Today I took a break from the world of Fringe to soak up some sun at the beach with my fellow residence residents.

When planning our outing, I was asked if 11 am was too early to leave. I laughed then, but in the end, there was so much rushing around to get ready for the trip that morning that 11 am did approach too quickly (but only because I am more than a little disorganized these days).

Two RAs and three residents hopped in a Red River College van. We were ready with sunscreen and umbrellas, but when we arrived at Grand Beach an hour later, the chilly wind made us clutch our sweaters closer to us.

The gang at the beach, battling the cold.

It may not have been the perfect day to start with, but the sun came out from behind the clouds. I found myself simultaneously warm and cold – warm on my back, which faced the sun, but with that cold wind whipping at my face, it didn’t quite feel comfortable.

Echo, the RA on my floor, covered herself appropriately and took a nap.

We were pretty sure she was still alive under there.

An orange volleyball was unearthed, and we seized upon the idea that physical activity would warm us up. It sure did (mainly because every bump caused heat to sear across my forearms) – so much so that a couple of us decided to brave the water.

Grand Beach has lovely green-with-weeds water that warms well with the sun. The only bad part about going swimming there is getting out and experiencing the freezing wind. But we did it, and we survived.

After a few more walks along the beach, we had all had our share of the confusing weather and decided to head back home to sit on our brand new patio.

We got back just in time to beat the rush (thankfully – the patio lineup looked pretty long by 7:30 pm), so we settled ourselves into our chairs and watched passing Fringegoers and performers.

I’ll be blogging more about the expanded food options that have come with our patio, but let me just tell you that we all feasted and were filled with delicious food and, more importantly, alcohol. Culinary Exchange’s new liquor license is one of the most exciting aspects of the patio. I got to drink my Bulldog while I chowed on some veggie sliders, all in the cool summer breeze. The food was covered by my meal plan, but the alcohol was not.

It was really great that our RAs were able to organize this event for the few of us staying here for the summer. I can imagine new students from out of town, knowing no one, finding these folks to be comforting company. Trips like this allow for fun, but also create support systems for that new kid in residence (ie. me).

This new kid felt right at home with her new friends.