One of my besties from back in the day fondly calls me C.Z. Anderson. Am I an aspiring Socialite or Baywatch babe??? Or, as another grade school chum eloquently put it many years ago, "you never could decide if it was going to be diamonds or pearls".
But, it's summer now so I'm a little more Anderson and a little less C.Z. and I grow nostalgic for my Beach Patrol days.
Fortunately, for me, my stint as a guard was post the Jack Tripper bathing trunks that bff Kimba's dad sported so well back in the day.
That's me, the seated blond doing my best Pam impression with the rest of the girls of OCBP.
Three of my siblings did Beach Patrol too starting with my brother Keith.
He was Crew Chief midtown back when my job was just full time tanning on his beach...
Eventually, he moved slightly north where you know who became his assistant and only chick on what was affectionately known as the "J. Crew". A bunch of preps in sheeps clothing...
Pretty soon I was a Crew Chief myself living la vita Pamela, or as Babe fondly refers to this picture, doing my best Dog the Bounty Hunter impression with my scraggly long blond locks.
Ahhh...the days when I just thought I was fat (second from right), as opposed to now, when I know I am and would give my eye teeth to be "that fat" again.
These days I just sit on the beach and watch Fenwick Island Junior Beach Patrol having fun and resist sharing "back when I was..." stories.
No longer the queen of the paddle board catching waves and riding them in on my knees...
I watch from my comfy beach chair and Lilly towel as the wee ones learn semaphore.
And, secretly practice reading so as not to loose the language...
As they are taught the starting position for beach flags competition I roll onto my stomach too to ensure even tanning...
The whistle blows and the race is on for the hoses. I reach for my whole wheat pretzels...
Maybe I'll just hold on to the semaphore reading and the tanning but bid adieu to the Baywatch dream. One more month and I'll be back on the Socialite wagon. Til next May...
Dear Dog the Bounty Hunter,
ReplyDeleteUm, I mean Allie, what great memories you must have of patrolling the islands looking for fugitives. No, wait, I mean enforcing beach safety and working on your KILLER tan. I love the picture of the guy with outline of the tank top he must have worn all summer. Thanks for sharing, Denise
What a wonderful memory to own!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm positive you still look fabulous! When I was younger, laying on the beach in my teeny bikini, I used to look at the older women on the beach in their fabulous hats and huge sunglasses, reading a biography about one of the presidents, wearing a chic one piece maillot and I could not wait to be her.....
xoxo
Dontcha just want to say to that young girl in the bikini, "Enjoy that perfect body now!"
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. I used love watching the lifeguards doing their "secret" hand signal language from tower to tower at the beach on Long Island. Ours didn't use semaphore...I'm sure you still rock a bathing suit at the beach. Most importantly you get out there & enjoy the sun & sand. :) I loved pam Anderson on Baywatch. I was in HS when the show came out & I still bought her Barbie...I STILL have it! LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm closing the Preppy Patio & just going to keep http://preppyapron.blogspot.com/
LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteSarah
Now we know why you love Summer!
ReplyDeletepve
Good lord, girl, you had the perfect legs!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I was going to tell you the other day that you remind me of CZ on the cover of Privileged Life...
P.S.S. (or is it P.P.S.? I always forget)..
ReplyDeleteGuess what I'm drinking right this minute in my finest crystal? The diet mt dew/orange juice drink. Forgot what Babe calls it. I did not measure it out or anything...hope this isn't important to it's ability to work??...waiting for the kick...I need one...
This is a great post!! I used to love watching the beach patrol in my younger days! Well, I may or may not still enjoy it. ;-) xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am envious of your tan....oh and your killer 6-pack oh wait, I mean 12 pack!!!! I miss the beach, bottle up some air and sun for me and bring it back to the city would you?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bitsy and Pink and Green, but only on the first post. Have yet to try the White Trash Redneck Drink. Funny, I grew up in the Ozarks and saw people drinking that sh, I mean stuff, but I never tried it. I'll stick with my caffeine free Diet Coke, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteYou, my dear are definitely a CZ. Please, in my dreams YOU are CZ, not Pam.
However, I can understand that switching off back and forth. That's actually a good thing. My husband say's that why we've been married for so long. (wink wink)
Is your friend Kimba also known as Caroline Kennedy? Because that lifeguard sitting on his post has got to be JFK!
ReplyDelete(my "good eye" again....)
I've been away much too long. I missed this great post. Conjured tons of memories of my childhood on South Carolina beaches. I'm forever sun damaged because of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm seein' a little more Captain Crunch in that picture comment re your hair.
Onward.
ADG