This essay was written for the description assignment. I found it to be a very easy assignment. My biggest difficulty was "trimming" down the descriptions to be effective. I could have written pages and pages on the subject because it is so dear to me.
Kelly, Broussard, La.
Navarre Beach
Located on Santa Rosa Island in Florida, the Holidome at Navarre Beach holds many of my favorite childhood memories. I vacationed there every summer with my extended family. My cousins and I felt as though we had walked into an enchanted kingdom as we entered into the hotel. It was a magical time of endless possibility while we where there. The trip seemed to take forever, though in reality it was only around 350 miles. My brother and I stayed up most of the night before in anticipation of arriving at the dome for another week of fun. Still dark out, my parents loaded us in the car with our pillow and blanket. My mom told us if we slept, the trip would seem quicker. Stopping at McDonald’s for breakfast near Hammond, a vacation tradition, I can still smell the sweet syrup on the warm fluffy pancakes. Getting into the car after breakfast, my dad would say, “Next stop, Navarre Beach.”
When we got to the toll bridge that connects Santa Rosa Island to the rest of the world, the excitement was almost unbearable. I would have gladly given all of my hard-earned quarters to gain access to that beautiful, isolated island that housed the Holidome. Walking into the hotel, the sights were exquisite to my young, inexperienced eyes. The large multicolored parrot at the front door squawked “Hello” to all who entered. Opposite the front desk, a gigantic fish tank formed a whole wall. Large gray predatory grouper glided calmly as small brightly colored tropical fish darted around deftly in an attempt to avoid being the lunch special of the day.
The arcade hummed with activity as children played and the games sang their theme songs. We spent our quarters fighting enemies, guiding Pac-man to the next level, driving racecars and playing pinball machines. The oddly shaped indoor pool sat in the center of the dome with crystal blue water and provided a fun refuge from the occasional afternoon thunderstorm. A thick blanket of chlorine permeated the dome. The echoes of children’s excited cries and splashes bounced off of the roof and walls like rubber balls.
The courtyard next to the pool contained ping-pong tables and provided the setting for a clown on some days and a petting zoo on other days. The glass elevator that traversed the three floors provided numerous joy rides and differing views of the seemingly never-ending activity below in the dome. “Get your swimsuits on and let’s hit the beach,” declared my mom after we unpacked the car.
The sun-baked sand, as white as sugar, felt like molten lava to our bare feet. We ran, hopped and squirmed to our rented blue chairs. Once there, mom slathered us with coconut smelling suntan lotion and set us free for the afternoon. We built grand sand castles, buried my dad in the sand and rode our boogie boards at the water’s edge. The water looked as green as emeralds and beckoned you to get in and cool off as the hot sun baked us to a deep brown. The sound of the waves breaking on the seashore excited me and I could not wait to get in water to ride my orange tire in on the waves. Ever so often, we heard the roar of a fighter plane and we would catch a glimpse of the sleek, beautiful Blue Angels flying in formation over us in the clear blue sky.
Every morning my dad woke us at daybreak and we would walk for miles along the water’s edge collecting delicate sand dollars and intricate seashells. The rising sun made beautiful streaks of pinks and oranges in the awakening sky. My memories of these trips are vivid and are often refreshed as we discuss the details at almost every family function.
We attempted to make reservations last summer to give the next generation the ability to form the same happy memories, but were disappointed to learn that the Holidome no longer exists. After sustaining severe hurricane damage, the hotel required demolition. I am grateful that we will always have our memories. Those memories are safe from any storm.
Kelly
Broussard, Louisiana
4 comments:
Kelly, thanks for leading out in this challenge I gave y'all to publish your pieces at the class blog. I consider you to be a little courageous to venture out where no one else in the class has ventured before.
I enjoyed your piece about Navarre Beach, too. (I inserted a hyperlink to a Wikipedia article in your essay for anyone who wants to know more about the place.) As a frequent vacation visitor to the Florida Gulf Coast when I was growing up years ago, I find appealing so many of your well-chosen sensory details. You also wrote a much longer piece than the assignment required, and I believe you did that because you were enjoying yourself with all those memories. Happy memories make good writing!
DP
Thanks for writing this.
Kelly,
I too am a child of the Holidome! I spent every Thanksgiving there as a kid and boy do I miss it. I wonder if we ever met playing in the arcade or singing karaoke. I am trying to locate my long lost friends from Navarre, it would be crazy if you were one of them. Shoot me an email sometime at kaallen@gmail.com if you'd like to swap stories and see if we knew each other a long time ago.
I loved the Holidome!!! We stayed there when I was a kid, and they were filming Jaws 2 there.
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