Family finds way to beat the heat
I don’t know about you but, for me at least, these past couple of weeks seem way hotter than I can ever remember. I realize it’s mid-July but, as my dad would say, “It’s so hot the trees are chasing the dogs.”
As much as I would prefer hanging in the AC, that was not to be because my daughter, Camden, her husband Andrew and my two grandchildren 14-month-old Benjamin and 3 ½ year old Alice visited for a week. Thinking that old “Grandpappy” could stay to his regular routine of getting a one-hour siesta in the afternoon was wishful thinking.
For that entire week, I never stopped moving and, when I did try to catch a catnap, it didn’t take more than five minutes before one of my two grandbabies was jumping up and down on my chest like I was a trampoline. Having raised two kids of my own, I’ll be darned if I had forgotten just how hard it was. It was worth it, though, because I had a blast.
Before they arrived, it had been at least a couple of years since I had stepped on the beach. Is that strange or what?
It did take a bit of coaxing by my daughter to get me to take a beach day. Heck, I didn’t even own a swimsuit. But after a quick trip to Speedo Land, I got me a new suit and off we went.
I wasn’t quite prepared with the number of people on the beach but, once I got in the water, I forgot about them and let the ocean do its magic on my body. It was wonderful. It took the pressure off my bad back and spurred me on to go again a couple of days later. When it as hot as it has been, the water is definitely the place to be if air conditioning isn’t in the cards.
On that note, my routine during this period is to get up and on the water early so by around noon I can be back in the cool confines of my home. Then around 4:30 p.m., I stick my head outside and, if my glasses don’t fog up, it’s safe to get back outside.
On one such morning, I loaded up my daughter and her minions on the boat and headed to Daufuskie Island. Along the way, I pulled into a creek, shut down the engines, threw out a bumper on a long rope and we all jumped in the water. Yep, the water is definitely the ticket because even by 10 a.m. it’s so hot the birds have to pick up worms with a potholder.
Personally, I like swimming in the river more than the beach. The water is cooler, more refreshing and you don’t have to pick sand out of your crack.
Once we made it to Daufuskie for a bite to eat, it was absolutely stifling hot. With only one large fan in the joint, I pitied the folks trying to eat their deviled crab because I was one ripe individual hogging the fan. Yum, yum.
Back on the water, I decided to hand the navigation over to my grandson just to see if any of my rather questionable genetics were there. At 14 months, his intensity blew my mind. I will admit I had it on autopilot, but he still took the wheel without hesitation, glancing at the GPS and bottom machine like any good skipper would.
I can’t wait to add another marsh monkey to my long line of ocean dwellers.
Can you believe the water temperature is 86 degrees now? That in itself is another reason to get going early, especially if you are fishing.
This has been one of the best trout years in a long time and man, oh man, are there some lunkers. Better yet, I have been getting them on top-water plugs like a chartreuse Zara Spook. It is so cool watching that lure disappear in an explosion of water. You might not catch numbers of trout, but the ones you do catch are absolute pigs.
Once the sun gets cooking, forget it. I guess trout don’t cotton to the heat, either, as they move to deeper water to cool off or simply sulk in the depths until the sun goes down.
This story was originally published July 15, 2017 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Family finds way to beat the heat."