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Stories from Around the World
Boxing At The Beach
John and Harold had been dropped off at Boy Scout Day Camp. John is the one without the shirt with his fists up. Harold has the white shirt on. There are no girls at this beach camp. There’s a hotel in the background on the other side of the beach wall, but no one really went there except when the Scout Leaders called for lunch.
Parents would drop their kids off every day while they went shopping or to other appointments they had. Sometimes, the parents did funner stuff like canoeing and picnics with their friends after they dropped off their boys. It didn’t matter what the parents did anyway.
Harold (who is now a Sargeant Major in the Marines) can’t remember whether it was at Daytona Beach or Myrtle Beach. This was a long time ago. John is a professional actor on Broadway and couldn’t be reached for comment.
John and Harold were not really fighting really. It was what happened when boyish excitement and enthusiasm expanded on the beach in the summer sun. This particular time they were demonstrating boxing techniques. The young fellow on the right edge of the picture (who is kinda cut off) was calling out the play by play like a radio commentator. Harold couldn’t remember his name. Tommy, was the other guy, in the ready position behind John and Harold who was supposed to jump in, in case the “demonstration” got too heated. If you look real close, you might be able to make out the two boys in the back by the gate. They were the guards, posted there to keep out girls.
There were times when the Boy Scout leaders did Boy Scout stuff on the beach like hunting for shells and identifying them. These usually happened first thing after the parents dropped them off. After lunch, in the early afternoon, they were free! The guys liked these times best when they could just yell and shout and run in the sand. When the water roared as the waves crashed on the beach, the boys would just get louder.
There was nothing like a day at the beach!
Written by the residents of Altrusa House in Gainesville, Florida on March 24, 2017.
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