Beach Art

The fog was in this morning, and the beach smelled of seaweed and salt and the occasional passing whiff of Coppertone. Thank goodness there is still Coppertone, my absolute favorite beach smell. My mom used to slather me up whenever we went to the shore, and I always had lotion in my beach bag when I was growing up. In high school I switched to baby oil mixed with a little iodine, I think for the color, and then there was orange Bain de Soleil, the more sophisticated version. We roasted ourselves like hot dogs, turning every so often, working to get the perfect tan. We chatted, kept an eye out for boys, read beach novels, but mostly worked on our tans, as if that were occupation enough for a summer that was always too short.