Sometimes, the best beaches are in your head
Thursday morning on Facebook, Becky changed her status to:
For her, it was just a silly little thought, a passing fancy, a fleeting mental image of a much-needed vacation. But for some reason, it inspired me, and made me want to think of some way to bring Becky's tropical fantasy to life, in some shape or form.
On short notice, and with limited resources (our apartment here in Knoxville is not exactly, er, beachfront property), I had to improvise a bit. But I figured our front porch could substitute for the beach in a pinch. The more important element -- in addition to the element of surprise, of course -- was the fruity drink with the umbrella in it. I definitely needed that, plus anything else I could muster to create a tropical "feel."
So, on my way home from work, I stopped at Party City for some supplies, and also picked up the drink in question. I then hurried home, shepherded Becky onto the porch with a cryptic promise of a "surprise," put a few things together in the kitchen, made her close her eyes as I came out to join her on the porch, until finally... voila!
Admittedly, a virgin strawberry daiquiri picked up from Applebee's Carside To Go probably doesn't count as a "strong" cocktail. ;) But I needed something I could grab on the drive home -- and hey, it was fruity, at least. And tasty!
More importantly, by pouring the daiquiri into a wine glass from our kitchen (well, two wine glasses, actually; I had a daiquiri, too), I was able to ensure that the glass did, in fact, sweat. This was crucial. :) The umbrella straws were also a big hit, as was the lei.
The timing was perfect, too: it just so happened that Loyette was taking a brief late-afternoon nap when I got home, so Becky and I were able to have a lovely little "beach" vacation together, just the two of us. We enjoyed our daiquiris, and each other's company, for 15 minutes or so, before returning to reality and waking up the baby (who, incidentally, turned seven months old on Thursday!)
It was a wonderful little escape from our routines. And I'm pretty sure, listening really closely, we could almost hear the waves crashing against the shore...
For her, it was just a silly little thought, a passing fancy, a fleeting mental image of a much-needed vacation. But for some reason, it inspired me, and made me want to think of some way to bring Becky's tropical fantasy to life, in some shape or form.
On short notice, and with limited resources (our apartment here in Knoxville is not exactly, er, beachfront property), I had to improvise a bit. But I figured our front porch could substitute for the beach in a pinch. The more important element -- in addition to the element of surprise, of course -- was the fruity drink with the umbrella in it. I definitely needed that, plus anything else I could muster to create a tropical "feel."
So, on my way home from work, I stopped at Party City for some supplies, and also picked up the drink in question. I then hurried home, shepherded Becky onto the porch with a cryptic promise of a "surprise," put a few things together in the kitchen, made her close her eyes as I came out to join her on the porch, until finally... voila!
Admittedly, a virgin strawberry daiquiri picked up from Applebee's Carside To Go probably doesn't count as a "strong" cocktail. ;) But I needed something I could grab on the drive home -- and hey, it was fruity, at least. And tasty!
More importantly, by pouring the daiquiri into a wine glass from our kitchen (well, two wine glasses, actually; I had a daiquiri, too), I was able to ensure that the glass did, in fact, sweat. This was crucial. :) The umbrella straws were also a big hit, as was the lei.
The timing was perfect, too: it just so happened that Loyette was taking a brief late-afternoon nap when I got home, so Becky and I were able to have a lovely little "beach" vacation together, just the two of us. We enjoyed our daiquiris, and each other's company, for 15 minutes or so, before returning to reality and waking up the baby (who, incidentally, turned seven months old on Thursday!)
It was a wonderful little escape from our routines. And I'm pretty sure, listening really closely, we could almost hear the waves crashing against the shore...
posted by Brendan Loy at
8/01/2008 12:24:00 AM
