Top Sail Beach, NC remembered

We are wanting to plan something nice for our family on our 60th wedding anniversary. I get a little anxious and think,  maybe it should be on our 59th.

So in that vein I sent an e-mail to the family for suggestions of THINGS to do. The first response was from Jack Jr. he said all that thinking hurt his head.  The second response was from Jennifer, our future Granddaughter in law. And that is what keyed this blog entry.

Street side

She said she thought a nice place on the beach for a close family get together would be nice. Where we could cook together and relax talk and enjoy the beach. She knew some one who rented the ‘Cat’s Meow’ (a large house on the beach), it is located on TOP SAIL BEACH she had always wanted to do something like that.

Oh do we remember Top Sail beach? 1957 That was the closest beach to our little 26’ trailer love nest at Camp Geiger, NC.  Our Saturday’s ‘cheap’ day out. You cannot picture it now, but then there were no buildings even close to the beach much less on the beach. It was secluded, very few folks wanted a beach with no board walk and excitement, but this newly wed couple thrived on that.  During the day we might see ten people.

One day we were just walking along not paying much attention, about knee deep. I felt us going out and tried to angle back to shore, but it was like walking on marbles. Sherry did not swim and I did not want to scare her, she trusted me. Before I knew it we moved fast and we were neck deep with waves over  our heads. Seconds later there was no bottom within reach.

My girl has always been a praying person, so I said, “Honey you better pray, I cannot get us back!”

I was trying the life saving stroke but the ocean was too much. then I tried going to the bottom and holding her feet as High as I could then when I was short of breath giving her a shove toward shore, then coming up for air.

After a few of these attempts I was treading water with her holding round my neck when she  said, “I love you, you can make it without me, I give up.”  With that she turned loose and pushed out to sea with her head underwater. At that time she had beautiful long hair. It spread out in a perfect circle, and scared me to death. I reached out and grabbed her hair  pulling her head out of the water. I yelled above the sounds of the sea.

“We can make it, your mom will think I brought you out here and drowned you! Come on now let’s get to shore.”

While all this was happening some folks walked up the beach, we yelled and yelled and they kept on walking.

Anyway I renewed the life saving stroke, and told her to lay on top and kick her legs.  We made it, I still had my love.

Oh yes Jennifer, we remember Top Sail Beach.

I learned a valuable lesson that day, Life is precious and YOU CAN DIE YOUNG !  We were 17-18 yrs old.

Nite shipslog

PS:

And she still trusts me.

(We were caught in a rip tide/current)

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Cher:  I have no idea why they were called Tommy toes unless it was a twist on the name Tom – a –toes

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Just about a bathtub.. ‘50 Hudson