Friday, September 23, 2011

Beach Bling: Beach Wagon

ROAD TRIP!  Time to celebrate the first day of a new season.  No, not FALL, it’s officially BEACH SEASON!    What?  You didn’t know that September is THE BEST TIME to take a quick trip to the shore?  It absolutely is.  Most tourists have returned from whence they came, and locals are busy with their weekend activities like soccer games and apple pickings and GLEE practices.  This translates not only to plenty of sand to play in, but also plenty of space to park.  And in many areas, such as Rhode Island, parking is now $40 less than it was last weekend (meaning it’s free.)  So with the sun still shining and the water temperatures still above so-cold-it-sucks-your-breath-from-your-lungs, it’s a great time to grab the Car Art paint and write BEACH OR BUST in your rear window and point the hood of your car toward the coast.
I’m sure your beach bag is packed and waiting by the door.  If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve got the basics:  beach towels, beach hats, beach toys, beach reads, beach wine, beach wine stakes, and flip flops. 
But the summer was to short to talk about everything you’ll need, so here’s a quick list of things you’ll also want to grab before you go:  beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach balls, boogie boards/skim boards/surfboards, water wings, water rafts, sunglasses, sun lotions (plural—with a wide variety of SPFs), potable water (to wash sand off your hands before eating your sandwich), a cooler filled with cold beverages, munchies (enough to share with the seagulls), sandcastle making tools, and, if you’re taking an infant, a pop up sun tent and diapers. 
And one more little thing…actually a very very important thing...in order to get all this stuff from Point A (the parking lot) to Point B (the edge of the water), you’ll need a cart or wagon. 
Certainly everyone who was ever a kid has an old Radio Flyer lying around:
But you'll probably want a shiney new one.  And a little advice from someone who has carted a lot of stuff to the beach, those narrow wheels dig into the sand and you end up dragging it to the water's edge.  Fortunately, the Monster Truck people inspired the Radio Flyer people, and the problem has been solved:

But those of you driving a anything smaller than an F350 may have trouble fitting any full-sized wagon into your trunk, so the Super Max Wonder Wheeler Beach Cart Easy Roll Ultra Wide Wheels 2011 Model Upgraded might be more suitable for your needs:
And some really smart guys (probably the ones tired of dragging both a cart AND a table to the beach) developed a cart/table conversion model: 

Of course those of you with kiddies will prefer the covered wagon (at least your kiddies will.  You? Maybe not once you see the $131 Us$ plus shipping price tag):
.

Or you can hire a yak and a Sherpa to shlep your stuff,

but the cost of importing them from Tibet might make this cost prohibitive.

But when I Goggled "Beach Wagon" the top return was this  (Oh, be still my heart.....)

1925 Ford Beach Wagon

Is that a sweet ride or what? 
Now I know what I want for Christmas!

Here's wishing you a great day at the beach! 

7 comments:

Julie Glover said...

I usually end up weighing my children and me down with equipment and then schlepping to the shore. I think the beach wagon would be better! (By the way, the temp is still in the 90's here on the Texas Gulf Coast.) Love all your beach knowledge. Thanks, Jayne!

Patricia said...

Jayne, I loved the pictures! I live on a man-made island and there's a lot of beach. But since it's on an estuary there aren't big waves, so it's not your typical ocean beach. But there's sand and water and people and beach bling is always necessary.
Thanks for the cool tips.
Patti

Gina Ardito said...

I *love* the beach in September and October. Thankfully, I no longer have to schlep toys and a cooler and sunscreen, ets. since my kids are grown. Just a chair, my laptop, and a bottle or two of water. A writer's paradise!

Charlottemacaw said...

Great blog. Hilarious. And informative. I do want one of those convertible tables.

Jolyse Barnett said...

I LOVE the beach in fall/winter. Isolated, salty brisk breezes, mesmerizing waves, and no worries about bathing suit mishaps.

Funny post!

L and T Hyde said...

Beach Bling hilarious!!! Although the beach wagon aka radio flyer was my grandmothers transportation for many things in the yard for her gardening, the laundry, the cans she collected for recycling or the many runs we made to the local super market to carry nothing but a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and me! LOL Thanks for sharing great memories!!!

Jayne Ormerod said...

Linda, the image of a Little You in a Radio Flyer is priceless! Thanks for sharing!!!