The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-06-04
THE HIGHER
THE FEWER
There's Always Plenty of Room
At The Top
By
NANCY j. MIDGET

front takes on a more home like
air for me. When l first arrived
in this part of the world it SEEM
ed strange to me to find houses
on the ocean side of the road
for mostly in England and most
places in Britain for that mat
ter, the seaside resorts have a
concrete promenade to the sea-
ward side of the highway with
steps at intervals leading down
to the beach. On the edge of the
promenades and on the beach
below, canvas decks chairs were
for hire either by the day or
for a whole morning, or after
noon, while at intervals there
would be the ice cream
stands or kiosks and the other
small teashops or beach stands
selling cups of tea or beach
trays, cakes, buns, candy and
soft drinks, etc,
There would also be at two
or three places along the length
of the town promenade, beach
huts and bathing tents. the lat
ter usually rented for the hour
for a small charge whereas the
huts would be rented by the
week, being large enough for
small portable stove, two or
three deck chairs and the storing
of china, a few cooking utensils,
bathing suits and the infants
spade and bucket the best part
of childhood's going to the sea-
side, at least it was in my day.
One had really graduated from
the baby stage to that of near
adult when parents said they
would trust you with a metal
spade and not a wooden one.
A very necessary precaution,-
not trusting the too young with
the metal spade / mean,- for
when the childish ire gets going
the natural thing is for them to
raise whatever it is in their hand
and wham the object of their
wrath,
l was never at the receiving
end of a spade that l remember
but a very good friend of mine
did reward me for whatever
brand of annoyance l was hand
ing out once by bonking me over
the head with her crochet bag.
1t was a leather draw string af-
! fair like some of the modern
handbags but nevertheless the
crochet hook came through and
firmly Undecided itself in my
head, actually very specifically,
but l was taking no chances on
losing what little brain l had
by pulling out the hook and let
ting them flow, so l, with my
friend faithfully tagging along
behind, took off at the gallop,
bawling like a stuck pig, head
ing for home. Mother, with one
little tug removed the excess
baggage and no doubt gave some
good advice, vocal or physical to
both of us.
To return to the seashore, I
spent many a weekend or whole
days during my summer vaca-
tons lazing on the beach in a
deck chair plus shade with a
book, magazine or the ever
handy knitting At least I took
some or all of these to the beach
but much of the time was spent
in watching folks 1T is amazing
how much fun we can get out
of watching other peoples an
tics, forgetting mostly that we
in turn are being watched and
proving just as amusing. Robbie
Burns ooh, would some power
the gifty gle us to see ourselves
as others see us" would give
most of us a shocking jolt if it
ever came to be. l have always
liked a swim in the ocean bet
ter than fresh water swimming
although the first shock of the
cool water does take my breath
away. When l first went swim
ming in the sounds here l felt
as if / were in a hot bath for my
last salt water swimming in
England was down in Devon
shire at Torquay where the
coast is rock bound with cliffs
rising up around the bays and
plenty of pebbles and rock even
along the flat stretch below the
town promenade and gardens
which were laid out along the
sea front.
To see ourselves as others see
us reminds me of one outing l
and my friends took whilst down
| in Devonshire. Ossie, Mickey,
Nan and /. all of the Prudential
PAS in those days, decided that
we wanted to walk around the
kcliffs toward Anstey's Cove and
go swimming in one of the
smaller coves on the way. 1t