Rehoboth Ramblings

Rehoboth Ramblings by Leslie Patterson

Singing in the Rain (Sort Of)

It’s a shame that wearing masks has become a political issue. confinement. Just being there right on the edge of things, where This virus neither knows nor cares about anyone’s particular views. the land and the sand meet the sea, with the wide and sometimes All it is capable of doing is replicating itself in another human victim dramatic sky above, hearing the hypnotic sound of the surf as the and it’s very efficient at that. I find wearing a mask in the summer waves break into frothy foam – what a welcome change. heat to be uncomfortable too, though not nearly as uncomfortable as being in the ICU would be. But wearing masks and not getting too close to people are at present the only ways we have to slow the transmission of this highly contagious disease. One other thing we can all do these days is to try to act civilized with each other. Everyone is stressed to different degrees, but those incidents that happened at ice cream parlors this summer $20 are inexcusable. In a few ice cream shops from Narragansett to the Cape, some impatient and rude customers threw a fit and became abusive when they were told they were required to wear a mask OFF while inside or to eat their ice cream outside. This is not what was meant by the old rhyme “we all scream for With this ad ice cream”. My sympathies to the young staff members who had to deal with these jerks. By the way, ice cream is not some rare, hard-to-find substance you have to fight over. It’s available in many flavors at the grocery store. I should know; I’ve been eating way SANITATION PUMPING, INC 508-824-8370 • 1-800-464-8370 too much of the sweet stuff recently. exclusions may apply

Now that it’s hot and humid outside, the trips to walking trails in the woods don’t seem so appealing due to poison ivy, ticks and mosquitoes. It’s no wonder everyone is turning to the beach. Since we want to avoid crowds this summer, we go late in the day or when the weather is cloudy and cool. Actually these are my preferences Greaves Electric even in normal times. I’m not big on fun in the sun; I just feel like I’m going to get heat stroke. Not many beach-goers share this view. For All Your Electrical Needs

The last Saturday in June we headed to Horseneck Beach in a light rain. When we got there, it was raining harder so we just got out our umbrellas and went walking on the beach in the rain. While it would normally have been a busy day, there was no need Generators • New Construction Remodels • Service Updates to worry about physical distance from others that day. There were a few lifeguards finishing up their shifts and a couple of guys out here Call 508-725-5296 surfing and us. There was no suggestion of thunder or lightning. We weren’t so desperate as to walk on the beach in an electrical storm. Free Estimates Tom Greaves

A flock of gulls went marching ahead of us, hoping for handouts No Job Too Small Rehoboth, Ma no doubt. They made an amusing sight. The little plover chicks are Licensed in MA & RI email: ttoolmaker@comcast.net now fledglings trying out their wings, such cute little birds. Overhead a flock of terns swooped over the water. There was a stiff ocean breeze, very refreshing, even if it turned the umbrellas inside out. We walked the path behind the dunes, stopping to smell the beach roses, until turning left over a dune and back onto the beach. Though it was refreshing and uplifting, I wasn’t exactly singing in the rain like Gene Kelly’s exuberant song and dance number in the movie of the same name. It wasn’t exactly a glorious feeling, but it was a carefree feeling, and if I wasn’t exactly happy again, Call for your FREE initial consultation I was sort of happy, to be outdoors, doing something crazy and unexpected, as if I was still young and as if the world was just going on as normal, laughing and singing in the rain. We’ve also gone a few times to the much smaller Fogland Beach in Tiverton (“Fogland” sounds like the place I’ve been living in the Luke P. Travis, Esq. past few months.) It is on the wide Sakonnet River (technically called a saltwater strait) and not the open ocean, so there are no Law Office of Luke P. Travis real waves to speak of. We haven’t seen much fog there but we Attorney At Law greatly enjoy watching wind-surfers and kite-surfers zipping along. Gosh, that looks like fun, if a person was strong and athletic and 239 Winthrop St., Rehoboth, MA a lot younger than I am. Even for those who aren’t there for water sports, there’s a feelRt. 44 & Rt. 118 TEL: (508) 676-3333 ing of freedom on the beach, much needed after our long home www.bristollegal.com