Catching some Rays, Meeting The Cousins ~ Monkette Loved It

My mom's sister Lillian had four kids, Nat, Herb, Larry, and Ellen. Ellen was the youngest, Larry a year or two younger than me, Herb several years older, with Nat being the oldest. As a kid I didn't see all that much of them because they lived in another town in Massachusettes, then just before I turned 14 my mom and I moved to Miami.

The last few months were unusual, with first Herb and his wife Harriet visiting the Miami area, and a few weeks later Larry and Margie were here. I hadn't seen any of them in years. Monkette had never met any of them at all. One morning we went to meet Larry and Margie at their hotel for brunch. Like most northerners they seemed shocked to find out that I hadn't been to the beach in years, and still more years since I'd last been swimming in the ocean. Monkette had never been to the beach, not even swimming in a pool. We agreed to go catch some rays after brunch. The cousins only had a few days to "get a tan" and do it without getting a painful sunburn if possible.

We chatted about our kids and what they were up to these days, talked about fishing in the park ponds when we were kids, and promised one another that we'd do a better job of staying in touch with one another. Monkette complained that it was difficult to get a tan through her fur, and nobody would be able to notice it anyway. Monkette always complains about something!