, this trip. The sound - that sound - the waves - the foam, the surf crashing slowly and easily. Nothing big and dramatic. Easy crashes of water on water. Easy waves. I got in again today with Kate. I even got in the indoor pool with Sarah and did swim a couple of laps. That would be nice...to have a lap pool.

We are all preparing to go out to eat tonight. At Lagniappe. I think that is pronounced Lan-yap. I've been saying lan-yappy, but Charlie corrected me. I was doing good to call it that - because.....here goes another memory.

another beach memory.

Our family - you know, the Northcutt family - from Evergreen - remember? It was Ella and Elbert who had 4 daughters, Lucille, Edith, Florence all 3 years apart and then Mary 10 years after Florence. Weeelllllll - there was this one year - and Ella had a brother named Tom who had a large family. Tom had a place on the bay, somewhere in Florida. It was called Lagniappe Beach - only all those years we pronounced it Lag - nappy. With a hard G sound. Or we referred to it as Uncle Tom's Cabin at Lagnappy beach. We all went. Well, not Ella and Elbert - but the families of the first 3 girls. Many years the Robinsons didn't go to the beach with us. They might have been living in Kentucky, or Brundidge - prior to finally staying in Evergreen.

So - the Cooks, the Prices and the Wilkersons all went to stay at Uncle Tom's Cabin. I didn't have a clue about the famous book regarding slavery, titled UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. Noone told me about that book.

Let me tell you about UT'sC. It was a sea green cement block house - flat roof - scrubby plants in the front yard - no shade. It was one large room. The length of the back of the house ran a screen porch. There was one bathroom. The beds were all toward one end of the large room - like army cots. I knew that all the females would sleep in the large room and all the men would sleep on the screened porch. The kitchen was toward the end of the large room - separated by a counter for eating. Like a large bar - with barstools. I guess that's where we ate. I have no recollection of eating but I know we did eat there because no way, in those days would we have gone to a restaurant. It's not like we were paupers - but we just didn't indulge in that kind of extravagance - not yet - not at that stage of our family recreation. Plus, there were so many of us. 3 families - that's a total of 7 children, the oldest being Bert who was dating beautiful Susan, at the time. I remember they did go out on a date while we were there(Susan was on vacation with us) I just thought that was the most magical thing to watch - her getting ready and looking so beautiful and having a "swirly" skirted dress on - I remember it as being coral. I was so young - 5 or 6 - and I do recall Suzanne who was about 12 painting my fingernails. I was trying to get somewhere into the range of glamor that I thought Susan held. I guess Suzanne was 12. She might have been 13 or 14, if Bert and Susan were dating. I don't know.

Back to Lagniappe Beach - it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. My memory is that I had so much fun - but again, never enjoying the water if the bay floor couldn't be perfectly smooth and clear. And it certainly wasn't. I remember being very "whiney" about that because I was aware Mom was really exhausted from my complaining. I sensed that I was beginning to be very annoying to her. Oh well. I didn't enjoy the junk we had to walk through to get in the water. That's all I remember and the feeling of yet another great family vacation. I know it wasn't air conditioned. It was just a lot of people in one large room and on one large screened porch. Isn't that funny? I wonder if the adults were enjoying themselves. There's no way to know at this point. Mom, Daddy, Lucille, Mabry, and Waynard are in heaven. Florence might not remember it. I heard from Mary Ann that Flo is in the hospital for stomach ailments this week. Sad. I want her to be comfortable and at ease.

So tonight we'll dine at Lagniappe Restaurant(Lan-yap) and when I read that sign I always think of Lagniappe Beach(Lag-nappy) or Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Tomorrow - back to 1412 Byron Road in Scottsboro, AL - but not without a brief bathroom break in Evergreen. It has to be brief - Sarah is meeting friends back at our house and has a rehearsal dinner to attend in Chattanooga, TN tomorrow night. We'll have 4 extra girls spending Saturday night at our house after being at a friend's wedding on Saturday. Back to being a part of the "wedding circuit". Ann and LB have about phased out of it, but now Sarah and Kate are phasing into it. :-) Anyone have suggestions on what to do with a zillion bridesmaids dresses as well as old prom dresses? Outdated styles? We could refer to them as "vintage" and perhaps someone would buy them. Any ideas?

I have big blue hydrangeas waiting for me when I get home. I hope there's been rain. They beginning to fill out when we left. Can't wait to see them. Charlie has Monday off. Yardwork! Yay!