Florida should be called “The Skin Cancer State” especially
for fair-skinned people like me. My skin doesn’t tan, it just burns and peels.
So I need to be extra careful. My foundation make-up is sunscreen and that
only! I’m also fond of broad-brimmed hats.
I live in Vero Beach the jewel of the Treasure Coast where
the Tropics begin. The area is part of the old Spanish Main. Three Hundred
years ago a fleet of Spanish ships all laden with treasure skimmed our coast
and sailed directly into a severe hurricane. In the morning light of that July,
the fleet was wrecked and lost in the depths of the Atlantic along with its
treasures.
But the Spanish treasures turn up from time-to-time. Naturally,
treasure hunters around the world are drawn here. Some have been quite successful; others have
perished in the pursuit.
Imagine if modern beachgoers entered a time loop and
suddenly discovered dead and broken bodies floating in the surf where they play
or the sands where they lounge. And if
the surviving Spaniards entered a similar loop they would likely find
themselves floating in green slime as thick as guacamole. Recently, the Stuart
beach was closed over the 4th of July weekend due to algae. Stuart
is my old hometown just an hour south of Vero Beach.
This is beyond sad, it’s a disgrace! We have the wrong
people in office! This toxic damage to the environment should be their No. 1
priority! Is their problem greed or are they just evil, perhaps both! Governor Rick
Scott, I think you are a slimeball, muck for a schmuck! Please come to the
Treasure Coast and take a swim in the waters off the Stuart beach.
I recall Senior Skip Day back in 1969.This was a perk of
being a senior in my old High School. We all showed up for roll call that
spring day and then headed out to the parking lot where we piled into cars. Our
swimsuits under our clothes we headed for the Stuart beach for a full day of
fun!
And FUN it was!!! Of course I was lobster red at the end of
the day and my skin was peeling for a month afterward, but that day was worth
it! Also my face and body were covered with even more freckles which I hated!
And worse, I would be entering Junior College covered with these.
Later, when I entered the workforce with no time or interest
in the beach, my freckles faded. I was happy to see them go and didn’t want
them back!
My favorite time for swimming was always during the hours
right before dusk when the sun is lower in the sky. But I’ve heard this is when
the sharks are feeding. So I stopped.
Just last August I was swimming and shivering in the cold
Pacific waters off the Galapagos Islands, nothing like our warm Atlantic summer
waters here on the Treasure Coast! Perhaps I’m prejudice, but I think our
beaches are prettier, too. Or at least they used to be before the green muck! –
Heads should roll because of this, starting with our Governor!!! He is widely hated here on the Treasure Coast
for valid reasons. There should be jail time as well as steep fines for this
shameful and inexcusable damage to our environment!!! My heart goes out to the
marine life, these waters are their home and it’s been ruined!!!
Hopefully now that this issue has made the national news,
those responsible will be forced to clean up this mess of their own making!
Ugh!
Anyway, my Galapagos experience drove the point home that I
am no longer a beach person. I really didn’t enjoy that part of the trip. And
if I never set foot on a boat again, it will be too soon! As a child, my family
owned a boat and I loved it!
I spent so much time on the beach growing up, I think I just
O.D.ed on it! Now it’s high altitudes and mountain views that excite me. They
feel more exotic, plus I enjoy a cool nip in the air. The Treasure Coast is a
special area and its scenic beauty needs to be restored. But every place deserves to be protected from
polluters!I love Vero Beach, but if I moved, I wouldn’t want to be anyplace
near an ocean.
I carry an umbrella with me at all times. It also doubles as
my sunbrella! Sometimes I receive odd
stares from people and I want to scream, “Haven’t you fools ever heard of
parasols!” The heat is brutal here and the sun’s rays are damaging!
Recently, I visited Ecuador & Thailand. In both
countries, it is common to see women walking around holding open umbrellas on
sunny days. In Third World countries people are savvier about protecting their
skin.
To my mind, the only ones who look good in dark skin are
those who are born with it. There is nothing wrong with being pale. I embrace
it! Plus I love the firmness of my face at age 65. No crows feet here and I
love to laugh!
Enjoy the beach if that’s your thing, but be wise about it.
Stay out of algae infested waters and WEAR SUNBLOCK!
SUNSCREEN SPF 30 +
My fair visage
A polished alabaster
Not a Dracula pallor
Or chalky ghost white
Suntans often mutate
Into ruptures and furrows
As in cheap vinyl
Or old cracked leather
And the fate befalling Icarus
Not to mention or forget
The dreaded, deadly melanoma
So please refrain from snide observation
While I slather my sensitive epidermis
With UVA and UVB protection
Pale is better
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