Vamos a la playa...

One of the great advantages of working in an overly relaxed office is that we get Friday afternoons off all summer long. And for the last month or so, we've been packing up my friend Debby's car every lunchhour come Friday to head off to glorious Oka Beach just outside Montreal.

Now, Oka Beach is no Fort Lauderdale. It's not even Plattsburgh, NY. But it's got sand and water and a snack bar and the occassional good-looking lifeguard. Plus it's a great way to pass a lazy afternoon and the smell of suntan lotion and beer reminds me of those summers my sister and I spent in Florida with my grandparents (my grandfther was a big fan of beer).

Oka does have its drawbacks, though. Oka is part of a lake that jetties out from the infamously polluted St. Laurence river. The water quality for Oka is posted at the entrance of the park, and it can read anything from "Excellent" to "Watch out for visible floaters". Just kidding, just kidding. But last week the quality dropped from "Excellent" to "Good" and we all looked at each other and wondered what foreign entity was messing up the water and whether or not we'd have the privilege of running into one. Or getting one caught between our toes.

No matter - we were there and it was 35 degrees C with humidity and we had an inconspicuous water bottle full of vodka and enough change to get some cold Cokes. I bought Neal a bathing suit for Christmas, I think it was, that was made for swimming laps in the pool but lo-and-behold not so much for the beach. The closest I can describe it is that he looks like a floundering pot-bellied man minus the pot belly. Plus his tag is always sticking out.

But he's a fish out of water and I have to keep reminding him to put on more sunscreen, as our first trip turned his pasty-white Irish self into a well-cooked lobster. He's also good for curbing our occasional bout of complaining (cause that's what women do) with a hearty "Wise up!" and then we realize, once again, that it's Friday afternoon, and we're not working, and we're sitting on a beach in the sun with a vodka-and-Coke, and life is good after all.