I remember many summers spent at Crescent Beach. Sometimes on our week long retreats we got to stay at Island House. And many Saturdays for a day trip we’d park near Island House. But no matter if we stayed for the day or the week, there was always a walk to South Beach Grill for lunch.  Sometimes we sat outside on one of the picnic tables set on the back deck, open to the dunes and views of the beach.  Other times, we’d sit inside, wearing only bathing suits and our feet bare, taking a break from the hot noonday sun, by sitting in the cool interior of the restaurant.  Upstairs, required more dress and shoes, offering great views of the beach and ocean beyond.
The decor of the restaurant was informal, beachy and artsy…perfect!  The food was great, offering a wide selection.  We liked our usual, veggie burger with fries and lemonade.  Something about their lemonade was extra special, we couldn’t get enough.  The staff was always so friendly, in fact we were there so often that we came to know each other by name.  We even got to meet the owner, who just happens to share the same birthday month as I do, We loved going there and it was made even more special, because my youngest son who has autism was welcomed there with open arms.  It didn’t matter if he was loud or didn’t follow all the social rules, he was accepted and wanted.  That got gold stars in our book.

They always gave my son extra big cups to take with him, just like he liked it.  One was filled with ice, the other with lemonade.  He would carry them both on our mile walk back to the condo.
We’d walk at shore, letting the cool waters of the ocean keep us from melting, while my son would walk next to the dunes, where the temperature there were easily over a hundred degrees…but that’s the way he liked it.  Eventually he’d make his way to us, after we’d called out to him a thousand times, inspired by the desire not to see him ‘die’ in the heat, which he was oblivious to.

We had so many happy times there, with friends and family joining us…summer days by our favorite beach, eating at our favorite restaurant.
When I wrote my novel, Sunny’s Story, which took place at Crescent Beach, it became a no brainer that Island House and South Beach Grill would be incorporated into my story.  Island House was one of the places that inspired me to create Kate’s home, adding and expanding from my imagination.  South Beach Grill, became a lunch time favorite for Sunny.

So many happy memories of summers gone by, the places remain, and when I am there, and I pass by Island House, I remember.  I hope one day to stay there again.  Who knows, maybe I will even purchase one of those condos.  And every time that I am in the area, I still go to South Beach Grill.  There have been changes, on the outside as well as on the inside, but the good food, great atmosphere…remain the same.