I learned two things on this trip. First, with my gimpy foot, I can no longer balance when the waves rush around my legs. Standing your ground in rushing waves requires two good feet firmly planted and able to adjust quickly to the sand being swept from beneath your feet. This was the first time I've ever been knocked over - whoosh! Second wave and I'm down. Now, I don't have a problem with getting wet while at the ocean. I simply prefer to do it slowly a little bit at a time. Also,the good leg tires much faster in the waves than on land alone. I finally just sat right down on the sand in the surf. Which creates an interesting hazard for girls - you know, sand going places sand is not supposed to go.
The second thing I learned is that times have changed in the parking world. The parking meters are no longer equipped for coins, at least not in this well-known, beach-front town. The meters all have a bright green tag on the front with a phone number and instructions to call and set up an account to pay for your time using one of your credit cards. No kidding! What if you don't have a cell phone on you? What if you didn't want to take your phone or your credit cards to the beach? What if you don't want to sit and go through an automated registration (required) process? I'd rather poke myself in the eye ten times than deal with one more automated phone menu!! The answer is, you drive around looking for an all day parking lot and pay their outrageous fee. Which is what I did - $12.00 is what my stubbornness and hatred of automated phone menus cost me. Oh well. But why? Why do that to parking meters? Who is going to want to put fifty cents on a credit card? Just doesn't make sense to me. Who came up with this and WHY?! I mean parking meters have been serving mankind quite effectively for decades. Geez.
Oh, we'll go back. Just probably not during the summer.