I Think the Worst of Spring Break is Over...

Hello from Sisterhood of the Redneck Riviera! After what is considered winter here at the beautiful Redneck Riviera when shops shorten their hours and some restaurants close after Thanksgiving and re-open in mid February, the first great happening is of course "Spring Break" that goes from March thru April, give or take a few weeks plus or minus.  So, Panama City Beach where I live is known on the Travel Channel as one of the very top 10 destinations for the high school and college kids to find their way to from all over the southeast and upwards to Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and all those cold places I'm so glad I don't have to endure during their winter months. Heck, winter here in PCB may mean wearing a sweatshirt if the wind whips in off the gulf for a few days and in the evenings after dark from sometime in mid to late December to early to mid February, and I only take off the flip flops and put on sneakers when I walk my precious retrievers, Scout and Annie. Of course we get some freezing temps at night during our short winter, and I have proof of this from the frost bite that killed a few of my palm trees that Lowes should never bring to this part of Florida anyway.  Thank goodness they refunded my $900.00 and I purchased those that will definitely endure a PCB frost.  Anyway, enough about our short pleasant winters...back to spring break...so my personal opinion of spring break and the youth that fill our hotels and condos, sure they get loud with their yelling and music pouring from their cars and trucks cruising up and down Front Beach Road aka Miracle Strip, and make you nervous riding the scooter rentals, several of which I've seen toppled over...yep, they can be annoying just as my boys always could be, and sometime although grown, can still be...but, hey, they are bringing money to our town and economy and helping me obtain a few bucks in a paycheck from my part time work with a local hotel.  I've met a number of them staying at the establishment and for the most part they were courteous, even when the beer breath of nineteen year olds nearly knocked me off my feet. I could only shake my head after they walked away and be thankful I completed and survived "Life and Stories of Teen Sons" But anyway, my most irritating encounter came on a day I wasn't working at the hotel and decided to ride my bike over to the beach which is one mile from the front door of my home. After arriving at one of  my favorite spots on the sugar sand of our delicious beaches across the street from Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, I leaned my bike against a post and placed my towel on the ground where I could sit and lean against the post.  I got my bottle of water and my notebook to write in and was comfortable when 4 young men that I later learned were from Houston, Texas, decided to get in the vicinity of my space to throw their frisbee. Now if the two on my end a short distance from my feet knew how to jump, run, or catch a frisbee within their reach, my "space" wouldn't have felt so invaded.  But after a toss that landed in a manner to cast sand into my face and left the frisbee next to be, I had to toss it back and ask the young man to put more effort into getting to the frisbee before it got to me.  I played along for a while, throwing the frisbee back when it came into my space, telling them they might want to consider exerting a little more effort, and better yet considering moving from my space after the frisbee hit me in the left shin and left a small egg on the bone.  "Okay guys," I said, "I was here first, so you might want to consider moving away from "my space" and also the space of the protected sanctuary area behind me and the post where the frisbee kept entering and they kept trampling.So okay, when the frisbee flies by my face, I had to get a bit stern.  "So, have any of you guys ever seen the show on television called, "A Thousand Ways to Die?"  Well look it up, and make sure you we're part of the show scheduling after I become the first woman attempting to relax at the beach to have her head taken off by a frisbee."  So they laugh it off, and zing, it lands beside me again as sand flies up and into my face again. Okay, so anyone who really knows me knows I can be "sweet" for only so long."  I picked up the frisbee, and in the "mama tone" I said, "enough is enough, you need to take this frisbee and get out of my space now."  Okay, so as usual it always takes a "mama tone" to get a kid  or 4 to believe you aren't a push over.  And I enjoyed the rest of my time in my space and fortunately, won't be debuted on "1000 Ways To Die" from frisbee beheading! Happy Spring everyone!