An Alternative to Alternative Spring Break

Today was beach day, a time to relax and reflect. Naturally, we started off the morning with as delicious a breakfast as possible; eggs mixed with peppers, pancakes and fried plantains. Then, we were on our way to Lover's Key, a relaxing resort and quaint state park recommended by our friend, the shelter manager John Bianco. 

And then, the plans changed. After looking for an area with more stores and better access to food, we landed on a busy beach in Florida in the middle of spring break. Music played, a porch with a pool in front became a stage for a show featuring Michael Jackson impersonators, firemen, the village people (a glittery Indian being the my personal favorite) and, of course, large men in thongs. Nothing that we expected happened on this beach. Older women and younger women danced their way into the show as beaded necklaces were thrown to the crowd. It was the mildest and frankly, strangest display of controlled wildness I had ever seen.

In the midst of it all, several of us managed to get some sun on the beach (perhaps too much, some of us are looking a bit red), some rented wave runners (my first time),  some read books and all of us laughed at the spectacles around us. It was more fun than I can say to be there for the day. But imagining being there for a whole week made me cringe. If this is what people consider a stereotypical spring break then I want nothing more than an alternative. 

Beth