May 24: Beachy Styles

Have you ever noticed beach umbrellas? I mean, really noticed them? I'm guessing that the answer is probably not. Most of us look at them as another part of the landscape when we're on the South Florida seashore playing in the sunshine and waves. This weekend I stopped by the Fort Lauderdale beach just to poke around and admire the scene. As usual, it was gorgeous. I walked along a northern section where patches of grass and sea oats grow on small dunes. The ocean was breaking ashore in gentle rows of surf that welcomed swimmers into water as green as that beach grass. Farther out, the deeper seas spread toward the horizon. But yes, it was all those beach umbrellas that really caught my attention on this morning.

Most of the sunbathers had one of the umbrellas. Or more. All the umbrellas were different too. Different colors, different styles, even somewhat different shapes. And that's when the thought struck me that this variety somehow must say something about the folks sitting under those umbrellas.

What does it say about the couple with the small yellow umbrella pointed in the direction of the sun? With a moderate sea breeze, everyone else had faced their umbrellas into the wind, which forced them to keep moving to find the little patch of shade underneath. Not this couple. They were rebels of a sort, these beachgoers, boldly turning their umbrella directly toward the rays like a sunflower that follows the sun's path - utterly oblivious to the wind that seemed strong enough to lift their umbrella right out of the sand. But that yellow umbrella never budged an inch for some reason. Then I saw somebody else with an umbrella in swatches of navy blue and white, a simple and understated beach umbrella if ever there was one. Surely this must say something about the person beneath it, don't you think? Some people used umbrellas with scalloped edges that fluttered in the wind like a circle of butterflies. Others preferred umbrellas with little cupolas on top built in for extra ventilation. There were umbrellas in one solid color, purple along with the yellow, and there were umbrellas in full rainbows of the spectrum. Large and round umbrellas, small and angled umbrellas. Something about those many colors and sizes and shapes had attracted each of those people in different ways. Their beach umbrellas reflected their individual personalities, I decided. Of course, I don't know for sure what anyone's choice of beach umbrella really says about them. But on this morning as I stood beside a clear, radiant sea, it was fun to wonder.