The Beach or the beach?

My parents love to travel to the beach. It's a fun day for them. My father especially likes to travel different routes -- every time. Years ago my aunt and uncle made several trips to Pensacola with my parents to see a sick relative. My aunt told me that at first she'd tried to pay attention so she would know the way next time. She laughed. "He goes a different way every time we drive down there. I get so confused. I finally threw in the towel. If we ever need to go on our own, I'll just have to use a map."

I know the feeling. We went to Destin and Ft. Walton Beach yesterday. We went on country roads until finally the interstate loomed ahead and we -- thankfully -- headed up the entrance ramp. Of course, we had to exit and travel more miles just a little ways down the interstate but those roads I knew. They were good roads. Not pig trails. For those not familiar with that Southern expression, pig trails refers to a narrow road. The asphalt is generally crumbling on the sides, requiring a vehicle to bump, bump, bump when meeting another car. If it's bigger than a car, sometimes the side of the road is the best option.

Of course, to my parents a trip to the beach means shopping. What? You thought it meant sand and surf? No. Not in my parents' world. I love the sand. I love the waves crashing in. I love the smell of salt air. Not my parents. They love to shop.

So shop we did. After a trip to McDonald's for a senior Diet Coke. Can't go far without a Diet Coke. So while mother and I went to Michael's to look at craft supplies my father went to Best Buy to "just look around." Thankfully, that's all he did. We still have nightmares of the time he went to Home Depot to "just look around" and walked out with paperwork showing he'd purchased a very expensive zero-turning radius lawnmower. He enjoys that lawnmower. It's sort of like visiting an amusement park once a week. Watching a 79-year-old man do wheelies is quite entertaining.

However, the fact that he didn't purchase anything doesn't mean he didn't want to. He found a wonderful salesperson who knew a great deal about televisions and antennas. My father has wanted a new television for some time now. The old one works fine. It just needs a converter box, which they have. So as we traveled on toward Ft. Walton (glancing at the water as we sped on by) he tried to convince my mother they needed a new television. Folks, texting while driving is dangerous. Trying to convince a spouse to buy a new television while driving is dangerous too. Another stop by McDonald's almost did us in. Fact -- it's important to look before you change lanes to get to said McDonald's. I know. Sometimes it's difficult to do that when you're also talking at a high rate of speed. Priorities, please!

Fortified with more Diet Coke, we went to another craft store. Then the mall. They love the mall. Lots of strange people (and a modeling contest too!) and store after store after store. We were exhausted when we returned home, not a grain of sand anywhere in the van. I carried in their purchases and fed the dogs. My father was still talking about that new tv. I have a feeling another trip to the beach is coming up soon.