Gulf Shores 1964
It seemed like such a long trip to Gulf Shores from Jackson. It was a vacation. Even if it were only for a night or two. Mom and dad would load up the Volkswagen with everything we would need for the trip. If we were camping, like we did so many times, dad loaded a heavy dark green canvas tent, compete with a center pole that expanded to hold it up. The tent had a certain old, stale acrid odor that I can remember to this day. It almost created a burning sensation in your nose. It still amazes me how we got all our supplies for the trip in that Volkswagen. But Daddy would set up the tent on the beach, and we would hear the crash of the waves all night. He would build a big camp fire just beside the tent. We had delicious roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on coat hangers, untwisted and straightened into the perfect utensil.
On other nights, the weather would be so absolutely perfect, we would sleep outside on the beach.
Safe and sound.
Never a fear or a thought of harm. Stretched out on green web woven strap lawn chairs, we would sleep to the sound of the ocean, waking up with plaid strap marks on our faces.
I remember how the beach was covered in dunes, sea oats, and small pine trees, almost bonsai in shape. The dunes were so tall, you couldn’t see the road once you were on the beach. The air was fresh and clean, but with that wonderful salty beach smell.
Sometimes, we stayed in one of the concrete block cabins that used to line the roads at the beach. The speckled concrete floors were always cover with sand, no matter how hard you tried to keep it swept out. Never equipped with air conditioning, these cabins always had a cool breeze blowing through the roll open jalousie windows. At night, the sea air floated through the windows sending everyone into a restful sleep, awakening refreshed and ready to play in the waves and sand.
When it was time to go home, daddy would pack up the car while we nursed our bright red faces, arms, and shoulders with anything we could find to relieve the burning evidence of our days in the sun.
It was a different time and a wonderful memory. From the mind of me.
