Memorial Day Memories

For the last 10 years, I have equated Memorial Day with traffic. This is the view we are treated to every Memorial Day Monday, right out our front door, as US 1 turns into a virtual parking lot starting at about 10 in the morning. When we moved to Key Largo just before the holiday in 1999, we had no idea the masses that would descend on our new hometown for the weekend.

So that first year, we drove around looking for a beach. We had this idea that the Keys were miles and miles of sandy beach lining both east and west sides of the island chain. Boy, were we ever wrong! The closest thing to that is Anne's Beach, which does at least have sand. On the beach. But not so much when you get in the water. There it has muck. Which wouldn't be so bad if you could swim. But for the first 100 yards out, it is no more than knee deep. Needless to say, we didn't stick around long.

Our son's birthday coincides with Memorial Day, meaning we usually celebrate over that weekend. So a few years later, we had planned a bowling party. What we forgot to factor in was all the aforementioned traffic. What should have been a 15-20 minute drive to the local bowling alley took us well over an hour. Mostly because of all the people who spend the weekend at the "world famous" Holiday Isle Resort. So we had the added highlight of seeing all the revelry up close as our car crept by. Actually we had the task of trying not to see all the sights as we went by.

This year I had as busy a Memorial Day weekend as I can remember. Three birthday parties, including our son's. A Friday sunset wedding. A Saturday afternoon memorial service. All that and I didn't travel more than 3 miles from home. Guess we have learned a thing or two over the years.