Grumpy the Gator

In Grumpy the Gator, a group of children playing encounter a grumpy alligator. The story teaches children to always keep a safe distance from animals in the wild, and to find an adult if they see an alligator.

Grumpy the Gator

Its Always A Story With The Hendersons

Yardstick parking at the beach…

Beautiful sunny morning at the beach. What a great day to enjoy a leisure stroll and soak up God’s creations! Sand, sunshine, sounds of waves jumping to reach the shore, children laughing, parents watching carefully, dogs running to catch sticks thrown in the water, and possibly a dolphin sighting.
All these glorious sights and sounds were enjoyed recently as we walked hand in hand on the local beach.
Of course, with the Henderson’s, there has to be more to the story. Upon arriving at the beach area, we looked for parking as usual. Early morning and already a parking place was hard to find.
While riding down the main street, a few parking places became available. Great location, not too far from the beach. This would work out perfectly.
Alan parked the car according to the rules of the road. There are signs positioned along the way alerting everyone to “Park 4 feet away from the main road.” Sometimes, there is  a white chalk line drawn to give further instruction about the 4 feet rule.
This day, after parking and believing we were following the rules by parking the correct distance from the road, we exited the car, put on our sun hats and prepared to walk.
Yes, a fantastic, fun, energizing excursion. Happiness filled our souls. Sweat and all.
Heading back to the car after our morning exercise, I noticed the “Beach Patrol” truck nearby. “Oh, no. Hope everything is okay. Looks like someone might be getting a ticket.”
Little did we realize the “someone” getting the ticket was us.
Evidently, our perception of 4 feet is not so good. A bright orange ticket on our vehicle alerted us to pay the $50.00 fine for not following the rules of parking 4 feet away from the road.
Embarrassing….. our lovely walk went from feelings of happiness to feelings of “Oh, my! How did we do that?”
From now on, we are thinking of carrying a yardstick to the beach, just to make sure we follow the rules. 🙂 We can measure the distance from the car to the road to make sure no more bright orange citations adorn our vehicle.
Have you ever accidentally broken a rule? How did you feel? I am thankful for God’s forgiveness and patience with me, as I am a work in progress.
Blessings, beach walking, sunshine and tons of giggles,
Mimi

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62 Comments
  • Shepherdess for the King
    Posted at 14:10h, 23 July Reply

    Sounds like a lovely day, except of course the ticket. Sounds like there should be much better signage or chalk lines to show where to park. I guess they expect everyone to have their own personal measuring stick to measure the distance for parking. Craziness, lol.
    I love how you described the walk on the beach. I felt I was there with you. Have a lovely day. xx

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 14:11h, 23 July Reply

      Yes, a lovely walk on the beach. Next time, we are definitely parking in a different location. 🙂 Have a blessed day!

  • Art Stanley
    Posted at 14:29h, 23 July Reply

    Mimi- We humans carry that inward conscious-thing with us all the time; it’s the Creator’s gift like a “built-in” GPS system. We need it and should be grateful for it, but the flip-side of guilt when we TRY to do the right thing and fail, is indeed troublesome! We Thank God for forgiveness!
    Love to you- ART STANLEY

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 15:53h, 23 July Reply

      Thank you for reading and commenting. A “built-in” GPS system from our Creator. What a great thought! We miss you. Hope you are well. Hug and love to you!

  • Jill Weatherholt
    Posted at 14:59h, 23 July Reply

    That was an expensive walk, Mimi. At least the weather was nice. Since I tend to follow the rules, I always feel guilty if I accidentally break one. Your photograph is beautiful!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 15:45h, 23 July Reply

      I always feel bad when breaking a rule. I never intend to be a rule breaker. 🙂 Our son found this photo for the blog. He’s an expert at computer, writing code and designing websites.

  • Yvonne
    Posted at 20:25h, 23 July Reply

    I spent time this weekend walking on the beach. Such a beautiful way to enjoy some time with the family. Thanks for sharing

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 20:31h, 23 July Reply

      Beach walking is one of our favorite activities. 🙂

  • Liz
    Posted at 20:50h, 23 July Reply

    Oh dear. Sorry to hear about your ticket. But your walk sounded lovely and as someone has already mentioned, it was like I was on the beach too.
    Hope you are enjoying the weather over there.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 20:52h, 23 July Reply

      Thank you. Yes, the temperatures are hot, but not as hot as a few weeks ago. Hubby and I enjoy our walks. We hold hands and chat. 🙂

      • Liz
        Posted at 20:55h, 23 July Reply

        Lovely.
        Although I don’t ever plan to be in a relationship myself again, when I see couples holding hands, it makes me smile. It’s nice to see.

  • rocksolidfaithacademy
    Posted at 21:57h, 23 July Reply

    Thanks for the opportunity to share a virtual walk with you by the beach. Your vivid descriptions made me feel like I was there. Turned out to be quite the expensive walk for you though. Your story reminded me of an incident that happened recently. They turned a particular community into a one-way street close to where I live. A few of the residents were out of town while this change occurred. Only to return to be slapped with a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street counter to the directional traffic change.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 22:35h, 23 July Reply

      That would be a new experience to find the street changed into a one-way. We have a lot of one way streets downtown and we are always making sure we are going the correct way. 🙂

  • karentfriday
    Posted at 23:48h, 23 July Reply

    Gosh, Melissa. It seems they’re a tad strict with that parking stuff, uh? Most people can’t perfectly judge 4 feet. I guess you could walk it out with your own feet like my father-in-law used to do to measure the square footage of a room, etc.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 23:59h, 23 July Reply

      We truly think we were parked the correct distance from the road. But, next time we will be parking in another place. 🙂

  • Gail Johnson
    Posted at 01:15h, 24 July Reply

    Sorry for your troubles, Melissa. I love walking on the beach.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:53h, 24 July Reply

      Beach walking is one of our favorite activities. Good for our backs and good for our overall health. 🙂

  • nancyehead
    Posted at 01:27h, 24 July Reply

    That was a sad end to a happy walk. I once parked in four spaces when I was late for a test in college. That ticket only cost $6. Long time ago. Thanks and God bless!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:52h, 24 July Reply

      Wow! Only $6..00. That’s amazing! Wish that was the cost of our ticket. 🙂 We learned a lesson and will find somewhere else to park next time. The whole thing gives us another “Henderson” story. 🙂

  • Eliza
    Posted at 02:35h, 24 July Reply

    This made me smile (although sad for your money…).
    You see dolphins????
    As you said, next time will be parking in a different place…

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:51h, 24 July Reply

      Yes, we love watching the dolphins jump in and out of the water. We enjoy the beauty of God’s creations. 🙂

      • Eliza
        Posted at 13:35h, 24 July Reply

        I like watching all nature 🙂 Especially just being in water and greenery.

  • Lynn J Simpson
    Posted at 04:06h, 24 July Reply

    When I hear of yard sticks, it reminds me of my elementary school days! We do ‘metres’ now of course, but yard stick still sounds so much nicer than metre stick! Thanks for taking me on your walk with you. It really is the simple things that make life so lovely!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:50h, 24 July Reply

      I agree. The simple things in life give us the most wonderful blessings. 🙂

  • Edna Davidsen
    Posted at 06:06h, 24 July Reply

    Dear Melissa!
    There’s nothing like a great day at the beach 🙂 So far I’ve been lucky with tickets.
    Have a blessed day!
    Edna Davidsen

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:50h, 24 July Reply

      We truly enjoy our walks on the beach. We see something new every time. 🙂

  • Vickie morgan Vickie morgan
    Posted at 09:36h, 24 July Reply

    I loved walking with you and I can just imagine your hat. I’m sorry you got a ticket. I wish you were given a chance to tell them some how you didn’t mean to do it! Sounds like a lovely beach though.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:49h, 24 July Reply

      Yes, a lovely beach. We live so close to the beach now, only about 10 minutes away. Lots of great walking times. 🙂 Hopefully, no more tickets.

  • Emily Saxe | To Unearth
    Posted at 12:12h, 24 July Reply

    Oh no! I’ve done something similar when parking. We parked on one side of the road, but little did we know there was a sign on the opposite side saying no parking. The angry house owners on the side we parked on called the police and we got a ticket. :/ So I understand how you feel!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:48h, 24 July Reply

      These things happen. At least it wasn’t something awful. We are able to laugh about the whole incident now. 🙂

  • jmshistorycorner
    Posted at 12:17h, 24 July Reply

    Apart from the (in my opinion, stupid) ticket, sounds like a wonderful day. I haven’t been to the beach properly in a long time.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:47h, 24 July Reply

      Seems like lots of people received citations that day. We’ll keep an eye out for better parking places. 🙂

  • Marcie Cramsey
    Posted at 16:56h, 24 July Reply

    What a challenging end to a beautiful walk. I’m so sorry but so glad you had the walk before the ticket. 🙂 Thank you for sharing a slice of your life with us!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 18:27h, 24 July Reply

      The walk was beautiful and we will always remember the glorious sights and sounds. We will remember the ticket, too, but we will laugh. 🙂

  • Invisibly Me
    Posted at 17:20h, 24 July Reply

    Sorry, Mimi, I left this comment yesterday but it’s either gone to spam or just not ‘stuck’, which seems to be happening too regularly, some kind of WP glitch maybe. I saved it just in case :
    Nooooo, that’s the last thing you need to dampen what was a good day! I’m so sorry you got ticketed. I wouldn’t have a clue with the 4ft thing, I’d guess it and be awfully wrong. There should DEFINITELY be a line, not just assuming people know what such a measurement looks like. Maybe you could write to the Beach Patrol gang, make the suggestion.
    Then tell them you never learned the imperial system of feet at school, only the metric system with meters. Or tell them you literally measured with your feet, and obviously your feet weren’t the same size as their when they measured!!
    Caz xx

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 18:26h, 24 July Reply

      Your reply made me laugh. Thank you for giving me the giggles. I can imagine telling the beach patrol that I literally measured with my feet and my feet aren’t the same size as theirs. haha! 🙂

  • June Foster
    Posted at 21:03h, 24 July Reply

    Melissa, as you told your story, I knew something was up but wasn’t sure what. When you said you saw the little orange ticket on your car window, I grit my teeth. That wasn’t fair! You and Alan were trying so hard to follow the beach rules. But I loved your Godly response of patiently accepting what happened and turned it over to the Lord. Love you blog. You’ve got a great following as well.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 21:29h, 24 July Reply

      Thank you for the encouragement you give me. You hold a special place in my heart. 🙂

  • Boma
    Posted at 08:38h, 25 July Reply

    Yes, I’m thankful for God’s patience and forgiveness. Sorry about the ticket, Mimi. Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 13:42h, 25 July Reply

      Thank you. A lesson learned and we still ended up with laughter. 🙂

  • stephaniemgammon
    Posted at 14:01h, 25 July Reply

    Oh my goodness, this made me laugh. I feel like I accidentally break the rules all the time! Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone:). I love this line: Sand, sunshine, sounds of waves jumping to reach the shore… I love how it captures the heart of a creative God who made wonders to delight us.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 14:07h, 25 July Reply

      I seem to break rules without even knowing. haha! Thanks for reading and commenting.

  • Milton Goh
    Posted at 14:55h, 25 July Reply

    Yes sometimes I break rules and feel bad. Then I remember that I am forgiven because of what Jesus has done and I feel thankful for it.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 15:42h, 25 July Reply

      Amen. I am thankful for God’s forgiveness.

  • onelostcoin
    Posted at 16:52h, 25 July Reply

    Your family sounds like a beautiful family that can handle anything thrown at them! ❤️

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 19:54h, 25 July Reply

      Thank you. 🙂 We try to find laughter every day.

  • Karen
    Posted at 05:04h, 26 July Reply

    Mimi, what a surprising end to the start of a happy day. Those rules sound awfully strict to me! Especially when you had every intention of obeying them. But I hope you enjoyed your walk…I wish I lived by a beach. What fun! Wishing you lots of blessings and giggles!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:39h, 26 July Reply

      Karen, we did enjoy the walk. We have decided to find another parking area next time. Don’t want to take any chances of breaking the rules. Have a wonderful, blessed, giggle filled day! 🙂

  • Sydney Meek
    Posted at 14:30h, 26 July Reply

    What an expensive walk you went on! 😉 I always love going to the beach – it’s one of the places I hear The Lord most. Thanks for sharing this experience! 🙂

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 15:21h, 26 July Reply

      Expensive but the joy is far better than the expense. God’s creations are amazing to witness. 🙂

  • Wendy L. Macdonald
    Posted at 00:19h, 27 July Reply

    Dear Melissa, your intro drew me into your story. Yes, I have broken a traffic rule without realizing it. The man giving me the driving test noticed it, and I had to retake the test a few weeks later.
    Blessings ~ Wendy

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 12:21h, 27 July Reply

      Rules can help us learn valuable wisdom. 🙂 Have a blessed day!

  • Robin
    Posted at 23:18h, 28 July Reply

    Ouch! Guess you could consider the fine a contribution to the community.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 23:22h, 28 July Reply

      Good way to look at the experience of getting a ticket. 🙂

  • neilsonanita
    Posted at 18:13h, 30 July Reply

    what a lovely blog. I’m so glad I came across you and I look forward to following your posts! Blessings from me also. Anita.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 18:45h, 30 July Reply

      Thank you so much for your kind words. Have a wonderful, blessed week! 🙂

  • Lily Pierce
    Posted at 14:43h, 31 July Reply

    Sounds lovely! We are on the NC coast right now, and it won’t stop raining!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 14:44h, 31 July Reply

      Yes, we have had rain everyday for a couple of weeks. On and off, sunshine then rain. Lots of loud thunder, too.
      Have a great trip!

  • ordinarilyextraordinarymom
    Posted at 01:42h, 02 August Reply

    Ugh! $50 to park!! Shucks. Well at least you guys got to enjoy a wonderful day is sand and sunshine.

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