Life's a Beach.doc

After such a wonderful time at the beach with the girls last week, I suggested an MAIPR beach day happen immediately. The crew was more than happy to oblige. Monday was another holiday here in the Netherlands (at this point I can't even keep track) so we boarded the train with the other holiday revelers on our way to Zandvoort.

We picked a great day. The temperature reached 24, which for the lowest part of Europe (we're below sea level) is pretty respectable. After learning from the last time (when they tried to charge us for using the lounge chairs!) we staked out a beautiful spot in the sand and went straight to relaxing. I brought my copy of Hello Magazine Canada - sent by my wonderful friend Emma - and read all about the celebrity happens on our side of the border. The other members of the group were razzed when they pulled out school related library books. Sand + Theory just does not mix.

On the last visit we didn't end up going swimming because the water was super cold. This may surprise some of you since I love to swim in saltwater. I could spend my whole day trying to ride waves. On this visit however, Hetta bullied me into joining her in the water. She's use to Finnish lakes where a dip is taken after a nice long sauna; I'm use to Island beaches on reading week and warm lakes on Prescott evenings. The water was cold upon entry, but as with any dip, after ten minutes I had adjusted to the warmth and rediscovered the joys of swimming in salt water. Hetta left after ten minutes but I stayed in for a half hour.

Dev, Adam, and Courtney wandered down after a while to see where their Canadian comrade had disappeared to. After they took some photos of me splashing in the waves (there were actually a lot of surfers in the water too) they joined in: Courtney rolled up her pants and waded in a bit, Adam came fully in and then retreated back to the warmth of the sun after ten minutes, but Dev's another story. He wore jeans and a T-shirt to the beach not expecting to swim. After rolling his jeans up (belt and all) he entered the water and it was a struggle to get him out. Having lived in a small village in India, Dev had never swam in saltwater before. We waded in, swam out a bit, and tried to catch waves as they crested. I can't really remember what the ocean must have been like as a young child, but seeing Dev jump and splash around I have a pretty good idea. It was really a great moment to share with him; he was in his glory. After twenty more minutes of hanging out with Dev, the hour in the water left me a little drained. I laid down in the swallow water to relax while keeping an eye on my friend and his new found fun.

Once we made it back to the beach, the rest of the afternoon was spent chatting about the upcoming summer school, enjoying the packed surroundings, and venturing to one of the many patio bars for a beer. By the time six o'clock rolled around the seven hours of sun, sand, and water had taken its toll. You'd think that after a day of doing absolutely nothing productive that one wouldn't be tired, but we were all wiped. We boarded the train back to Centraal and called it a day. I took with me a winning sunburn that is quickly making its way into a golden tan. I chalk it up to practice for the 12 days of scorching sun I'll be seeing in Portugal and Spain in July. It'll go down as one of the best Amsterdam group days.

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. It's difficult to try and catch her at home during the weekdays since she gets in around 6pm, but I was happy to be able to wish her a good day. Last evening I took Bec out for dinner as a thank you for her wonderful help during the macbook crisis. We went to a pizzeria just around the corner from her house - I had a pizzer with broccoli, eggplant, onions, and asparagus. Today I've been working in the library and madly trying to get errands done before a Sunday departure to Finland. Apparently we'll be having about 21 hours of sunlight during our days - that should be an experience.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I always think that I'd be really happy to live on or near a beach. Here's hoping you're able to schedule some beach time this summer.