WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156p)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156p)

When I returned to the community room both the washer and dryer had stopped. I didn’t want to put Elle’s panties in the dryer because I remembered from my days at the mobile home park how the dryers ruined any synthetic material. I debated if it was worth the time and money to put my T shirts and briefs in. I knew I’d have to hang her panties up in the closet and also knew there were very few hangers so dug out some more change and headed for the dryer. I opened the door to find there were clothes still in it. Their owner hadn’t returned to claim them and I hesitated before taking them out. It only took a handful to recognize that some of them belonged to a female. Any thought to rummaging through them was negated by the open access to the room. Also, by that time it was getting late and all I wanted to do was to get back to our room. I just dumped them on the small table that separated the two machines. I knew it wouldn’t take long for my few things to dry so I decided to wait.

This was the first time I’d been over to the apartment buildings so decided to take a walk around the outside. There was nothing special about them and, as I remember it, the whole area was rather pedestrian. Back inside I discovered that to get to the second floor you had to use stairs which I thought was rather inconvenient. I took about fifteen minutes hoping that was enough to take the wetness out of my things. Even though there was still time left I pulled open the door and gathered my clothes up. At first I was just going to leave the clothes that I’d removed from the dryer on the table but decided to be nice and to return them to the dryer. I picked up Elle’s damp panties and tops in one hand and my things in the other and headed back to the room.

Elle was asleep on one of the beds. She hadn’t made up her sleep ‘package’ and was still in just her bra and panties. I thought about taking a picture but decided against it with the idea of getting something better over the following days. Before waking her I set about to hang up her panties and to drape the other items on the towel rack in the bathroom. As I did I found a real surprise… a pair of bikini panties. The first thing I did was to peek back into the room to check on Elle. With her still asleep, I took a quick moment to check the panties out. There was no label but there was a name stenciled across the back right under the waist elastic that I couldn’t make out. I stood there contemplating that discovery when I heard Elle stirring so stuffed them into my pants pocket.

Elle said she was really tired so just set about getting her self and her ‘package’ ready for bed. I spent the time trying to come up with a way to find out who the owner of the bikini panty was. We’d been there for two days but hadn’t spent much time around the complex. I’d not seen anyone other that Diane who was our age or younger so that sort of perplexed me. I just couldn’t imagine the older generation women that I'd observed wearing a pair of bikini panties. As I was drifting off to sleep I got the idea they might belong to Diane. I liked that idea. I was just about asleep when I realized the panties were still in my pants pocket. That thought woke me up because I needed to find a place to hide them that Elle was sure not to go.

As I mentioned earlier, the room had the old style, wide slat, Venetian blinds. Because we had an end room they had placed spot lights to mark the path to the beach so even with all the room lights out you could still make out everything in the room. I slid out of bed and grabbed the panties and looked for the carry bag that I’d used to bring the Polaroid camera with us. Having used it when playing basketball I knew there was a zippered pocket on the bottom. Finding the bag I quickly stuffed the panties into the pocket and climbed back in bed, thoroughly awake.

Like the previous two mornings, bright sunlight peeking through the Ventian blinds had us awake at an early hour. Elle and the bed were pretty wet so any chance for a really good start to the day was negated. As Elle finished her shower I went outside to find it was a warm and calm day. The ocean looked like a mirror. I knew Elle would like it for swimming as she was afraid of the big waves. As a senior in high school she’d gone to Florida with her best friend. They’d gone swimming on a day with heavy surf and Elle got upended and she’d gotten bruised up a bit. From that time on all her swimming was done in calm seas.

We’d been encouraged by my mother to take advantage of the great ’shelling’ opportunity the beach provided. She’d given us a carry bag to put our collection in and promised to deliver it upon her return. Elle decided that we’d do the shelling first allowing the sun to rise a bit more for warmth. Coming form the cool North, seventy degrees felt pretty good to me. But with Elle, not so much. We headed North on the beach and found a tide line with many different shells to choose from. Elle had chosen to wear a pair of white knit pants that provided a great VPL, especially wearing two pair of panties. But, I didn’t bring the camera because of it’s size so had to be satisfied with just the ‘view’. In a little over an hour we almost filled the carry bag with shells. Elle was really excited about our ‘haul’.

After breakfast we changed into our bathing suits and headed for the water. The temperature had, as expected, risen a bit and Elle was happy about that. There was now a bit of a breeze and some light wave action. I was pleased that Elle agreed that she could/would handle it. If there was a problem it was that the water was cold. After Elle stepped into the water she was ready to renege on our deal. However, I prevailed and we did end up swimming, in the Atlantic Ocean, in April.
               

To be continued…

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156o)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156o)

Walking back inside with Thea I asked about her future plans. It was my understanding that Diane, Thea and Ed’s daughter, had come back to manage the apartment complex and I wondered what the future held for them. I remember the sort of sly smile that crossed her face. She didn’t give a direct answer but it was my distinct impression that they had some very definite plans. She said that their relationship with the resort had been favorable for both parties but it was time to break away. That’s where she left it.

While we were talking Elle had been called over to the front desk where Diane was on duty. My parents had gone on to the bar and had asked us to stop in before going to our room. I was too far away to hear any of the conversation and at the same time didn’t want to be discourteous to Thea. She wanted to know what plans we had for our remaining time there and that was hard to pin down. Actually, that was the subject my father wanted to discuss with us.

Finally free of Thea, I rescued Elle from Diane. I asked what they’d been chatting about but Elle told me to wait. I saw my parents with some people who looked vaguely familiar. We were introduced to them and the name rang a bell… they were people who my folks had befriended there at the place way back when I was still going with them. They had come down from New England to partake in the “Farewell Party” like my parents but it had been many years since they’d seen each other. Neither knew the other was coming and they were just starting to reminisce when we appeared. Initially, I thought we’d be dragged into it but my father saved the day. He wanted to tell me that I wouldn’t be able to use the car until late the next morning as he had some important business to take care of. That information became the basis for our plans for the following day.

We’d accomplished some of the things we’d set out to do. My ankle was telling me that more tennis was probably not going to happen. However, we still wanted to visit Marineland to see the dolphin and whale show. It was located just South of St. Augustine and probably a little over an hour away. Reading from the brochure I figured that it we left before noon we’d make the 2pm show so I asked my father if he’d be back by then. He said he’d try. That left the morning free to go swimming in the ocean, something we’d vowed to do before we left home, and to collect sea shells from the beach. It seemed like a plan.

WE said our good nights and headed for our room. Turning on the light we found a pile of bath towels on the first bed. Diane had done what she said she would and that brought up the subject of her earlier conversation with Elle at the front desk. When I asked Elle about she she made a face as if to say she didn’t want to talk about it but I insisted. It amounted to another apology and also she after seeing Elle’s reaction, had gotten to see my mother to tell her about it. That definitively answered the question of the flowers and the special treatment at dinner. But, I could tell there was something more.

Elle wanted to get out of her dress and I out of my jacket and tie. As we did I made mention of the towels and the fact that her bed had stayed reasonably dry the night before. She agreed but said it was probably a good idea even with the rubberized pad. That’s when I asked her about her panty supply and how many clean pair she had left. I knew she’d been rinsing them out but also knew she was hiding them in a drawer when we were out of the room so the maid wouldn’t see them. What I was ‘fishing’ for was weather I should take up Diane’s offer of the use of their washing machines. That triggered her to tell me the rest of her conversation with Diane.(31)

Diane told her she realized that her offer was “overkill” or something like that. The machines they had were for linens, sheets and towels and were very large. So, she offered Elle the use of one of the machines over in the apartments. Elle said she told her that she didn’t think it necessary and let it go at that. I went and checked and found that by morning she’d only have two pair of new, clean ones to wear. All the others were in the drawer. Checking it I found six pair… four of the new ones, her dribble and tennis panties. I told her that she was going to need all of them and that we better take her up on her offer. Reluctantly, Elle agreed but said I’d have to go do it as she wasn’t going out.

I gathered them up along with my briefs, T shirts and two of Elle’s knit tops and headed over to the apartments. There was a community room with a bulletin board, a washer, dryer and a vending machine with soap powder. Luckily, I had some change in my pocket. There was something in the dryer but I wasn’t going to need it for a while so threw the clothes in the washer. I’d not seen a washing machine like this one but I was able to figure it out. My guess was that it would take about 30 minutes so went back to the room. Elle was in bed reading some of the brochures touting local tourist attractions and as soon as I walked in she announced that she wanted to see the Fountain of Youth. In hearing that I remembered seeing it my first year in Florida and hearing my father say it was a “rip off”. However, Elle said she wanted to see it so after discussing it a bit I told her we’d try to stop when we returned from Mainland the next day. She smiled.

To be continued…

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156n)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156n)

Elle wanted to shower first so she’d have time for her hair to dry before we met up with my parents, something that neither of us really wanted to do. I heard the phone ring while I was showering and wondered who it could be. In a matter of seconds Elle was in there and pulling the shower curtain back. The look on her face told me something was wrong. It had been my father telling us to meet in the lobby at 7pm. The original plans, as I knew them, were to meet in the bar area at 7:30pm. With the ‘extra curricular’ action I’d lost track of time. Elle emphasized the need for me to hurry as there wasn’t much time. I hustled about and when I came into the room I saw Elle wearing her new dress, the one she’d worn the night before. I asked her why and she said that my father told her he was just relaying a request from my mother. I shrugged my shoulders and told her it was her decision..

We arrived in the lobby a little late and were greeted by my mother. She was dressed ‘to the nines’, far more than was required to dine in the restaurant right behind where we were standing. I’d been puzzled by the fact that we weren’t meeting in the bar and her appearance didn’t help. She was all bubbly and friendly which, based upon my history with her, was a sign of masking something. She told Elle how much she loved that dress on her which was kind of funny because she never said a word about it the night before. I started to ask what was happening but she kind of pushed us towards the door. I could see my father’s car waiting to pull across the road from the parking lot but he had to wait for traffic to pass. Standing there I saw something from the past on the other side of the road… a pole sign with a big weather beaten arrow on it. The arrow pointed towards the beach access for cars. I remember when it had been erected and how it upset the owners, Ed and Thea. Barney, the guy who owned the roadhouse, had put it up. But now the roadhouse was completely gone and the sign still stood there. In a way it was almost like a grave marker.

I didn’t waste any time querying my father about our destination. It was a typical response when answering anything that my mother was involved in… “Ask your mother…”. I can’t really describe her when in this type situation but it was almost as if she assumed another persona. All ‘gushy’ and patronizing, she said she thought we should be treated to an evening at a five star resort but gave no reason for it. All I was hearing was guilt pouring out of her mouth. There was nothing for either Elle or I to say so we just sat there in the back seat.

The main building at the resort had approximately 80 rooms and the architecture was definitely influenced by the fact that the territory had once been owned by Spain. A valet took and parked the car while we walked up a carpeted stairway. With all the fancy furnishings all I saw was $$$$$$. Even though I’d spent a night or two there when I was thirteen I didn’t recognize any of what I saw. Let’s leave it as… “LAVISH”, with an exclamation point. The dining room was almost unbelievable. The chairs were immense and what was really impressive was there were four different people to serve our table… all male. It was the first time I’d ever seen a menu without prices. Speaking of the menu, it was almost like it was written in a foreign language with the fancy descriptions for the entrees. I remember my mother commenting that I’d always loved lamb but when I scanned the menu I couldn’t find it. I felt sort of stupid when I admitted it.

Conversation was rather stilted at first but having seen the old Barney’s sign earlier I asked what had happened to the place and to Barney. The question brought sort of a wry smile from my father. The area had been hit with a number of hurricanes since the last time I’d been there and one did a lot of damage to the place. Barney was in the process of rebuilding it when there was a suspicious fire that pretty much destroyed what had been left after the storm. He and his family disappeared right after that, much to Ed and Thea’s delight. They tried to buy the property but since Barney wasn’t around there couldn’t be a sale. The county condemned what was left of the structure, bulldozed it down and hauled the debris away.

Mention of hurricanes made me ask about all the sand that was up against the sea wall in front of our room. That  brought a laugh from my father and then he said that during one storm the water had been so high that waves were breaking on the buildings. The end result was sand in all the rooms. I also asked about the lack of shrubbery and palm trees that I’d noticed and it was also because of hurricanes. Because business had been falling off Ed and Thea decided not to spend the money to replace them. In the back of my mind I questioned if that had been a good idea. I thought back to my reaction to seeing how shabby it looked upon our arrival… but then again, I didn’t own the place.

The dinner and the service was exceptional. My father told us that Ed and Thea had made the reservation for us and that’s why we got the royal treatment. After finishing we took a walk around the building even though my ankle was really killing me about then. The resort had also built two twelve room villas when they added the pool and cabanas and expanded the tennis facility. In our tour we got to see one of the most famous golf holes in the world… the 9th hole. It was located on a very small island in a lagoon. When we returned to the place where we were staying we were greeted by Thea who had a camera. Since this was the last month of operation and the fact that it was being called “a farewell party”, she wanted pictures of all the guests who attended. This was ours…
                 

I can't believe I wore that...

 To be continued…

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156m)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156m)

We had to walk up a short set of stairs to get back to the boardwalk. I was right behind her and the temptation to reach up and feel her wet panties was just too much. As soon as my hand touched them (and her) she swung an arm back behind her to sweep my hand away. There was no one behind us as we were the last to leave. I told her I was just checking to see how wet she was. She turned, stopped, and seeing there wasn’t another person in sight, smiled with one of those fake ones. I really thought she’d let me check her out but all she said was to wait a while. I had no idea what she had in mind.

Before moving on to the boardwalk she made me assure that her wetness couldn’t be seen. The reality of it was that it didn’t matter. Showing or not she still had to walk a fair distance with people all around. We hadn’t gotten very far when the couple who’d urged us to take the front seat hailed us. The woman, still as effusive as before, came up and directed her attention towards Elle and stating that she hoped Elle would try it again. She stated her first ride had been the most embarrassing experience of her life. Hearing that, my first thought was that maybe she’d wet herself, like Elle. She went on to explain that she’d been on a first date with a guy she had a crush on. Laughing, she told us she’d thrown up all over “everything”. I definitely remember her emphasizing “everything”. Elle broek in to ask her how she ever got up the nerve to go on one again. Still smiling, she pointed to the guy she was with. He, sheepishly acknowledged it with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders. With a glance at my watch I used it to end the conversation. As we walked away the woman called to us “to give it another try…”

I was holding on to one of Elle’s hands as we headed for the bus stop and after a few steps she squeezed it. I remember looking at her to see if she was OK. She had a sly kind of smile on her face and when I ‘pushed’ her to tell me why she refused. I was clearly puzzled by it by let it go.  Once on the bus she made sure the hem of her dress was up behind her but when she did she left it up far enough when I could see some of her panties. I can’t explain why I didn’t tell her but I didn’t. Back at the pool we retrieved the bag with the camera and bathing suits and waited for the shuttle back to our room. It was starting to get late but the sun was still warm. For me it had been a good afternoon. I knew Elle didn’t share my view so didn’t say anything. Approaching our destination and seeing the sign for it brought us both back to the reality of the embarrassing incident with Diane that morning. I was really upset with my mother and hoped we could avoid seeing my parents for as long as possible. However, since they were paying for our meals I knew it would be inevitable that we would.

Opening the door to the room I was greeted by a vase filled with flowers. Elle followed me in and, without anything in her hands went over to it and pulled a card from the display. I was from my mother and was very cryptic… “I’m so sorry!”… along with her signature. As I said in an earlier post, my mother had a habit of involving herself in matters that didn’t directly concern her… as she’d obviously done. I recognized that with three days and three night to be with her and my father it wasn’t a good idea to ‘go to war’ about it. While I was thinking of how to approach Elle with my thoughts she actually beat me to it. Pointing to the flowers she said it showed my mother knew she’d been wrong and that was enough for her. She wanted the rest of time there to be fun and it wasn’t that big a deal. Then, and I almost couldn’t believe my ears when she said that walking along the boardwalk in wet panties was “exciting”. I know I reacted but I can’t tell you how. I do remember her going on to qualify that statement by saying it was exciting as long as no one else knew. Hearing that was VERY exciting for me.

Her words told me she was ‘vulnerable’ to a suggestion for at least some ’wet play’. I went up to her and lifting her skirt in the back I planted my hands on her butt cheeks. Because the panties she was wearing (a new pair of Evette and her tennis panties) were nylon and we’d spent some time out and about, they were only damp. I got a good feel between her legs but as soon as I tried to get a finger inside the elastic she pulled away and headed for the bathroom. I protested saying I was looking for more than just a feel. I watched as she sat on the toilet and then heard the sound of her pee in the toilet. Disappointed, I opened the bag with our things in it and pulled out the camera. My thinking was that I was going to at least get something out of it. I expected some kind of protest from her when she appeared back in the room but all I got was a smile. She asked where I wanted her for the picture and I told her to just stand right there but to turn around.
                        

Note the TV...

As the flash went off I heard “Only one!” Then she turned around and pushed me towards the bed closest to us. When the back of my legs hit the edge of it I almost dropped the camera. I flopped down still holding the camera. As I tried to release the hand grip I felt Elle undoing the waist buttons of my shorts. Talk about a roller coaster ride! From high anticipation down to ‘making do’ with just a picture and then back to ‘real action’… all in a matter of minutes. I wasn't about to complain.

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156l)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156l)

Her first words... “I leaked!”. From where I was standing I could see that when she’d slid into the seat of the car the hem of her skirt had gotten hung up on the back of it. That told me that no matter how bad the ‘damage’ to her panties was there wouldn’t be any wetness on it. In other words… no one would know. Luckily for her the guys in the other cars were busy exiting the venue. I helped her out hoping to get a frontal peek but it didn’t work out that way. Back up on the boardwalk I fully expected her to want to leave so asked her. Her answer was totally unexpected… “It’s not that bad…” I even asked if she was sure and she nodded she was. She said she wanted to try the ‘ball thing” which was just a short way for us to go. I put a coin in the machine, had her roll all the balls and watched as she pretty much got the gist of it. I’ve always been a very competitive person and so I wanted to make it a competition with her on one machine and me on another. To make it somewhat fair I told her I’d roll my balls left handed. I’ve never been able to do anything left handed and had never tried to play this game that way. Somewhat skeptical,  Elle agreed. After but two games I knew I was in trouble. She’d figured out how to get the ball to the ‘bulls eye’ area in the middle of the target. She’d agreed to a five game challenge and the winner would get one wish. To put it bluntly, I got destroyed! By the last game she was pretty cocky and when the tickets came out of her machine she had enough for a prize. As I said, I’ve always been competitive… and wasn’t going to let her get away with beating me so badly. As good as she’d become in such a short time I decided to challenge her to one more game but with me using my right hand. She showed how cocky she was because she accepted.

I even got her to agree that this game was for ‘all the marbles’.  I have no idea what the scores were but it all came down to the last ball. We agreed to both roll at the same time. As soon as I let mine go I looked over to see which ring of the target her ball ended up in. My heart dropped as I saw her ball hit the edge of the center ring. If it went in she was the winner. But it didn’t. When it hit the edge it then bounced higher and on to one of the outside rings worth less points. That meant I would get my ‘wish’ and I didn’t have any idea what it might be. I told Elle to get the tickets from her machine and as she bent over to get them I realized that she’d been giving a ‘free show’ each and every time she’d put a coin in the machine. Needless to say, I didn’t tell her.

Approaching the roller coaster I had a ‘force’ pulling me towards the ticket booth. When Elle tried to get me away I came up with an idea for my ‘wish’. I resisted her tugging and told her that my wish was for her to join me on the roller coaster. She protested,  quite loudly. There was a couple right in front of us and the woman turned to Elle and offered that this coaster was “tame”. She continued that she lived in New York (her accent had told me that as soon as she spoke) and would go to Coney Island and ride the “Cyclone” multiple times each Summer. I knew of the “Cyclone” having lived in the city and also of it’s reputation as a world class ride. While I worked on Elle about getting my ‘wish’ the woman, good naturally, worked on her assuring that this ride was fun and nothing to be afraid of. As we got to the ticket booth Elle relented. Upon hearing that the couple cheered. When we got to the car we were to ride in we were set to be in the second seat. The lady insisted that, for our first ride, we should be in the front. I remember her telling us to take advantage of the view as we got to the top and she pointed up the track in front of us.

Once the car started to move it seemed to just creep up to the top, ever so slowly. As we reached it I remember looking to the South and seeing the ocean and beach that seemed to run on forever. Then… then it happened! The car made a sharp turn to the right and, in my memory, the track disappeared. I honestly thought the whole car had gone off the track and we were free falling. I remember hearing Elle screaming and continuing to scream. The next thing I remember was being thrown against the side of the car as it made another sharp turn to the right and then… I just don’t remember. I really don’t know it I closed my eyes and kept them closed or not. I remember Elle screaming every time the car made a lurch one way or the other or there was a sharp drop. When the car was coasting to a stop I remember hearing the lady behind us calmly saying something like “That wasn’t so bad was it?…”

I know I could hardly breathe. My hands were glued to the bar across our laps. When I looked at Elle I could see she was white as a ghost. Why I remember that is that we’d had two days in the sun and both our faces were red from it. The attendant lifted the bar and asked Elle if she wanted help in getting out. She looked at me with the look of panic still on her face. I told the guy to give us a few seconds and he smiled as he moved on. When Elle spoke she announced in a squeaky voice “Never again…” I told her we had to vacate the car as there were people waiting to ride. She grasped my hand and said she was soaked. I’d been so taken by my own fears that I hadn’t given any thought to Elle and hers. I heard it but didn’t know how to respond. It was a totally different situation than at the “Dodgem” when I could see where her skirt was. It took a few seconds before I ran my hand down her back. When I did, like before, I found her skirt scrunched up behind her and not under her bottom. I told her to stand up and that I’d make sure the skirt covered her panties. She nodded and, still shaking, stood up. When she did I could see the seat was wet. Thankfully, the attendant wasn’t there as we exited the car.

To be continued…

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156k)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156k)

The pool life guard had also been watching and he joined us asking if I was OK. I was still trying to catch my breath but nodded that I was. After a minute or so he helped me out of the water and sat down beside me. Writing about it now it’s funny… but it wasn’t back then. He waited another minute or so and then critiqued (I’m actually chuckling to myself) my dive. As best as I can remember he told me I “over rotated” and that instead of my body going straight down into the water my legs and feet had gone beyond vertical causing my head to smack the water. My ankle was throbbing so I asked him why. Again, I think he used the term “over rotated” which caused my feet to smack the water. In so doing, the water pushed my feet backward. With my ankle still in a healing mode it stretched the already abused tendons. He helped me to stand up to see if I could walk and even though it hurt, I could. I thanked him and we hobbled off to get something to eat.

It wasn’t the dumbest thing I’d ever done but it was close. Elle kept reminding me that she’d told me not to do it which didn’t make the pain any less. I knew ice would help and persuaded one of the servers to wrap ice cubes in a napkin. By the time we’d finished eating the pain, while sitting, was almost gone. Emboldened by that improvement I, again, brought up the possibility of going on to Jax Beach and the boardwalk. Elle wasn’t sure it was a good idea and used the fact that the only clothes we had with us were our tennis outfits. The server overheard a bit of our conversation and straightforwardly told us that we wouldn’t be that out of place dressed that way. He might’ve even said something like “anything goes”. I had to work on her a bit and she finally gave in as long as I was able to walk. After changing she was concerned that her panties would show from under the hem of her dress. I remember reminding her not to bend over and that she’d be OK. Reluctantly, she followed me to the front of the facility. There was municipal bus that came through the resort complex once every hour from 10am to 10pm. The server told us that we had about a half hour to catch the next one. I didn’t want to take the bag with our clothes and camera and after changing from our bathing suits asked at the registration desk if they had a secure place to leave it. They gave me a receipt for everything and put it in small locked room. It was around 1pm and we were off!

I found that with the brace back on the ankle I could get around fairly well. While eating, the server had gotten some aspirin for me hoping that would help. As we waited for our transportation I knew I had an ankle but found the pain was tolerable. The bus left us off at the South End of the boardwalk. Just a short way down (towards the North) was a roller coaster. In the three Winters I’d been there I’d wanted to go on it but had been forbidden to do so by my parents. I had any number of opportunities to have done it without them knowing but had been a “good boy’ and adhered to their wishes. Seeing it once again I still had the desire to try it. As soon as I brought the subject up, Elle shut it down. We walked (slowly) down the boardwalk and I pointed out some of the arcades I’d frequented. One of my favorite games was called “Ski Ball” in which you rolled a number of wooden balls up a ramp and tried to place them into a number of circles. They all had values with getting a ball in the center was worth the most points. Along the boardwalk there had been a bunch of arcades that had “Ski Ball” but this one spit out tickets that you could collect and then them in for a prize. I put a coin in and showed Elle how it worked. Then I let her try and she didn’t so too well. I finished the game and got my tickets… no where near enough to get a prize… and we headed on further North.

About half way to the other end was my favorite ride… “Auto Dodgem”, also called “Bumper Cars”. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I was on that ride during those three Winters. Elle had never seen one so we stood and watched about ten cars going round and round trying to run into one another. I told her, flat out, that on our way back we were going to go for a ride on it. All I got was one of those looks that said “We’ll see about that!”

The North end held a couple of the kind of rides Elle liked, Merry Go Round and Ferris wheel. To make her happy I joined her on the Merry Go Round. There weren’t many people there as we boarded. When she went to climb on one of the horses that rise up and down I got an eyeful. I’d seen the same thing many, many times before but seeing it while out in public was special. The operator of the Ferris wheel told us we’d have to wait until the were more people so we headed back. It wasn’t quite mid afternoon and I wanted to make sure we had time for the “Auto Dodgem” and “Ski Ball game.

Arriving at the ride there were but four cars running around. I remembered that it was the most fun when there were at least ten to twelve cars moving at the same time. However, I realized that for Elle’s first ride it probably was best. In thinking about it now I’m smiling because of how archaic the whole thing was. The power came from a pole attached to the back of the car that had a strip of metal on top that touched the metal ceiling that was electrified. There was funny smell that I hadn’t remembered. We paid and chose cars. I got another good peek as Elle stepped over the side and slid into her seat. When the attendant gave the signal the other four cars and I started but Elle’s didn’t. Then I saw her car going backwards… and right into one of the other four cars. I heard her scream in spite of the noise the metal car wheels made on the metal plates that made up the floor. I rode over to where she’d stopped. The guy she hit was yelling at her but I ignored him and told her to turn the steering wheel hard to the right and to press the pedal. As she immediately shot forward she hit another car right in the side. To me it was funny… but not so for Elle. She was barely moving for the rest of the time we had. Getting out of my car I went over to her and she gave me one of her ‘looks” that told me that this hadn’t been a good idea.

To be continued…

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156j)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156j)

Arriving at the tennis center I was amazed. From the four courts I remembered it had grown to twelve plus a building that housed a lounge, changing rooms (including showers and toilets) and a snack bar. The only thing I saw that I remembered were the small grandstands that lined both sides of the two courts closest to the building. We checked in and were helped by an incredibly tanned woman. She provided rental racquets, a can of balls and pointed us to the court at the far end of the complex. That puzzled me as there were only two courts in use. It had been at least seven months since I’d had my hands on a racquet. I’d played very little during the Summer so I didn’t know what to expect. Elle hadn’t said much since the 'incident' and I knew better than to say anything. We opened the can of balls and made a feeble attempt at hitting them over the net. After about ten minutes of futility a tall, balding man wearing a white long pants and a white wool sweater approached us. He told us his name was Colin and it was obvious he was British.  After he introduced himself as the Pro he took the balls from me and walked to the net at center court. He had Elle go to the baseline and proceeded to hit balls for Elle to try to return to him. After a few tries he called out to her to turn her body toward the oncoming ball, step in, swing and follow through with the racquet ending up over her left shoulder. It took a few times for her to get the procedure down but I could see the results almost immediately. I waited patiently for my turn with him but he seemed enamored with Elle. I’d been the ‘ball boy’, retrieving the balls that Elle mishit. After about 20 minutes I finally asked him when it was to be my turn. I could hardly believe it when he, in his ‘clipped’ British accent, asked me if I hadn’t been watching. I told him I had and he said that all I had to do was the same that Elle had been doing. Then he just turned and walked away.

His brusqueness towards me upset Elle and she joined me at the net to express her displeasure. In a way I was glad that it happened as it took her mind completely off the earlier incident with Diane, the owners daughter. Elle offered to do with me the same thing that the Pro had been doing with her. She'd remind me with each ball she hit towards me to “turn, step in, swing, follow through”. I’d seen a positive change with Elle and I saw pretty much the same result when I hit the balls. I found that I’d been pretty much been punching the ball and doing it the new way provided much more control as well as power.

We didn’t stay the whole two hours as Elle hadn’t done much of anything in the way of exercise since back in the Fall and my ankle, which had held up fairly well with all the walking we’d done since leaving home, was telling me “enough”. I wanted some pictures so we took a little time for that As Elle was putting her things away I managed to get a 'butt shot' which pleased me to no end.
                     

Our plan was to then walk across the road to the pool and cabana area, get in some swimming and also a bite for lunch. We had guest passes so didn’t need my parents to get in (thank goodness!). We’d only been there for a short time the previous day and hadn’t had enough time to take it all in. In the Winters that I’d spent there as a teen it wasn’t nearly as big and the only thing that was recognizable was the Olympic size pool and, just as it had been back then, it was still unheated. Also recognizable was the high diving board. I’d always wanted to use it but my mother wouldn’t let me fearing that I’d hurt myself.

Maybe it was because I was upset with my mother for having told Diane about Elle’s incontinence that when I saw it I wanted to dive off it. When I told Elle she called me “crazy” but I was determined. We changed into our bathing suits but, with Elle leading the way, we ended up at the heated pool. I remember telling her that I was still going to go off the high board after we ate. She was not happy about that but the discussion kept her mind off the earlier embarrassing incident.

The heated pool was a lot smaller than the other one. It was a really nice area with plenty of chairs and chaises and did provide some shelter from the sun. We swam and sunned ourselves for a while before heading for the food and bar area. I’d told Elle, many times, about the fun I’d had visiting Jax Beach and the boardwalk and amusements that were there. I suggested that the afternoon might be a good time for a visit. Right from the time I knew we were headed for Florida I had it in mind to find the time for a visit. The problem was we only had our tennis clothes and no car to get us there.

Since I was set on diving off the high board I figured I’d have time to come up with a solution. Elle tried to persuade me not to do it but it was no use. I won’t swear to it but I think it was 30 feet high. All I can tell you is that 30 feet, when looking at it on level ground, is a LOT different than from 30 feet in the air. I walked out to the end of the board and I’ll admit that I had second thoughts. But I couldn’t back down. I took a deep breath and dove off, head first. I knew enough about diving to have my hands out in front of me to break the water before my head hit. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way for me. I still remember when my head hit the water… smack!... and it hurt… a lot. But, that wasn’t the worst part. As I mentioned above, my ankle had started to hurt while playing tennis… and that was with the brace on. To swim I’d removed it. When my body slid into the water and it got as far as my foot… that was when I felt pain like never before.

I’m sure you’ve experienced sudden and severe pain and reacted by crying out. The only thing was that when I did I was six feet or more under water. I have no idea how much water I ingested but when I surfaced I was gagging and gasping for breath. Fortunately, Elle had been watching and she jumped into the pool and helped me to the side.

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156i)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156i)

In spite of my earlier thoughts about some ‘amour’ after returning to our room, it wasn’t to be. Even though I’d thoroughly enjoyed learning of the history of the place and the projected future I was fighting to stay awake by the time we got up to leave. My parents wanted us to join them in the bar area to see some of their friends but I begged off. Once in the room Elle made up her “package” for sleeping while I moved the night table that separated the twin beds and pushed them together figuring that snuggling would be better than sleeping alone. We were asleep within minutes after turning out the lights.

With three windows facing East and only the old fashioned Venetian blinds to keep out the sun we were awake around 6am. The one good thing was that it gave us some time to follow through on my aborted plans of the previous evening. As I've written a time or two previously, I preferred 'morning delight' anyway. A surprise was the fact that Elle’s “package” had done a good job and her bed was relatively dry. My mother had told us at dinner that she’d reserved court time at the Tennis facility. We had two hours that included having the Tennis Pro spend a half hour with us. It wasn’t until 9am which, with our early awakening, would allow us time to have breakfast and finally get a walk on the beach. We decided to get into our tennis clothes to save time as we had to take the shuttle to get to our destination and had to be ready when it arrived. I took the Polaroid camera as well as my mother’s little Brownie camera  as we walked out the door.

Walking out to the front and to the beach I was, again, taken by the amount of sand up against the sea wall. The last time I’d been there my brother and I used it to jump off and it was at least 3 or more feet down to the sand. With the sand as it was there was really no need for stairs. We walked out onto the sand and towards the South so I could get a picture of the way the place looked. As I did I was taken by all the palm trees that were missing. On the corner, where my parents room was located, there had been a small grove of them that had offered protection to the room from the sun and now there was none. There were only four trees across the whole front and I remember there being many more. To be truthful, I was really disappointed.

 I can’t tell you why I hadn’t noticed that the roadhouse that had been so much a part of my time back when I was a kid and was located just to the South of the complex was gone. We’d driven past the spot both going to and returning from St. Augustine and never picked up on it. We walked up the beach and once on the property I could see the slab of cement that had been the ‘footprint’ of the building as well as the oval that had housed the gas pumps. “Barney’s” was the name of the place and the guy who owned it. My memory of him was that of a pretty ‘rough’ character. He and Ed, the owner of the place we were staying at, were always fighting about something but my father got along well with him. What I remembered more was that he had two teen aged daughters and one, her name was Martha, was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen in my life up to that time. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to the place and to them.

Walking back to get our breakfast I found an Adirondack chair and dragged it out to the front and got a picture of Elle. Right at that moment a guest appeared in the walkway and asked if we’d like him to take a picture of us. We said “yes” and then stopped at the room to get the bag I’d brought the camera in from home. We’d put our bathing suits in it so we could just go from tennis to across the road and the pool and cabana portion of the resort. Walking in from the patio we ran into Diane, the owners daughter. I’d forgotten that she’d asked us to meet with her and as she did I could see she was uncomfortable. She ‘beat around the bush’, talking about the great weather we were experiencing (and it was!)  and finally got to the point. She started by apologizing and, of course, we had no idea why.

Elle had made the mistake of telling my mother about our first night and Elle’s lack of ’supplies’. My mother knew all about Elle’s incontinence so that wasn’t a problem. But, Elle had told her about having used bath towels and getting the sheets all soiled. Because my mother was such good friends with Diane’s parents she felt it her ‘duty’ to explain what the situation was. What Diane was trying to say and do was to tell Elle (us) that it really wasn’t a problem for them and that we’d have extra towels each day… and that if Elle needed to wash out any clothes she could use their washing machines after 9pm. Elle was mortified and I was embarrassed as well. It wasn’t the first time I’d experienced my mother getting involved in something that she should’ve spoken to Elle about first. If my mother had walked up at that time I can guarantee that she would have heard some rather unpleasant words from Elle. When Diane walked away Elle had no desire to eat and I had to persuade her to go on to the tennis complex.

To be continued...

NOTE; blogger is all messed up when it comes to posting pictures. I'd wanted to fit them into the post but it wouldn't let me.

That was our room behind Elle.

Note how high the sand is against the sea wall.

               

It looks pretty sad... not as I'd  remembered it.

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156h)

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156h)

We got back to the place around 6pm. My parents had told us to meet them in the bar at around 7pm and that we'd be having dinner with the owners. As we walked to our room I realized we still hadn't taken a walk on the beach but Elle rejected the suggestion saying she needed to shower. She was all excited about wearing her new dress which gave me the idea to take advantage of her excitement over getting it. When she started to undress I dug out the Polaroid camera. When she saw it she immediately started shaking her head saying there wasn't time. I didn't back down and she relented. She was about to take off her panties so I asked her to pee in them on the toilet. There was no way for me to join in and get some warm, wet pleasure what with both hands filled trying to get the camera ready. After she finished she, reluctantly, asked what I wanted her to do. I hated it when she would put pressure on me to hurry up. The only thing I could think of was to have her bend over so I could get her wet bottom. She stepped out of the bathroom and bent over at the waist telling me to hurry up. I'd just gotten the flash attachment in place so just aimed at her rear and pushed the button.
 Once the flash went off she stepped into the bathtub to take her shower. That gave me the chance to pull the picture out of the camera and I was more than pleased.
                  

New VanRaalte & Evette panties bought that day

By the time I showered and dressed it was a little after 7pm. I knew to wear a coat and tie but wasn't really sure my choice was proper. We walked across the courtyard and into the bar where we were greeted by Ben, the man who'd picked us up at the airport. He was behind the bar but looked a lot different. Wearing a bright red coat with brass buttons and a big smile he greeted us like long lost friends. My parents were there in a booth with friends. Both my parents had stopped drinking over 10 years before but still enjoyed the atmosphere of a bar. Joining them, my mother complimented Elle on her dress. I'd told her not to tell her about it being purchased that day as we'd 'pleaded poverty' the whole time leading up to the trip.With neither Elle or I drinking, my parents bid their friends good bye and headed for the dining room.

The dress code for evening dining had men wearing coats and ties and women skirts or dresses. Looking at the people seated in the dining area I felt a little out of place as it seemed like most of the men were wearing blazers. While waiting to be seated by the maitre-d  I saw Thea, the wife of the owner wife approaching. Right behind her was a tall, thin man who looked vaguely familiar. My mother introduced him as Ed, Thea's husband. It quickly came back to me that I did remember him from back when I was last there. The difference was that he was now much thinner... and older.

We were seated and then served a delicious meal. We learned the whole history of the place and the projected future by the time we left the room. I'd always thought of it as special but was shocked to find out that it was really a mistake. It was conceived as a motel right after WWII. Ed had gone to work for a construction company after his discharge and it was in the process of building it out when the developers ran out of money. Motels were just coming into vogue at the time and Ed was convinced it was a good idea. He got his father and some of his father's friends to put up the money to finish building it. However, by the time they did a big, grandios resort had been started about three miles to the North. It met moderate success after opening but as soon as the resort opened business fell off. The resort was a huge success to the extent that they were having to turn guests away. I didn't grasp how Ed and the resort management got together but they worked out a deal that kept Ed in business. Ed agreed to a 20 year arrangement that had the resort send their 'overflow' to his place and they would still be allowed to use all the resort facilities. One of the things that came to light with the good turn in business was that guests were interested in having more than just a room. Borrowing money based on the success he was having he bought the land right to the North and built two apartment buildings with a total of 16 apartments. About three years ago Ed saw "the handwriting on the wall" and the motel portion was losing money. He wanted to close it down and build the apartments but Thea had protested. The current season had been "brutal" even with the arrangement with the resort and she finally relented. Hence, the "farewell party" that we were a part of. The whole place was to be bulldozed down the first week in May. When this part was being discussed Thea excused herself. I'm sure she was crying as she walked away from the table. 

We also met the daughter, Diane. I recognized her voice as the person with the Southern drawl that had answered the phone when I called to say our flight time had been changed. She had jet black hair with big, brown eyes but there was no way to see her mother or father in her features. She was the same age as Elle and I but I couldn't remember her from back when I'd stayed there in the past and wondered why. She laughed and said it was because both she and her mother spent little time there and lived in a "real" house until she went off to college. That brought a laugh from Ed. After college she spent some time working for her parents but wanted to try something different. When they decided to raze the existing facility and build more apartments she decided to return to manage the complex and allow her parents some freedom. She'd only been there since the first of April. As we got up to leave she told Elle and I to stop by the front desk the next day. I said we would but had no idea why.

To be continued...    

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156g)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156g)

The parking lot was across the street. That seemed new to me but I’d never driven there so wasn’t sure. At the entrance the sign read “Tours: 10am & 2pm.” We were definitely too late for that but went in anyway. The attendant repeated what we’d read on the sign but said if we wanted to do it by ourselves she had a brochure that would self direct us. I’d been there enough times to remember a lot so paid the fee and we went on in.  As we walked away she called out to remind us we had to be out of the place by 4:45pm… and that there were no rest room facilities on the grounds and pointed to a building adjacent to the parking lot across the street.

Neither of us had given any thought to that although it had been about three hours since Elle had last gone. I looked at her to ask if she wanted to go but she said she thought she’d be OK. She mentioned that she’d not had but some orange juice at breakfast and a half glass of water with her ice cream cone. It was her call so we headed off to the lower part where the dungeon, gunpowder storage area and sleeping quarters for the men who manned the fort were located. We didn’t waste much time as I wanted to make sure we made our way to the top before time ran out on us. Upon reaching the next level we saw the 2pm tour finishing up and headed down the steps. The guide called out a reminder that we had be out of the place by 4:45pm. I also remember him calling out that we were the last people and no one else was on the top level.

In my past experiences at the fort I never paid much attention to the beautiful view from the top level. As I matured and became a home owner I began to appreciate nature’s beauty. The view from the top level of the fort was fantastic, especially when looking towards the ocean. I was enjoying the view from the top step of the stairs when I saw Elle do a bit of a curtsy and put her knees together. The move was accompanied by a by a bit of a cry. I knew immediately what was about to happen. When Elle would feel the first ’spurt’ she knew she had somewhere around 30 seconds to find a toilet. From where we were it would’ve taken close to five minutes… jogging… to have made it to the parking lot! We both knew she was in trouble.

From our location I could see the bell tower that I so loved. Even knowing that we were supposedly the only people on the top level I wanted Elle to have some protection from the eyes of anyone that might still be around. I grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the opening into the tower. She protested saying she was leaking as we quickly moved towards the tower. Arriving at the entrance I told her to get inside and to at least pull the hem of her dress up. She started to protest at which point I told her to squat down. She did and pulled her dress up to her waist. I distinctly remember looking over both my shoulders just to make sure no one was there. Satisfied, I turned my attention to Elle’s pantied crotch. Seeing her pee flowing freely from it I found myself with an instant bulge. She didn't pee for long but it was long enough for me to wish I had a camera. The puddle underneath her had run off immediately and followed some ridges in the stones that made up the floor and then over to the wall facing the water. Once there it puddled again. Elle, still squatting, asked for my handkerchief. Back in those days I had an ongoing sinus condition and always carried a handkerchief. I handed it to her and watched as she tried to wipe the pee from her her inner thighs and calfs. It was obvious that she’d started to pee before reaching the tower.
                     

When she arose she had me inspect the back other dress. There were a few damp spots but with the flowered design of the material one would’ve had to have been looking for it to have seen it. I told her she’d be fine but she wasn’t buying it… at first. I worked hard to convince her that no one would be looking to see if she’d wet herself and she finally agreed. We had about 15 to 20 minutes left and I proceeded to show her how I’d been the lookout and had rung the bell. The rope for it was no longer there which disappointed me. I boosted her up on the stone step to get the view that the lookout had when keeping watch but she didn’t appreciate it as I had. I remember her commenting that the tower “stunk”. I hadn’t noticed but when I ducked back in I could definitely smell it. (It took me a while to figure that out… with no toilet facilities inside the fort people, who’d been ‘caught short’, like Elle, used it as a urinal)

Earlier, I mentioned ruing the fact that I didn’t have a camera to record Elle peeing herself in a public place. With that behind me I was a bit upset for not having it to record our visit. Right from the time I knew we’d be coming to Florida (and without the kids) I’d envisioned getting many ‘private’ pictures. The only way Elle would allow them was with the Polaroid camera so they would be developed right away. One problem with that was it and the case took up a lot of space. Since I knew we’d be limited as far as baggage I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull it off. BUT… Elle, after talking with my mother, insisted that we were going to play tennis. I thought I put that idea to rest when told her there was no way we could pack out racquets. My mother did me in when she said we could rent them. That meant we only our tennis shoes. I’d bought a small carry case for my basketball sneakers, clothes and a towel when I was playing basketball and when I got it out of the closet I immediately thought the camera might fit in the very bottom of it. It did and the shoes, with a bit of effort, fit also. With all that had been going on since our arrival I’d forgotten about the camera. As we exited the facility I wondered if my mother still had her little Kodak Brownie camera. I knew we’d be going past St. Augustine on another day when we went to Marineland and thought I might try to stop back at the fort to get some pictures to document our visit. It was worth a try.


To be continued...

                       

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156f)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156f)

As Elle changed she would touch the curtain giving me a quick peek. On one I could see her bare bottom so knew she’d given in to my request even before emerging. When she did I wanted to pat her butt to feel the crotch lines of the two panties but  more customers had come into the store. Even without the ‘feel’ I was happy. While paying I asked where we could find a drug store. Back in those days the primary place for women to buy sanitary pads was the local drug store and not grocery stores. At home Elle had found an “off’ brand that she liked and our hometown druggist ordered them special for her. To complete our shopping quest we needed pads and, if we were really lucky, a pair of plastic pants. There was no mistaking where we were headed,. The lady had told us to look for the biggest sign on this side of the street. You couldn’t miss it… APOTHECARY… in gold letters on a black background. As an amateur sign painter, I stood and looked at it and marveled at the craftsmanship. Inside, it was almost like stepping back in time to when Elle and I were teens and she worked behind the soda fountain at our local drug store. Right to the left of the door as we walked in was an old fashioned marble counter with permanent stools. A young man was behind it washing some glasses. I’d always loved black and white ice cream sodas (vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup) and hadn’t had one in over ten years. Neither of us had eaten anything since breakfast at around 11:30am and we looked at each other and decided “Why not?”

After I ‘inhaled’ my soda and Elle had finished her ice cream cone we went looking for the sanitary pads. There were not a lot of companies making them so you pretty much had to take what was available. The brand they has was Modess, one that Elle didn’t like. But, beggars can’t be choosey so we took two boxes of 12 each. With three a night for the four nights we were going to be there one should’ve been enough. However, I was thinking about our trip home and the situation Elle had found herself in on the way down. Better to be safe was my thought.

The man who waited on us wore a white coat and looked old and tired. His greeting was just short of brusque. As Elle asked about the pads I noticed that the very back of the store seemed quite dark and didn’t look like it was open to the public. As I was about to pay for the pads I noticed a box on the shelf behind the man and I could only make out part of the words printed on it. When he moved to make room for the cash register drawer to open I was able to complete it… Incontinence Pant. I was vaguely familiar with what they looked like. They were rubberized and had snaps down each side. I’d always questioned how they could work when asleep what with the gaps between the snaps. Reluctantly, I asked to see it. I’ll admit that I was embarrassed and to make matters worse, Elle had moved away from the counter. I questioned him and he couldn’t give me an answer but he said he thought he had something like what I was looking for. He walked back into the darkened area and after a few minutes returned with a small box. I could make out the word Kleinert’s. That was the company who made the sanitary panties that Elle wore. In the box, marked “Bloomers”, were a pair of plastic panties that were longer in the leg than regular panties. To keep Elle's bed dry I was willing to take just about anything.

With that purchase we had all that we’d set out to get… and more. By then it was after 3pm. The second half of our venture was to take in Castillo de San Marcos, one of my favorite places to go while in St. Augustine. I knew from the map we had that it was just down the street. I’d told Elle about the place any number of times and, although not as excited as I was,  she seemed happy to go there to see it.

============================
A bit of history… and a short history lesson…

My fascination with Castillo de San Marcos (really a fort) goes back to when my parents took my brother and to see it the first Winter we spent at the resort Elle and I were currently visiting. At age 13 I had no fascination with history, especially ancient history. I won’t say my brother and I went ‘kicking and screaming’ but will admit we did offer up some resistance. That was quickly reduced by the tour guide. There were a few other kids in the group and we all pretty much felt the same about our involvement. The guy decided to win us over by making us a part of the tour. He’d spout some history describing the people who occupied the fort and would tell us what they did inside the fort. He’d designate different ones of us to play a role and we bought into his scheme. By the time it was over were were all pretty intrigued with the life and times of the occupants. What really got my attention was when he told us the fort had been built by Spaniards, who occupied Florida at the time, to protect the small city of St. Augustine from the potential of British marauders. When the tour reached the top level of the fort we could see the cannons and how they were placed to shoot cannon balls at any foreign ships that tried to enter the river that led to the city. The guide asked us who we thought was the most important person in the fort. I think each of us named the person(s) who fired the cannons.  He told us we were wrong and pointed to a small tower located at the North East corner of the fort. He said it was always manned by a lookout who, should he see a ship, was to ring the bell in the tower to wake all the men to prepare for battle. When it was time for role play I was selected to be the lookout and to go into the tower and peer out the narrow opening facing the inlet. After a few minutes I was told to ring the bell and the other kids were to go man the cannons. It was really fun and I became interested in learning more about the role the fort played in our history. Each succeeding year that we went to Florida for the months of January through March I made my parents take me to the fort. After each visit I’d end up fantasizing about life and times inside the place.
============================
History lesson…

The fort was built in the late 1600’s. The first attack came from the British around 1700 or so. The role of the fort ended up being a safe haven for the residents of St. Augustine as the Brits burned the city down. The fort withstood all the cannon balls shot at it by the British because they were too small to do much damage. The second attack came many years later and the same thing happened. The city residents stayed in the fort until the Brits gave up. Today it’s a US. National Monument and is the oldest masonry fort in the United States.
             

The bell tower is in the upper left hand part of the fort

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156e)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156e)

While I was looking at the Evette sign Elle was looking at the dress that was displayed right above it. I knew I was in trouble when I heard her say “It’s me!” I don’t think I said anything right away and we walked into the store. Although it was definitely old, there was modern lighting and some display fixtures that were definitely post WWII. A feature that I remember was that the different departments were displayed on signs hanging from the ceiling. As I looked up I noted that the ceilings were metal with designs stamped into it. Quite quaint. Of course, my focus was on the lingerie section which I picked out as being over on the right of where we entered. Elle was having none of it and I watched her head for the area designated “Dresses”. I quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her. Before she could speak I told her that we didn’t have money for things like a dress and that, for the panties, we were spending money that was designated for things like Marine World. That put a pout on her face as I headed her towards the lingerie area.

By then a clerk had accosted us. When she uttered the phrase “Is there anything I can help you with?” Elle surprised me, once again, and said she needed some panties.... this from the woman who never bought panties! Following the woman (she was around our age) over to the lingerie counter I heard her ask in a somewhat ‘knowing’ way, “Bikinis?” Elle never hesitated and responded with something like “Regular panties, please.” When asked about size Elle emphatically blurted out “Five” having just heard it a short while before. The woman reached behind her and pulled a box from the shelf. I recognized it immediately as being an Evette box.

When I found out my old sailing friend, Willy, was involved with a lingerie company that his father owned I’d made a visit to their show room in the city. When I asked if I could buy some for Elle to try out he said he’d take care of it. I thought I’d get just a few things but, surprisingly, he sent boxes. For the panties they were both size four and size five. He’d warned me that they ran a little on the large size so, at the time, I was prepared. The four’s fit Elle perfectly. When it came to panties Elle was totally clueless. She didn’t know one maker from another and never looked at a label. All she did was to put her hand in the panty drawer and pull out a pair or two. So, after hearing Elle mentioned size 5, I, quite forcefully, said “size 4!” The look on the woman’s face was of shock. Here was a male ordering her to get a specific size of panty. I’m sure that had never happened to her before.

As long as I’d ‘blown my cover’ as a husband dragged along on a mundane panty buying trip I decided to step up to the counter and to feel the material. I could tell immediately that it was nylon satin tricot and what I definitely preferred. With the panties close up I could readily see the lace appliqué. I finished my inspection of them by telling the clerk that we’d take the whole box. She still had a look of disbelief on her face as I paid for them.

Heading for the door it was Elle’s turn to grab my arm. She pleaded with me to let her at least go take a look at the dress. I pretty much knew that if there was one her size there would be a lot more pleading... but I agreed. There were a few of the dress she liked hanging on the rack. I took a quick peek at the tag and the price about choked me. I prayed (to myself) that there wouldn’t be one of her size. She spun through them and was relieved to hear her say that they were “all in the teens’ and too big. She was a size ten which I knew was a fairly common size. (NOTE: Back at this time in her life, at thirty, Elle weighed 140 lbs, not bad for a 5’71/2 woman who’d had three kids. Today, some 47 years later she weighs 136 lbs and wears a size 6. That shows you how the fashion industry has ‘dumbed down’ the sizes to make women feel better about themselves.) The clerk who’d waited on us in the lingerie department had caught up with us by then. When Elle asked if they had any more the woman, now over the shock from the panty dealings, said that when she’d done inventory the night before she was sure there were two that were smaller. She went into the changing area and returned with two, one a size 12 and the other a size 8. I thought I was home free at that point but Elle took them and disappeared behind a drape to try them on. Within minutes she was standing before me with this big smile on her face. She was wearing the smaller one. I had to admit the dress looked good on her.

Elle’s ‘pleading’ took the form of a half pout. Even though common sense told me I shouldn't do it I quickly came to the realization that if I said "yes" to the dress it’d be like ‘money in the bank’ as far as getting Elle to agree to some of my wishes and desires as far as ‘wet play was concerned for the remainder of our Florida time… I nodded my approval. No verbal pleading and no negative argument… a winning combination… or so I hoped. The saleslady had turned her attention to some new customers and had left Elle and I alone for the minute. I’d been holding the bag with the panties while Elle had tried the dress on. When she turned to go behind the curtain to change back into her sundress I stopped her. I held up the bag with the panties and asked if she’d put on a pair of each of the two different kinds of panties. I knew before I asked that she’d resist but when I smiled and pointed to the price tag on the dress she took a deep breath and grabbed the bag from my hand.

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156d)

WARMER DAYS … on to Florida (Part 156d)

Her name was Thea and she was the wife of the owner. She and my mother had become good friends over the years so much so that almost every Summer she and her husband would spend a few days visiting with my parents. Elle’s reaction to the question was not, initially, favorable. I could see the look of shock on Elle’s face but the woman apologized immediately. She told us that it would take a little time to get used to her ways but that she really meant no harm. My mother interjected that Thea didn’t like to “beat around the bush”, or something like that, to indicate that when there was a problem to solve she wanted to fix it as quickly as possible.

With that little hurdle jumped, Thea proceeded to suggest two possibilities… with each being the same distance and time away. The first was a brand new enclosed shopping mall (with air conditioning) in Jacksonville which was North of us. The other was to head for St. Augustine which was due South. Not giving Elle or I a chance to comment or to question her, she interjected that we surely didn’t come all the way to Florida to go shopping in a mall even if it was one of the most modern in the country. She went on to assure us that we’d find what we needed by heading South where we could take in the sights of the old city while accomplishing our task. When Elle and I’d talked about what we wanted to do while in Florida I’d told her that one place I really wanted to take her was Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine. I mentioned that to Thea and she agreed that it was a “must” and that we should have plenty of time to take it in as well as to do our shopping.

My mother was to meet friends at the Pool and Cabana area for lunch so it was decided that we’d drive her there and then head for St Augustine. My father was happy to just relax at the pool and when it was time to return to their room they’d just take the little shuttle run by the resort. By 12:30pm we were on our way. On the way one thing that caught me a bit by surprise was in how much the 25 or so miles had been built up. The last time I’d been on that road there were probably no more than a dozen houses and now both sides were developed. Thea had given us a brochure with a map of St. Augustine so I had no problem finding my way into the city. I’d mentioned to her about wanting to show Elle the historic part and the street with the park down the middle of it. Thea told us there was a good chance we’d find what Elle needed in one of the stores in that section of town.

When we turned onto that street it was a relief to see something that hadn’t changed all that much. The palm trees in the center of the park area created an umbrella like setting for both the park and the cars parked next to it. I found a place and we crossed over to the retail side. I definitely remember being ’taken’ by the store signs that hung out over the sidewalks. It was a real step back in time. Before long Elle spied a women’s clothing store and we headed inside. As soon as we walked in I didn’t have a good feeling about having success for our search. To me it looked like a store for older women as most of the clothes I saw were pretty basic and drab. However, when the salesperson approached and asked what we were interested in Elle surprised me and said she’d like to see some panties. Why this was a surprise is that I was almost positive Elle had never bought any panties herself, at least since we’d been going together. When the lady asked what size she wanted it was pretty funny because Elle immediately turned to me to ask her size. I didn’t see the look on the face of the woman but I’m sure she was smiling when I answered “Size 5.”

After a few minutes she returned with a handful of panties. As she spread them out on the counter she mumbled something about the owner needing to place an order. She apologized for only having a few from which to choose. Right away I spied a couple with tunnel waist elastic. I knew of three with that type… VanRaalte, Kayser and Lollipop and told Elle to take a look at them. As soon as she held them up I knew they were made by VanRaalte. The extra large crotch was the give-away. I nudged Elle and she picked up on it and told the clerk she’d take them. Elle also needed a slip. The one she’d worn on the flight was drying back at our room. The sun dress she was wearing was a bit sheer and she was uncomfortable without a slip. But, when she asked about one short enough to wear under the dress she had on the lady said she was sure they didn’t have any that short. The store’s loss and my gain!

We walked a bit further before crossing over the the North side of the street. We couldn’t have picked a better place to cross. There were benches placed intermittently throughout the park like space between the two streets. As we walked past one I saw a woman, asleep, on a bench and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Lying on her back she had one leg down with her foot on the ground and the other leg was up and lying against the back of the bench… with her skirt up on her stomach. We were close enough for me to see some kind of lace on the edge of the panties around the leg elastic. I must have had a good ten seconds to observe before Elle caught me. A pretty good shot to my bicep changed that though.

Back on the sidewalk again we only had a short walk before we both saw a store that definitely looked more promising. In those times a number of lingerie companies provided small plastic signs with their name or logo on them to place on the floor of window displays. Just as we were about to open the door I saw a familiar name… Evette.

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156c)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156c)

There were small flood lights beaming from the corners of the two building. However, they didn’t project all that far. With what little light they did give off there was nothing to see but sand. To Elle, I’d described these neat thatched roofed structures used to protect guests from the sun with multiple Adirondack chairs under them to lounge in. But, there was nothing there. Not even the remnants of what I remembered. I could hear the faint sound of the ocean out in the darkness but that was all. I’d taken Elle’s hand to lead her out to the sea wall but with nothing to see she started pulling me back towards the room.

After opening the door and turning on the light I’m sure I let out a little cry. It was so long ago I can’t speak as to what I was expecting to see but what I was viewing wasn’t it. I know it had been fifteen years since I’d last seen any room there and… as I briefly noted earlier, the rooms my parents and I had back then were what had been called the “suites”. At age 15 room size was not a priority and I can’t even give a guess how big they were BUT… they were a lot bigger that what I saw. I know I’m guessing but based on the furniture in there I remember it was probably 12’ by 12’. There were twin beds separated by a night stand with a small dressing table/desk with a plain wooden chair; a small dresser with maybe four drawers and a small upholstered chair stuffed in the far corner. I was shocked. Had I been dreaming when I’d described to Elle what it had been like when I’d stayed there. I’d been in motels with better accommodations. I felt embarrassed.

Lost in those thoughts, I didn’t realize that Elle had ducked into the bathroom that was located right inside the door. Finally, I moved and lifted the suitcase up onto the first bed. That’s when the reality of having to tell Elle about not having any kind of panties flooded my brain. I don’t know how long it was before the bathroom door opened a little and Elle asked for some dry panties. With all that had been going on I’d not given any thought to Elle’s ‘problem’ during the various phases of our trip so hearing the word”dry’ told me that I probably should’ve. I turned and walked towards the bathroom knowing the result of my disclosure about the panties wasn’t going to be pleasant.

I can’t remember her exact words (probably because I closed my mind to them) but they were along the lines of “Of all the things to leave behind how could you forget them?”. I’d decided on the plane not to go over any or all the reasons that it had happened and took the tack of trying to get to the morning and then tackle the problem. In looking back on it (and having discussed it any number of times) the reason she didn’t ‘explode’ was that she was too tired to exert the energy that it would’ve required. Because I didn’t have to respond to an ‘attack’, my mind was free to come up with an immediate solution.

I dug into my things in the suitcase and pulled out a pair of my underpants. When she saw them her response was “No way!”, or something close to it. As calmly as I could and as nicely as I could I asked if she had a better idea. Knowing how tired she was I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t have and answer and pulled them on. Now the question was what to do about the bed since we had no sanitary pads or plastic pants. Fortunately, the very first thing she’d done when getting her things together at home was to pull out one of the flannelized rubber pads we had. Even though it meant we wouldn’t have bath towels first thing in the morning, I grabbed them and put them down on the pad. I remember thinking as I did it that they were about the thinnest bath towels I’d ever felt. She found a nightie top and climbed into the bed without the suitcase and told me to turn off the overhead light. By then it was sometime after 4am. Having dodged the explanation ‘bullet’ with her I found myself ready to ‘crash’ myself so just closed the suitcase and put it on the floor. The next thing I knew the phone was ringing.

It was my father wanting to know where we were. The last time we talked we’d decided that we’d all meet for breakfast at 9am. I looked at my watch and it was close to 10am. He told me that breakfast was served until 11am and I promised we’d be there before that. However, I needed to get towels as I pretty much knew Elle had saturated the ones we had. Luckily, I found one of the housekeeping crew just a few doors away. Elle was in the shower when I returned. She was washing out the panties she'd worn on the flight. When I asked her when and how they'd gotten wet she glared at me and said it was the "bump" when we landed. Finishing up, she told me, point blank, she wasn’t wearing my underpants out in public so not to get a pair out for her.

The suitcase was still on the floor so I decided to put all the clothes in the dresser. As I did I found Elle had packed a tennis dress and, much to my immediate delight, found the panties that went with it. It was with a great sense of relief that I held them in my hand. When Elle appeared I showed them to her but didn’t get the response I’d hoped for. I don’t remember if she said anything but the look on her face spoke volumes.

On our way to breakfast we both got to see, in broad daylight, what the place looked like. Tired and old is the way I remember it. The tables on the patio were starting to rust and the few umbrellas that were there had definitely seen better days. Inside, the lounge area was configured pretty much the way I remembered it and was probably furnished the same way. Here it is some 48 years later and I still feel disappointed. My parents were there waiting so we went right into the dining room. We were the only ones there so didn’t have to wait to be served. We went over the panic we’d experienced with the change in flight times and when Elle blithely told my mother that I’d forgotten to pack her underwear I was totally blown away. If there was one consistent thing about my mother it was that she was unflappable. She got up immediately and went to the front desk. When she returned a few minutes later she had a nice looking woman with her who, to me, appeared to be halfway between my mother’s age and my age. She greeted us with “Welcome…" and to Elle said "I hear you’re in need of some unmentionables?”

To be continued...

WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156b)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156b)

At the gate we had about a 20 minute wait. Both Elle and I had calmed down enough to talk in reasonable tones. I apologized for being so ‘short’ with her. She didn’t readily accept it but was willing to talk. I’d had no conversation with her concerning what she was wearing for ‘protection’ so asked. She kind of bushed me off by saying she was OK. I knew that was the end of that. But, out of the blue she asked if I’d called my father about arriving early. It was like I got hit in the head with a bat. Looking at my watch told me I had maybe 10 minutes, at the most, to try and reach him.

Fortunately, the telephone number he’d given me was for the front desk. I got a lady with a drawl who said she knew exactly where my parents were and would personally take the message to them. I explained that they’d arranged for someone who worked there at the resort to pick Elle and I up and he was to have a sign with the resort name it so we could find him. She assured me that someone would be there. By the time I hung up they were making the last call for boarding and Elle was at the doorway waiting for me. By then I couldn’t wait to get to Florida and for all the ‘drama’ to end.

I'd not paid any attention to the type of plane we were to fly on and was concerned when I found out it was a propeller driven Constellation. I asked a stewardess (yes, that's what 'flight attendants' were called back in those days) about it and was told it was the only plane available. I'd flown in newer jet airliners and the main difference was the noise from the engines. Even with that Elle fell asleep soon after take off. I was still too worked up for it to happen to me. I have no idea when it came to me that in packing I didn’t remember seeing any sanitary pads or plastic panties for Elle’s night time “package”. I was back in panic mode again and really wide awake. I tried, desperately, to remember everything I'd stuffed into the suitcase... and it was then that I realized that I'd never gone to Elle's panty drawer at all and not only didn't she have the things for her night time 'package' but there were no other panties either. I sat there in the darkness and found myself perspiring. I couldn’t believe that I’d been so stupid. I was really mad at myself because one of the things I’d looked so forward to was being alone with Elle without kids around to ‘play’ with her in wet panties… and now there weren’t any at all. On top of that I knew she’d be mad from just the practical side of it… she didn’t have any underwear at all.

When I woke her to use the toilet I didn’t mention it. I’d decided to put it off as long as I could. It was impossible for me to sleep so all I did was to try and fabricate a reasonable excuse. It had been a comfortable flight as far as air turbulence was concerned but the pilot came on the intercom to tell us there would be some rough spats on out decent to the Jacksonville airport. This was only Elle’s third flight and she was, naturally, nervous so had ‘willed’ herself to sleep to avoid worrying about it. The announcement woke her and put her into a bit of a “tizzy”. I was surprised when she reached for my hand and then how hard she grasped it. We bounced around a bit before touchdown and when she felt the bump when we hit the runway she let out a little ‘yelp’ and squeezed my hand even harder. I just sat there, smiling to myself. At the gate she was back to being her usual self and told me she was really proud of herself for not panicking. I praised her as well and took a deep breath as I wondered what was going to happen when I broke the news about her panties… or lack of them.

I honestly recognized the man who’d been sent to pick us up. He’d been the bar tender when I’d last stayed at the place fifteen years ago and I even remembered his name… Ben. He was a big pleasant faced colored man (remember, it’s the 60’s) with what my mother had called “the gift of gab” in that he could talk about anything and to all age groups, kids to doddering older folks. He claimed he remembered me but I had my doubts. He’d come in his own car and explained that the original person who was to pick us up wasn’t available so he volunteered. Elle sat in the front seat and I rode in back. Ben conversed with us the entire hour it took to get to our destination. It was around 4am or so when we pulled up in front of the main entrance and there were only dim lights inside the lobby. Ben turned to me and said not to worry in that he had keys and also had an envelope for me. He yanked the suitcase out of the trunk like it was a feather (I told you he was big!) and we followed him into the lobby. I looked around and even with the poor lighting I recognized my surroundings. It was like nothing had changed in the past 15 years.

Ben stopped outside the bar area and disappeared inside. Returning with the promised envelope he took it over to a lamp in the lounge area telling me I was to read some sort of instructions. It was a handwritten letter written by the wife of the owner. It was an apology. Elle and I were to have shared rooms with my parents in what had been loosely called the “suites”. It was two rooms that shared a small vestibule area. In the years I’d been there we always had the South one. But, the letter explained that the people who had been in the room Elle and I were to have occupied had decided to stay on longer than planned. So… we had been given an oceanside room. The key tag said it was Room #1 and I still remembered where it was located. Ben insisted that he carry our bag but I won the battle. We thanked him and promised to stop in to see him in the bar that night.

Standing in the doorway that led out to the patio and courtyard I was a little dismayed. The patio had always been filled with round tables with umbrellas in the middle. I don’t remember just how many there were but there weren’t many and only a few had umbrellas. We walked across the courtyard and another thing struck me… the landscaping was very sparse. My memory of the space was that the greenery was always full and lush. Our room was located on the North part of the complex and was right next to the path leading to the beach. Without going in I put the bag down and took Elle by the hand. I’d described the beach to her many times and even though it was dark I wanted her to see it and to hear the ocean. Disappointment isn’t adequate to describe my feeling as we walked out on the sea wall.

To be continued...