100 Percent

You know those tacky beach stores with all the same names in Myrtle Beach and beaches like Myrtle Beach all across American coasts?

Wings. Eagles. Pacific. Bargain Beachwear.

These are often a point of ridicule, deservedly so with their "Surrender The Booty" T-shirts and Corona swimsuits with all the Corona sunglasses and flip-flops and underwear and women's hygeine products (OK, I made that last one up).

But never let it not be said that these places, to me, are awesome.

Where else can you get a pair of sandals, swimsuits, a pistol-replica lighters, beer sleeves, beach chairs, Samurai swords, sunglasses, tattoos and Chinese throwing stars ... all in one place?

And, these days, it's gotten to a point where something made in China is almost somehow so American.

Being on the beach made us realize that our beach chairs were in need of replacement. You can only wipe out and have a chair fold in on you so many times before you realize it's completely rusted out and needs to be retired.

I made sure to replace them before I left. You know, in one of those places that's "Going Out Of Bizness!" and has been "Going Out of Bizness!" for years now.



I think these look pretty sleek and classy. They say comfort and coolness and pride and South Carolina official state flags.

Apparently, however, my son is not impressed.

After returning home from the beach, I pulled one of the chairs down near the road to sit in while I drank a beer and watched the boys ride their bikes up the street. My 7-year-old son decided he liked the idea of sitting in one of these new chairs and "relaxing."

Less than a minute later, he'd had enough.

Enough, in fact, that he came to the conclusion that these chairs aren't as advertised. With just one look at the tag that was still attached.

"Sorry, Daddy. It just isn't comfortable to me. Even though it says 100 percent."