16 MAY 05: ON THE BEACH
Sunday was a gorgeous day in Columbus - low-80's, mostly sunny with a light wind. So I decided to relax at the beach. And the great news is, you don't have to drive to Panama City Beach to do that anymore -- especially in a procession of bikers ignoring the speed limit.
One benefit of recent high water on the Chattahoochee River is that a small sandy area has developed along the Phenix City Riverwalk. In a way, it's a downtown beach -- only the sand is tan and brown instead of Florida Gulf Coast white, so this is not for the race-conscious.
The best spot for beach activity is between the "center circle" of the Phenix City Riverwalk and 13th Street. The sand is several inches deep in some places, and you'll even find a few shell pieces mixed in. Please don't tell me this was bought at a Home Depot....
When I strolled off the walkway and onto the beach Sunday afternoon, the area wasn't crowded at all. About ten people were trying to catch fish in the Chattahoochee near the 13th Street dam. Any fish which climbed over that dam is probably groggy, and easier to catch.
By the way, at least four large signs along the Phenix City Riverwalk warn: "DO NOT WALK ON ROCKS." A Fort Benning soldier apparently did while fishing last week, and wound up dead. So I barely set foot in the river enough to clean sand off my feet -- and amazingly, it did NOT turn into mud.
I came well-prepared for a day at the beach - with sunscreen, a towel and a "travel chair in a bag" which I'd never opened before. After taking about 15 minutes to put it together, this may be known from now on as the "travel chair in a trunk."
With the travel chair finally assembled in a shady spot, I took off my shoes and socks and settled my feet into deep sand. One nice thing about having a beach along the Chattahoochee River is that stingrays are quite unlikely to crawl ashore and bite you.
In keeping with the stereotypical summer beachgoer, I brought a book to read - Dick McMichael's "The Newsman." The first several chapters contain marvelous details of his childhood, as well as Columbus in the 1930's. But if KDKA is the only "K" radio station east of the Mississippi, where did KYW in Philadelphia come from?
"Who needs Panama City Beach when you have this?" I said to four young people who walked by as I read. Come to think of it, Phenix City should market this area as "P.C. Beach" - and gain countless mixed-up travelers.
Besides those young people, the only other person to stroll by during my hour on the beach was a Phenix City police officer. He was out with his training dog and a tennis ball -- in case someone decided this was the perfect secluded area for making meth.
"Secluded" is a great word for this beachy spot - because with the rushing dam as a waterfall on your left, there's no city noise to distract you. It's a quiet place, nestled amid two downtown areas. For now, at least -- unless Phenix City starts bringing in bustling downtown restaurants, with loud oldies music on back porches.
With my beach time concluded, I started heading back down the "Riverwalk Phenix" to my car. Phenix City planned this well enough to have a few water spigots along the walkway. I suppose they're for cleaning feet -- unless people come here to wash their cars.
My car was parked in the Phenix City Amphitheater parking lot -- and it was interesting to find few cars in the lot Sunday afternoon, but all of them with Georgia license plates. Where were the Alabama people? Is it more fashionable to open your Sunday cans of beer at home?
BLOG UPDATE: A national official with the NAACP visited Columbus Sunday night. WRBL described the crowd for a rally at Spirit-Filled Ministries as "semi-packed." What does that mean? Did everyone sit on the left side of the sanctuary?
NAACP Chief Operating Officer Nelson Rivers found much "unacceptable" about the Kenneth Walker case. The city response to the big January march was unacceptable. The lack of action by the federal Justice Department is unacceptable. Too bad no one asked Rivers where he was staying overnight.
Dr. Nelson Rivers is unhappy that a police "Citizens' Review Board" formed in the wake of the Kenneth Walker case has turned into a "public safety advisory committee." But this brings up a theory I've never heard anyone mention. If sheriff's deputies earned more money, David Glisson might never have opened fire.
After 17 months, the U.S. Justice Department still hasn't issued a ruling one way or the other about the shooting of Kenneth Walker. Maybe it let another branch of the Bush administration speak in its half - by announcing almost 10,000 more soldiers are moving to Fort Benning.
THE BIG BLOG QUESTION ends divided about Spencer High School student Kevin Francois. After one week, 53 percent of you say he should have been suspended for his actions after Mom phoned him from Iraq. But 47 percent say he should NOT have been (8-7). Should we assume all the yes votes were from men, and the no votes from women?
Now for other findings from a day in mid-May:
+ The Ledger-Enquirer revealed Columbus State University graduates did NOT receive their diplomas Saturday, because they won't be ready for several days. This almost seems like a slap in the face at the seniors. Did C.S.U. expect many of them to flunk their finals?
+ The sign outside the Columbus Civic Center revealed Hilary Duff is coming to town in August. There's plenty of time for parents to prepare for this - by limiting the amount of sugar their children eat.
+ A company in Atlanta started selling "Jennifer's High Tailin' Sauce" - a hot sauce with a drawing of a runaway bride on the label! Maybe I should buy a case of it, get on a bus and try to sell it in New Mexico.
+ Georgia Tech's baseball team beat Virginia Tech 11-1, one day after winning 27-2. I think it's safe to assume no one in Michael Vick's family plays baseball....
+ Instant Message to the City of Columbus Waste Collection Department: Why are you sponsoring one TV station's nightly weather report? Are crews from The Sandman sneaking around before dawn, and picking up people's garbage from the curb?
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