At least once a week finds us sitting on the edge of America.
Depending on the direction of the tide, Melissa and I are either chasing it, or making way for it, as we like placing our chairs just enough on the edge of the surf so that the water washes our feet.
We’ve found that if we don’t schedule time (usually Sunday) to go sit on the beach that we will become like too many Tybee residents who seldom venture onto the sand. Ironic, I know. Sad, I agree. But true nevertheless. And we’ve promised each other that won’t happen to us.
With Melissa’s job requiring much of her attention most of the week, it isn’t easy to carve out this time. Me? I’m always on standby, right? (I don’t mind at all what I hear y’all saying: What else has he got to do? Don’t mind at all.)
So, our Sunday ritual, except when it defaults to Monday, is to go out to brunch either at the Sugar Shack or Sunrise. We splurge every so often and go to the Breakfast Club. Sugar Shack is cheap and quick even if there’s a line. We like the buffet at Sunrise. Of course, the Breakfast Club is neither cheap nor quick. But it is delicious and, if you sit at the counter, as we prefer, the grill masters put on quite a show.
Surprisingly, none have very good coffee.
Our weekly ritual
After eggs, bacon, grits or hashbrowns (and fruit at Sunrise), we hit the beach off Sixth Street, the street that leads from our house on Lewis to the ocean. We plop chairs down and, with our latest books in our laps, gaze out at the ocean and the horizon. Eventually, we’ll open the books and read.
And watch, if there are folks, particularly children, playing in the ocean.
At some point, one of us will inevitably say: “We live here,” to which the other will say, “Yes, we do.”
On Sundays during the season (Memorial Day to start of school), the beach is usually full. Not crowded, but full. After school starts, not so much. And by the week after Labor Day, it is pretty much our private beach.
We have tried to extend this ritual into the colder months, but haven’t succeeded. We will, however, keep trying.
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