Beaches — America's Longest Playgrounds

Sometime during the first week in July, on a steaming hot beach in America, 'Little Ray' Hogan is going to take a cup of ice water and creep up on his big sister Penny, while she sleeps in a beach chair, with about a dozen smirking relatives watching, and – you guessed it – dribble some of the ice-water on his big sister. And when Penny jumps up screaming "Raymond!" and he scampers away safely, the on-looking relatives will all laugh and hoot and holler and have a good time. A few of them have watched 'Little Ray' do this to his big sis for over 50 years! And when he does it now, the children, and grandchildren and nephews and nieces are part of the weeklong vacation. They come from different cities and states to gather together at the beach to talk, and eat, and fish, and golf, and surf, and visit the arcades, and do puzzles, and swim, and eat some more. But mainly they talk, about teenagers, and health, and old friends and loved ones. That is America. And it is part of the quality of life in America.