A Labor Day Treat

I will never forget the Labor Day weekend when I was a teenager. We lived in Maryland and my dad came into my room and told me that we could go on a trip anywhere in the United States. My brothers and I just had to choose a destination and we would be off. Our grandparents lived in Florida and since we weren't really familiar with any other places to go, we chose Ft. Lauderdale. In several hours we were on a plane and off to Florida. It was so exciting!

We left Saturday morning and came home on Monday. In 1969 this just wasn't done. When we got off the plane we were greeted by a warm sultry day with just a bit of a breeze. We got to our hotel room and then off to the beach. That night we ate at a lovely restaurant and afterwards we went dancing. I met a young man from Michigan and we took a long walk on the beach. The sand was still warm and the beach was dotted with palm trees. It was like another world.

We spent the balance of the time sunbathing and just playing in the surf. Monday morning we were back in Maryland. A few weeks later I received the most beautiful letter from that young man in Michigan and years later I made a scrapbook for my dad and listed this as one of the best and most memorable times of my growing up.