1969, The Summer That Was ~ #MondayBlogs

Late in the summer of 1969 my parents put me on a plane to Miami where I was going to spend some time at my Grandma’s place — she lived in a residential hotel in South Miami Beach. I was terrified of the plane ride (first time ever) but excited about my “grown-up independence”. One of the other grandmothers living in that hotel also had arranged for her teenage granddaughter to visit from NY around the same time so I even had a prearranged buddy to hang out with. And hang out we did.

So long as we let our grandmothers know where we were going and were back by their specified times, it was an adventure spent on the beach, shopping on Lincoln Road, going to the movies and so many things WITHOUT adult supervision, Woo-Hoo! (Although I did find out in later years that my grandmother had her spies, lol.)

The hotel was literally across the street from the beach and we spent almost every day soaking up the sun. I remember that there was an absolutely hunky lifeguard who guarded that particular section of the beach; my friend Carol was absolutely gaa-gaa over him and believe me it was obvious. So much so that even when a Hurricane pelted the Florida Keys and Miami Beach had heavy winds and rain spurts, we still spent as much time across the street as possible. Because of the huge waves and reports of sharks close to shore we had to promise our grandmothers we would not go in the water above our knees.

We were good to our word, but we didn’t count on waves that covered us up to our necks and we certainly weren’t prepared for Carol to be on the edge of a sand-bar and shelf (where the ground literally just drops away). So when Carol got sucked suddenly into the waters and swallowed mouthfuls of salty ocean, she needed help. I was there and the lifeguard wasn’t responding, so I jumped in and pulled her back to shore. After she coughed up what she had swallowed and caught her breath she was, thank goodness, well enough to be furious and approached the lifeguard who had never moved. She literally croaked instead of yelling. He admitted he saw what happened but just assumed she was trying to get his attention! Then he told her she had been nothing but a nuisance for days. I was furious when I heard that.

“Of course she was trying to get your attention, you jerk. She almost drowned. I could have drowned trying to save her. All because you are so full of yourself!”

I think he finally realized how serious the incident was. BTW, neither Carol nor I had ever pretended to be in need of his lifesaving skills before. There was NO reason whatsoever to assume we were pretending and to ignore his responsibilities. Finally Carol and I went back to the hotel, she was in tears; our grandmothers were seated on the porch and Carol blurted out what had happened. When Carol’s grandmother got angry, really angry, I was thankful that neither of us had disobeyed any rules to bear the brunt of her ire. It wasn’t long before her grandmother went down to the beach and we never saw that lifeguard on-duty anywhere on the beach after that.

I never forgot the close call we had and years later as a first responder (with the Auxiliary Police and later as an EMT on a volunteer ambulance) I never doubted someone’s cries for help. Oh there were some that weren’t sincere but my attitude was that I would prefer to cluck my tongue over the abuse later rather than ignore someone who might really be in need.

It is on that note that I want to express my appreciation for all of our nation’s first responders who give of themselves every day to protect and save lives. We have some of the finest Law Enforcement, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services members out there.

It is with special remembrance and gratitude that I send hugs and a piece of my heart to the Dallas Police Department and share with them the pain they suffer. News reports related how they sheltered and helped strangers on the street while in the direct line of fire, their courage and heroism will not be forgotten.

Rest in Peace

Senior Cpl Lorne Ahrens
Sgt Michael Smith
Officer Brent Thompson
Officer Michael Krol
Officer Patrick Zamarripa

"I refuse to see hate live, while love dies."
~ Officer Bryan Woodard, Dallas PD

Moonstruck

44 years ago on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon.

I remember how excited we all were that day - my parents, sister and I had just returned home, not sure I remember where we had been. The living room TV wasn't working and we all piled into my parent's bedroom to watch the events unfold on a 12-inch black & white television screen. I can remember how we cheered at Armstrong's immortal words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

It was then that I looked at my parents' faces and saw the wonder and awe, the world that they had been born into was forever changed once again. A human being had actually set foot on an icon that, until then, was only the source of romantic songs and sci-fi stories.

As a writer I am constantly aware that the world is changing daily. Everyday household chores, travel, communications, politics, fashions, medicine... just a few of the things that have changed since I was a kid. My grown children look at me with amused expressions when I talk of a time when no one traveled in space, we didn't use computers to do our homework, when the phone rang and you either answered it or didn't, we didn't have cell phones, caller ID, or Skype, a time when the only way to be immune to Chicken Pox was to suffer through a bout.

In Final Sin, Jake proposes to Julie despite qualms about the age difference and not having known each other that long - he explains his feelings to her friend Matt, "You know, after nine-eleven, everybody seemed to know somebody who lost someone, and I just didn't want to wait forever to ask. I never expected to need someone so much ever again".

(When I wrote that I thought about when my own husband proposed to me in 1974, a time when the Twin Towers being attacked was unfathomable, most of us were still adjusting to the iconic structures as part of the NYC skyline.)

But I digress...

We now live in a world where reaching for the stars isn't just an expression - it's reality. Today this blog post is a salute to the brave dreamers who truly went where no man has gone before, thank you Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins and all the men and women who made that great journey into space.