July 23, 2001
DOWN HOME:
Beach vacation ends without shark attack
___"Did you get bit by a shark?" friends asked Joanna, Lindsay, Molly and me when we returned from vacation.
___No, thank the Lord. But "shark attack" was the big news up and down the beach where we sunned, read books, played games and enjoyed each other's company for a week.
___In case you vacationed in some remote corner of the world beyond the reach of CNN(if such a place exists, that's where I want to go next year), here's the scoop: A seven-foot bull shark attacked 8-year-old Jessie Abrogast at dusk one evening as he played in shallow water near Pensacola, Fla. The shark severed Jessie's right arm, but the boy's uncle wrestled the shark to land and retrieved the arm, which surgeons reattached.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___Kinda makes a natural-born land-lubber think twice before splashing in the surf. Fortunately, marine biology experts say, a person playing at the beach is more likely to get struck by lightning than attacked by a shark.
___That night, I had visions of being struck by lightning while being attacked by a shark. I could hear the shark-waiter announcing to patrons of his beach-food restaurant: "And this evening, our entree is a lightly grilled middle-aged male Texan, marinated since this morning in fresh, orange-scented sunscreen."
___Other than that, the vacation was a spectacular success. We went to the beach, of course, because that's the girls' preference. I'm a mountain guy (which is wholly different from being a mountain man) myself. My preferences are purely pragmatic--mountains are cooler than beaches in July, and I've never once had to shake "mountain" out of my swimming trunks at the end of the day.
___Fortunately, you can't go wrong anywhere the alarm clock remains silent and the phone never rings. A place like that would be a good vacation spot, whether it's located on the beach, in the mountains or smack-dab in the middle of a wheat field.
___As you might imagine, my definition of a great vacation has changed through the years. When I was a teenager, my idea of a perfect vacation would have been for Mother and Daddy to take my sister and brother and leave me at home. Later, I dreamed of exotic locales and exquisite excitement. Now, I just want a quiet place where I can retreat with Jo and the girls. Even the long drive is great, because it's just us.
___As the number of family vacations dwindles (the girls are 17 and 14), I thank God for time together as family--to enjoy leisurely meals, to play games, to laugh and sing and act silly.
___That probably means I'm such a fuddy-Daddy even the sharks would think I'm boring. But that's not bad when you hang out at the beach.
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